MONROE COUNTY — The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed Friday that a “significant” EF2 tornado touched down in Monroe County during Thursday night’s violent storm cell, leaving a trail of property damage but, miraculously, no loss of life.
An EF2 rating is classified as “Significant,” capable of tearing roofs off frame houses, demolishing mobile homes, and snapping large trees.
Following a comprehensive ground survey, meteorologists determined that the twister first made contact in south Ellettsville at 6:57 p.m. before carving a path southeast toward Bloomington.
The storm’s intensity caught many by surprise as it intensified quickly over a short distance, according to the NWS summary. The tornado remained on the ground for 9 minutes, dissipating at 7:06 p.m. in southwest Bloomington. The funnel traveled a total of 3.73 miles. At its peak, the tornado spanned 440 yards (four football fields wide). Peak wind speeds were estimated at 120 miles per hour, firmly placing it in the EF2 category.
While the storm caused structural havoc, officials are breathing a sigh of relief regarding public safety because no injuries or fatalities were reported following the storm of this magnitude.
However, the City of Bloomington did not escape unscathed. The survey team noted significant damage to residential rooftops, snapped power poles, and several commercial buildings that suffered structural failures in the southwest portion of the city. Local utility crews have been working through the night to restore power to several thousand residents who remained in the dark as of Friday morning.
The National Weather Service also confirmed that an EF0 tornado touched down Thursday night during severe weather in Sullivan County.
NWS surveyed damage from the storm on Friday, concluding that an 85 mph tornado touched down in northwest Carlisle around 5:52 p.m. Thursday. The tornado reportedly lasted 7 minutes and ended at 5:59 p.m. in northeast Carlisle.
The tornado has been categorized as an EF0 tornado, the lowest possible ranking on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado reportedly touched down over a 4.1-mile stretch of land and had a maximum width of 300 yards.
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale is used to assign a tornado a ‘rating’ based on estimated wind speeds and related damage.
