Power Outage in Princeton, IN

Power lines were down. A flag pole was bent. Tree limbs were broken.

Several trees and power lines were down in Princeton. Approximately 1000 customers were without power in the Patoka and Hazleton areas.

A microburst produced a long swath of damaging winds through much of southern Gibson County. The swath was as much as two miles wide in places. The damage was most intense and frequent in and near Fort Branch, where at least ten homes sustained mainly minor damage, with loss of shingles and other exterior covering. At least two barns were heavily damaged in the Fort Branch area. Several corn fields were blown down, with the stalks broken in some areas. Hundreds of trees were broken or uprooted, and several power lines were down. Numerous small sheds, signs, and other outbuildings were damaged. A semi truck was blown over on the south side of Fort Branch. The 25-mile long microburst began in northwest Posey County, then moved across southern Gibson County, where it became more intense and damaging.

A microburst produced a long swath of damaging winds through much of southern Gibson County. The swath was as much as two miles wide in places. The damage was most intense and frequent in and near Fort Branch, where at least ten homes sustained mainly minor damage, with loss of shingles and other exterior covering. At least two barns were heavily damaged in the Fort Branch area. Several corn fields were blown down, with the stalks broken in some areas. Hundreds of trees were broken or uprooted, and several power lines were down. Numerous small sheds, signs, and other outbuildings were damaged. A semi truck was blown over on the south side of Fort Branch. The 25-mile long microburst began in northwest Posey County, then moved across southern Gibson County, where it became more intense and damaging.

Trees were down, and power outages were reported mainly on the west side of Princeton. Trees were also down in East Mt. Carmel.

Trees were down, and power outages were reported mainly on the west side of Princeton. Trees were also down in East Mt. Carmel.

A tree fell on a carport, and power lines were down.

A trained spotter estimated wind gusts to 65 mph. Power outages were reported.

Three trees and three power poles were blown down. One tree fell on a home, and another fell on a car.

The tornado crossed into Gibson County from Vanderburgh County near Interstate 64. At a farm north of Interstate 64, a house was severely damaged and four barns were destroyed. In Haubstadt, power poles were snapped off at the base. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. The average path width was 100 yards.

Widespread damage occurred throughout Princeton, where two windows were blown out of the county courthouse. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Between 30 and 50 trees were blown down from west of Owensville to Princeton. The damage was more in pockets than continual. At a radio station on U.S. Highway 41 at State Route 64 on the west side of Princeton, a wind gust to 60 mph was measured as the power went out. Wind gusts were estimated near 70 mph after the power went out in Princeton. A trained spotter in the west part of Fort Branch measured a wind gust to 60 mph.

Numerous power lines were down. Several large tree limbs and a whole large tree were down in the same area.

Many homes around the county sustained some type of wind damage, mostly minor. At least two homes had roofs blown off, including one in Fort Branch and one near Oakland City. A church in Johnson was partially unroofed. A single wide mobile home just west of Johnson was overturned. A line of utility poles went down in Fort Branch, leaving the entire town without power. The ticket booth, concession stand, bleachers, and light towers were damaged at a high school. In Princeton, a tree fell across a main street and onto a vehicle. Near Oakland City, one house was destroyed. Several other houses and a barn had roof damage. A turkey farm received major damage, where over 2,000 turkeys, a brooder house, and a garage were destroyed. Indiana Route 57 was closed four miles north of the Indiana 64 junction because of downed power lines. About 15 people spent the night at a Red Cross shelter in Fort Branch.

Trees and power lines were knocked down. A home suffered damage to a porch when a tree fell on it. Witnesses reported seeing rotation in the clouds, but no tornado was sighted.

Widespread damage was reported across the county due to wind gusts around 70 MPH. A radio station in the county measured a gust to 73 MPH. In Hazleton, Princeton, and Patoka, numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Three mobile homes were overturned, including two near Lyle Station and one on the west side of Princeton. A local utility company reported 16 miles of downed high voltage power structures from near Princeton to Patoka. Debris, downed power lines, and a downed utility pole on U.S. Highway 41 forced the closure of a southbound lane near the Toyota plant.

Trees were blown down countywide, downing numerous power lines. The cities of Princeton and Oakland City were especially hard hit. A number of roads were closed.

Several large trees and power lines were blown down in Princeton, Francisco, and Owensville. State Route 64 was blocked by large trees, and cars and homes were damaged by falling trees.

Trees and power lines were blown down on the east and northeast side of Princeton.

An isolated but very powerful supercell thunderstorm moved across southwest Indiana during the late evening hours. The storm originated over Missouri in a destabilizing pre-frontal air mass characterized by dew points in the lower to mid 60's. This intense supercell storm awaited the approach of a mid-level impulse from Oklahoma, which was downstream from the primary shortwave trough over the Plains. A southwesterly low-level jet increased substantially during the evening. A long-track, strong tornado was spawned in southeast Illinois, and it continued east-northeast for about 45 miles before lifting in eastern Gibson County, Indiana.

North and west of Evansville, up to one-tenth inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces, including trees and power lines. Ground surfaces were relatively warm following three days of high temperatures in the 50's and 60's. Therefore, impacts on travel were quite minor due to the melting on pavement. The freezing rain occurred north of a stationary front that extended from southern Arkansas to southern Tennessee. High pressure over the Upper Mississippi Valley produced a cold northeast wind flow at the surface.

Strong winds developed in association with a line of moderate showers. Trees and power lines were blown down near Arthur in Pike County. Trees and power lines were down in Gibson County. Widespread wind gusts around 55 mph were reported in Gibson County. Power lines and trees were down at Francisco in Gibson County. A vehicle was off the road.

A powerful low pressure system moved east-northeast across central Illinois. Isolated severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front that trailed south from the low across southern Illinois. These storms produced hail along with isolated reports of gusty winds.

A strong low pressure system tracked northeast from central Kansas to northwest Missouri during the afternoon and evening. Strong southeast to south winds ahead of this system gusted up to 45 MPH at times. In Gibson County, several trees were blown down in various parts of the county. Some trees landed on power lines. A car port was blown over.

Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting local emergency declarations in Posey and Gibson Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. A number of lowland residents were evacuated. A total of 43 residents in Gibson County were evacuated, including those along the White and Patoka Rivers. Up to 30 people were sheltered at a Posey County church near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. About 40 homes in Posey County, not including river camps, were affected by the flood. This total does not include homes that were inaccessible due to flooded roads. Across Gibson and Posey Counties, many roadways were closed. Indiana National Guard personnel sandbagged near the State Route 64 bridge to protect East Mount Carmel. The levee protecting New Harmony was sandbagged as water neared the top of the levee. Coal shipment to a major power plant in Gibson County was threatened by high river levels. The flood crest at Mount Carmel, Illinois was 33.95 feet, which exceeded the highest on record. The flood crest at New Harmony, IN was 23.14 feet, the highest since January of 1950. The river crested at both locations on the 13th. The monetary property damage estimate for this event is a guesstimate. The record flooding was partially the result of rapid snowmelt from a record-setting snowstorm that crippled southwest Indiana just before Christmas. The 22 inches that fell in Evansville set a 24-hour snowfall record. All of the snow cover, which contained liquid equivalents from 1 to 2.5 inches in southern and central Indiana, melted by New Year's Day. The rapid snowmelt was then followed by a widespread heavy rainfall event from 2 to 4 inches over southern and central Indiana from January 1st to the 3rd. Yet another heavy rainfall event occurred from the 4th to the 6th, bringing an additional 2 to 4 inches. Two additional heavy rainfall events, from 1 to 4 inches, affected central and/or southern Indiana on the 11th and again on the 13th. As the record flood crest was moving down the river, flood fighting activities occurred in brutally cold conditions from the 15th to the 18th. Lows were in the single digits each day.