Rounds of severe storms hammered southern Indiana and central Kentucky on Friday, July 20, 2018 bringing very large hail, wind damage, heavy rain, and 4 confirmed tornadoes.

The National Weather Service Damage Survey Teams confirmed three tornadoes:

EF-1 Harrison County, IN

EF-1 Hart County, KY

EF-0 Metcalfe County, KY

EF-0 Washington County, IN

This very small, skipping tornado near Salem did its damage primarily on hilltops between Sparks Ferry Road and the intersection of State Road 135 and Lewellen Road.

It was 75 yards at its maximum width and traveled about 1.1 miles, according to the National Weather Service. It had maximum wind speeds of 80mph.

A few tree limbs and a small fence were downed near Sparks Ferry Road before it moved northeast over a large wooded area and open farmland.

The next damage was concentrated about a quarter of a miles south of Water Tower Road, just west of Highway 135.

Here the tornado tore multiple metal roof panels off a barn, blew the southward-facing overhead doors of a garage in, and tore the entrance door off the garage out on the west side.

The attached home sustained considerable siding and room damage. A small play shed on the west side of the home was destroyed, with the debris blown to the west-northwest.

Debris from the barn and home were scattered in a narrow path through row crops up to a third of a mile to the northeast, where a resident witnessed large sheets of roofing and siding fall into a hay field on the north side of Lewellen Road.

A corn field on the south side of Lewellen Road showed cyclonic rotation in a narrow path of flattened corn. 

The National Weather Service in conjunction with Harrison County EMA conducted a storm survey around the New Middletown area where the supercell went through on Friday.

A tornado was confirmed of EF1 scale with a maximum wind speed of 105 mph. The tornado first touched down along Justin`s Trail in the Southwind Estates subdivision.

There was significant tree damage along Pleasure Ridge Road where a large tree fell on a garage. Farther east along Pleasure Ridge Road, several small funnels from the main funnel did extensive damage. A 2 x 8 impaled a concrete grain silo.

At least four big barns received extensive damage, including a turkey barn. Further east, several funnels congealed into one main tornado doing extensive damage to hardwood trees and significant roof damage to several homes.

Along South Pleasant Road, one home had mud spatter on the back east side of the house where several pieces of wood were impaled in the ground.

At that property, a pole barn was completely destroyed and thrown in different directions. A truck and horse trailer was moved and twisted 50 feet. The wind speeds in this area were the strongest at 105mph and the maximum width was 250 yards.

At the end of Sarabeth Way, there was extensive hardwood tree damage which included uprooted, twisted, and mangled trees.

This included several healthy hickory trees which were snapped. Further east on Sinker Road, there was an impressive cyclonic crop damage across a corn field with corn laying in every direction. On Simler Road, there was consistent snapped tree damage and we observed a camper that had been tossed and flipped over and several barns received extensive damage.

During the final stages of the tornado, it struck homes along Peyton Road flipping over single wide trailers, lifting the roof of a barn, and doing extensive tree damage. Parts of the barn, including insulation and sheet metal, were thrown into the trees.

The largest hail report we received was 4 inches in diameter (softball size) in Tompkinsville, KY.

The strongest measured wind gust was 70 mph at the Lexington Bluegrass Airport.

The EF0 tornado reported in Metcalfe County was a short-lived spin-up tornado occurred as a northeast-moving storm interacted with outflow winds from a southeastward-moving storm in eastern Metcalfe County.

The first damage occurred along Subtle Road, where a carport was overturned and a large part of a metal outbuildings roof torn off, in addition to snapping numerous
trees. 

The tornado then moved east-northeast at tree-top level over wooded areas and farm fields, doing its next major damage a mile away, where it pushed a double-wide mobile home to the northwest off its blocks, breaking windows, and ripping off shingles from the roof.

The tornado continued on for another mile, causing occasional tree damage, and dropping debris before lifting near the east end of Groce Road, where it peeled roofing material from a metal out building. 

The Hart County tornado touched down in a wooded area midway between J Riggs Rd and Copelin Rd north of state highway 728, snapping trees as it moved southeast along a hay field, where it destroyed two 1200 lb hay bales and rolled numerous others up to a tenth of a mile into a soybean field and uphill onto a knoll.

Snapping trees on the land adjacent to the hay and soybean fields, the tornado took a slight right turn, crossing highway 728, and destroying a large barn. 

Large parts of the barn debris were lofted into trees southwest of the structure, snapping their trunks. 

A 20 x 20 section of the barn was blown 500 feet to the south-southeast.  The tornado continued southward for another two-tenths of a mile, downing trees along Campground Rd before lifting. 

Indiana Grown has teamed up with wineries from across the state to bring local enthusiasts the Indiana Grown Wine Trail.

With 30 participating locations, finding the perfect wine is an easy, entertaining and relaxing process.

“This trail provides the opportunity to experience all that Indiana’s winemakers have to offer in a fun and exciting way,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “We have some of the best wineries in the country, and I encourage Hoosiers to go find their new favorite wine.”

Despite more than two dozen wineries participating, the trail won’t get old — each location puts its own twist on a variety of wine styles.

Free trail maps are available on the Indiana Grown website or at the participating vineyards. Each time a guest visits a location, a stamp will be added to their map. There isn’t a time limit for completion, but completed maps can be mailed to Indiana Grown for a free wooden wine stopper.

“If you enjoy local wine, this trail is for you,” said Bruce Kettler, Indiana State Department of Agriculture director. “This is an excellent way to support local businesses and meet Indiana winemakers, while enjoying some great Indiana-grown wines.”

The trail is made possible by the following wineries:

• • Mallow Run Winery, Bargersville;

• • Huckleberry Hill Winery, Bloomfield;

• • Butler Winery, Bloomington;

• • Oliver Winery, Bloomington;

• • Huber Winery, Borden;

• • Winzerwald Winery, Bristow;

• • Sugar Creek Winery, Carmel;

• • Running Vines Winery, Chesterton;

• • Turtle Run Winery, Corydon;

• • Rowland Winery, Dillsboro;

• • Best Vineyards, Elizabeth;

• • Satek Winery, Fremont;

• • French Lick Winery, French Lick;

• • Two EE’s Winery, Huntington;

• • Country Heritage Winery, Laotto;

• • Buck Creek Winery, Indianapolis;

• • Chateau de Pique Winery, Indianapolis;

• • Easley Winery, Indianapolis;

• • Madison Vineyard, Madison

• • Madison County Winery, Markleville;

• • Daniel’s Vineyard, McCordsville;

• • Fruitshine Wine, Monticello;

• • Whyte Horse Winery, Monticello;

• • Brown County Winery, Nashville;

• • McClure’s Orchard/ Winery, Peru;

• • Melton Renzulli Winery, Richmond;

• • Schnabeltier, Rochester;

• • Blackhawk Winery, Sheridan;

• • Owen Valley Winery, Spencer; and

• • Hopwood Cellars Winery, Zionsville.

To find out more about the Indiana Grown Wine Trail, click here. Visit www.IndianaGrown.org or learn more about Indiana Grown.

ABOUT INDIANA GROWN
Indiana Grown is administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in partnership with Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. The initiative educates consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products, helps Indiana farmers and producers sell more products and supports Indiana processors in their effort to process more Indiana Grown products. Indiana Grown members and partners include farmers, producers, processors and artisans, as well as retailers, grocers, hospitals and restaurants. For more information, visit www.IndianaGrown.org.

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly announced his support today for the bipartisan Improving Access to Maternity Care Act. The legislation seeks to help reduce the shortage of obstetrical services in underserved and rural areas. Currently, 32 Indiana counties lack hospital-based obstetrical services, which can result in Hoosiers being forced to drive long distances or unable to access adequate maternity care.

The Improving Access to Maternity Care Act would create a new maternity care health professional shortage area designation in order to ensure that OB/GYNs participating in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) are sent to the areas in highest need of maternity care. The NHSC incentivizes healthcare providers to work in underserved areas by awarding scholarships and loan repayment to primary care providers in eligible disciplines. As a result, maternity care resources could be targeted to the areas in greatest need of providers and services, which would help contribute to healthier pregnancies and babies. The companion bill to the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act passed unanimously in the House last year.

Donnelly said, “Hoosier mothers deserve access to quality maternal care, no matter where they live. Unfortunately, too many Indiana communities face a shortage or even lack of maternity care professionals and services altogether, which can have a harmful impact on expectant mothers, families, and ultimately babies. We must improve access to maternity care, and this bill would help address a critical need, particularly in underserved and rural areas across our state.”

Dr. James Turner, Medical Director of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health, said, “Over 30 counties in Indiana are without hospital-based Obstetrical Services for pregnant women. This is especially true in rural areas of the state. This bill is a first step in helping identify all the areas in our state where it is difficult for women and their families to find the care they need.”

Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance crews will excavate and replace a culvert pipe under State Road 211 in Harrison County north of Elizabeth this Wednesday (JULY 25), weather permitting.   

The highway will be closed between S.R. 11 and S.R. 111 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. while INDOT personnel from the Corydon Unit install a 24-inch drainage pipe measuring 60 feet in length.  

The Indiana Department of Transportation has closed northbound and southbound left lanes of Interstate 65 between Memphis Road and the Sellersburg exit while contracted crews place a special erosion control grid in median areas of the roadway between mile markers 16.0 and 12.0. 

The Flexamat installation—designed to stabilize slopes and channels—is a pre-manufactured system of interlocking concrete blocks affixed to a polypropylene geogrid.  

INDOT officials anticipate this median operation that requires closure of I-65’s inside lanes will continue through next week.  At that time, Indiana’s contractor will resume milling and surfacing paving, focusing on left lanes and inside shoulder areas. 

Milestone is INDOT’s contractor for this $67 million added travel lanes project that has rebuilt I-65—from one mile north of S.R. 60 to 2.8 miles south of S.R. 160—with full-depth asphalt pavement replacement and a short section of concrete.  Work has included bridge widening at Memphis Road, Perry Crossing, Muddy Fork and Old S.R. 311.