In the afternoon hours of March 2, 2012, a deadly and destructive tornado moved through several communities in the states of Indiana and Kentucky, killing at least 11 people. The tornado was part of a larger severe weather outbreak in March 2012; the tornado was the deadliest of the outbreak. The tornado devastated the towns of New Pekin, Marysville and Henryville, Indiana, leaving damages totaling in excess of $58 million (2012 USD) in its wake. The National Weather Service determined that the tornado had peak wind speeds of , garnering it an EF4 rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The EF4 rating of the tornado was something that was brought into question in a National Weather Service publication in 2022, which noted the possibility of potential EF5 damage.
Meteorological synopsis
On March 1, 2012, a moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center for March 2 a day in advance for a large area from near Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Dayton, Ohio as an intense low-pressure area tracked across the region in a very high shear and convective instability environment. The severe weather agency noted that the environment, consisting of high convective available potential energy (CAPE), favorable thermodynamics, and a warm front that was expected to destabilize the atmosphere across portions of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys, would support an environment for intense tornadoes across the moderate risk area. Parts of the risk area were upgraded to a high risk of severe weather, primarily for Middle Tennessee and central Kentucky, which was later extended into central and southern Indiana, as well as southern Ohio. The Storm Prediction Center noted the combination of a destabilizing warm sector, favorable dewpoints, a forcing mechanism, and strong lower-level shear; this would lead to the potential for significant, long-tracked tornadoes.
An evolving line of semi-discrete tornadic supercells across eastern Illinois and western Indiana following the northward lifting of the warm front and a rapidly-strengthening low-pressure area over the central Great Lakes prompted a PDS tornado watch for eastern Illinois and western Indiana, along with southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky; a second PDS tornado watch was issued for eastern Indiana, western Ohio, and central Kentucky as the line moved east.
Tornado summary Formation and track through Washington County The tornado first developed in the southern parts of Fredericksburg, snapping trees at EF1 strength while meandering just south of US 150 and along the Blue Lick River. Moving east-northeast across rural areas, the tornado then caused additional tree damage, uprooting and snapping numerous trees while strengthening. Nearby, the tornado toppled a metal power structure at EF2 strength. Several trees were snapped at EF1 intensity; high-tension wires were downed as well. After traveling over a ridge and SR 135, the tornado blew large chunks of -thick asphalt off the road and tossed them away, while traveling at a relatively fast speed. Substantial tree damage was noted east of SR 135; damage there was rated at EF3 intensity with winds. Coincidentally, the damage path began to widen, expanding to .
Tree and structural damage was widespread northeast of SR 135 as the tornado crossed Trainer Lane and then SR 335 to Robbs Lane. The width of observable damage increased to . Countless trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado retained high-end EF2 and low-end EF3 intensity in this area, with estimated wind speeds of .
The tornado crossed SR 60 just south of New Pekin. Immediately east of the highway, structural damage produced by the tornado was observed. A well-constructed factory building owned by Airgo Industries was obliterated; the concrete the foundation that the building previously sat atop was visible. Numerous anchoring bolts that held the structure down were bent in the direction of the storm. Debris from the factory building was found to away. Large power poles were snapped and another metal outbuilding on the right periphery of the damage path had sheeting pulled off the back of the building apparently from the force of the inbound winds into the tornado. Five people in this area were killed, all in the same mobile home. A toddler who lived in the mobile home was tossed by the tornado and landed in a field nearby, initially surviving the ordeal; she died in a hospital shortly after the tornado. At this location just east of SR 60, the tornado reached EF4 intensity with wind speeds estimated to be in the range; the tornado had a width of observed damage that stretched approximately across.
Damage continued to the east along and south of Hurst Road in extreme southeast Washington County. The tornado crossed into extreme northwest Clark County along and near Daisy Hill Road. In this area, a well-constructed one-story brick house at the top of a small ridge was completely destroyed with no walls standing. Witnesses to the tornado in the area reported that cows were missing and could not be located. They also stated that the tornado looked like a black wall as it approached. A heavy trailer cab was blown from this house to another demolished brick home about away. The tornado retained wind speeds in this area.
As the tornado re-entered Washington County near the intersection of Daisy Hill Road and Williams Knob Road, widespread damage occurred. This included a home which was totally leveled as well as a couple of anchored down double wide trailers. A car was destroyed and tossed about in the direction of storm motion from its origin at the home. At one of the destroyed trailers, a Dodge Ram pickup truck was tossed onto its side and destroyed in the opposite direction from the car (i.e., on the left side of the tornado track). Here, EF3 and EF4 damage was determined to have been produced by the tornado, with wind speeds in the range. There were also snapped trees and structural damage along Whiskey Run Road. The width of the observed damage straddling the Washington/Clark County line was estimated to be wide, although the width of the most concentrated damage was narrower. The last observed damage in Washington County was near S. Flatwood Road in a wooded area before the tornado entered Clark County.
Damage in Clark County
National Weather Service office at Louisville, Kentucky issued a tornado emergency for Henryville and other surrounding areas at 3:10 p.m. The tornado continued east-northeast in far northwest Clark County on Dan Gray Road where the twister leveled many well-built homes and caused extensive tree damage. Damage from the tornado at this location was rated EF4 with estimated wind speeds of and a damage path width of approximately across. The tornado moved into far southeast Washington County before reappearing in Clark County. In Clark County, the damage width narrowed to one-quarter mile as the tornado crossed Pixley Knob Road and decreased to EF2 intensity, with wind speeds of .
Farther east, the tornado intensified again as it destroyed two double wide homes on Speith Road. One family residence on the west side of the road was severely damaged, receiving an EF3 rating; the damage was determined to have been produced by winds. The tornado then crossed I-65, damaging several vehicles and semis and closing the interstate for several hours. Several people were trapped in these vehicles but were later rescued. The tornado continued to strengthen just east of Exit 19 of I-65 in a heavily industrialized area. Here, buildings containing several businesses were severely damaged. A home was destroyed on the east side of North Francke Road. The violent tornado also seriously damaged several homes on the north side of SR 160. Here, the tornado produced horizontal vortices and retained wind speeds estimated to have been as high as , the tornado's most intense point.
Damage in Henryville
The tornado then struck the south buildings of the Henryville middle and high school complex, with severe damage and winds. The middle school experienced the worst damage, where at least three students were sheltering in the school's bathroom. Kyle Lewis, who was sheltering in the middle school when it was hit, stated that "it sounded like a train coming through the building". The cafeteria and gym of the building was completely destroyed and two school buses at the front of the building were ripped off their chassis. There was also extensive structural damage on the east side of Henryville on North Front Street and Pennsylvania Street. A high tension tower and other homes were damaged on Pine Drive. Incredible tree damage also occurred just west of Pine Drive as the tornado traveled up a ridge. In this region, damage from the tornado received an EF3 rating, determined to have been produced by winds that the tornado retained while moving through the area. One of the school buses heavily damaged by the tornado was set aloft and landed next to a restaurant. Nick Shelton, who was one of nine people sheltering in the restaurant when the school bus was dropped nearby, said that "That's probably as close as you're going to come to dying without dying." Debris in the Henryville area was lofted approximately in the air by the tornado.
On Brownstown Road, many homes were severely damaged especially on the north side of the tornado track with estimated wind speeds of . Farther east, there was massive deforestation on the east side of a ridge just west of and along Henryville Otisco Road. Several more homes were severely damaged along this road. One of these homes sustained EF4 damage from the estimated wind speeds of the tornado in the town. One person in Henryville was killed before the tornado left the town devastated. Much of the damage in Henryville received an EF4 rating due to the intensity of the tornado.
The tornado rapidly narrowed to a rope-like structure and ended as an EF1 vortex with winds and an wide path. This occurred near the intersection of Blackberry Trail and SR 3. Simultaneously, a new cyclic tornado vortex rapidly formed from the same supercell near Mahan Road and Old State Road 3 immediately southwest of the first tornado. The second tornado began immediately retaining EF1 intensity, damaging a church and a few trees. The vortex quickly intensified to EF3 strength as it crossed the south portion of Marysville, severely damaging several homes. The porch of at least one home in Marysville was shifted off its original resting place by .
East of Marysville, another cyclic vortex from the parent storm formed just southwest of the intersection of Nabb New Washington Road and Nabb Marysville Road. This vortex intensified and merged with the primary circulation. The tornado severely damaged or destroyed several houses and double wide mobile homes around the intersection of Nabb New Washington and Nabb Marysville. Debris from the double wide homes was tossed around a mile downwind. The tornado was rated EF3 here with winds and a damage width of . Extensive ground scouring in fields east of Marysville were noted. This scouring was evidence of a multi-vortex tornado, which was confirmed by multiple videos and photographs. The tornado continued north of Barnes Road, damaging several clusters of trees in open country. The tornado intensified east of the intersection of Kettle Bottom and SR 362.
Scott, Jefferson, and Trimble counties