 The largest tornado outbreak
in Indiana history occurred during the afternoon and early evening
hours of April 3. At least 20 tornadoes caused 49 fatalities,
768 injuries, and property losses to 5,966 families. There was
a brief tornado touchdown at 9:30 a.m. CDT in an open field in
Boone County; however, the major outbreak began about 2:20 p.m.
CDT in the south-central part of the State and ended shortly
before 8:00 p.m. in the northeast. In all, 39 counties had damage
(compared with 20 counties that had damage during the Palm Sunday
storms of 1965, which killed three times as many people in the
State). Nine people were killed in mobile homes. Most of the
tornadoes in Indiana moved at speeds of 50 to 60 mph and several
were visually observed to have multiple funnels. |