Deadly Fall Tornadoes Have Left a Lasting Mark on Kentucky and Indiana

The 2025 spring severe weather season is one for the record books. The mid-March outbreak produced 14 tornadoes, six of which were rated EF-3. Of course, the big story around here was the historic Owensboro hailstorm. You can still see dented vehicles around town as a result of hailstones that, in many parts of the city, were golf-ball-sized or larger.

The rest of March, plus April, May, and June, all featured tornado events. To say the least, it was wearying. We seldom have activity like that in the fall, but it is a secondary severe weather season and shouldn't be dismissed.

Evansville Tornado - November 6th, 2005

In a little over a month, we'll hit the 20th anniversary of a devastating storm that sent a tornado across southwestern Indiana, killing 25 people in Evansville, most of whom were living in a mobile home park. Ellis Park also sustained serious damage.

Western Kentucky Tornado Outbreak - October 18th, 2007

Two rounds of severe weather pummeled the tri-state that day. The first round was characterized by strong, damaging straight-line winds, and they did a number on southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and western Kentucky. The second round, that afternoon, brought supercells. The most significant damage occurred in western Kentucky, with Daviess, Webster, Hopkins, Christian, and Caldwell bearing most of the brunt. By 10 PM, the National Weather Service had issued more than 130 warnings.

Western Kentucky Tornado Outbreak - December 10th & 11th. 2021

None of us will forget this one, will we? Devastating, long-track tornadoes, one much longer than the other, moved across western Kentucky. One traveled more than 165 miles across Tennessee and Kentucky. The other was on the ground for 123 miles. Top winds of 160 miles per hour were recorded. There were 57 deaths and upwards of 533 injuries as a result of these catastrophic storms.

Southern Indiana/Western Kentucky Tornadoes - November 18th, 2017

While damaging winds were this storm's main threat, it did spawn a couple of twisters, both EF-1. Spencer County, Indiana, got the first one; Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, got the second. It passed just south of Bremen.

Mayfield, KY Tornado - October 14th, 2012

Two dozen homes, a football stadium, and several businesses sustained heavy damage from an EF-1 tornado that spun up that Sunday morning. One injury and no fatalities were reported.

Western Kentucky Tornado Outbreak - November 15th, 2005

Nine days after the deadly Evansville tornado, western Kentucky was rocked by multiple twisters of all levels. There were EF-3 and EF-4 tornadoes that raked across Hopkins, Caldwell, Graves, Lyon, and Marshall Counties. There was also an EF-1 in McLean County and an EF-0 in Daviess County. Daviess County, Indiana, also sustained a great deal of damage.

Owensboro Tornado - October 7th, 2007

I'm not sure why, but this tornado did not make it onto the National Weather Service's list of fall tornadoes in the Paducah coverage area. However, I feel certain that Owensboroans would expect to see it there. I did. Not only did the storm do significant damage to Third Baptist Church, but it also destroyed Martin's Bar, a beloved local watering hole.

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Again, autumn is a secondary severe weather season, but, as you can see, it also doesn't pull any punches when it throws them. Let's head into fall just as prepared for severe weather as if it were April.