INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says a tornado hit buildings and fields northwest of Indianapolis on Monday, July 29.
The tornado actually developed in eastern Hamilton County along Strawtown Road and damaged the roof of a metal barn.
The tornado then crossed State Road 13 and damaged trees at the Perkinsville cemetery. It then crossed the White River, intensifying into an EF-1 tornado as it moved northwest into Madison County.
The Frankton-Lapel Administration Building has significantly damage from winds estimated at 130 mph. The roof was ripped off of the gymnasium and thrown 150 yards. A brick wall collapsed into the building, and some of the bricks were thrown onto several school buses. Some of them may have been totaled, including one that was impaled by a metal support. This is the damage that earned the tornado the EF-2 rating.
The tornado was on the ground for about 3 miles and lasted about 10 minutes. At its widest, it was about half the size of a football field.
PHOTOS: Madison County storm damage - July 29, 2024
There were additional reports of tornadoes in Henry and Wayne counties, and we will keep you updated on any additional information.
Here are the storm reports from Monday night:
Lawn crews are helping people clean up their yards after an EF-2 tornado touched down near Anderson Monday night.
One man said the roof to his garage was partially ripped off, even bending sheets of its tin roof.
The National Weather Service, along with Madison County Emergency Management, went to places like these to survey the damage.
"We've seen a lot of tree damage and a lot of indications in the corn of a circulation with the path of the tornado," said Sam Lashley, with the National Weather Service.
The damaged corn is laying nearly flat to the ground. Some stalks were even uprooted.
But Lashley said the hardest hit location is two minutes down the road from the destroyed corn.
The steel beams of the Frankton-Lapel Community Schools' Administration Building are holding up what's left after the tornado tore it apart.
"Mother Nature is always just impressive at the way damage is in one location, but right next to it, there's nothing affected," Lashley said.
As of Tuesday evening, there has been no delay announced in the start of the school year for Frankton-Lapel students, who are scheduled to start the fall semester on Wednesday, July 31.
The district is asking parents to check their website and social media channels for the latest information.
How are tornadoes rated?
The National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale to classify tornadoes.
Here are the classifications and the wind speeds associated with them.
- EF-0: 65 mph to 85 mph
- EF-1: 86 mph to 110 mph
- EF-2: 111 mph to 135 mph
- EF-3: 136 mph to 165 mph
- EF-4: 166 mph to 200 mph
- EF-5: winds over 200 mph
According the NWS, Madison County has had one other tornado this strong since the Enhanced Fujita scale was adopted in 2007. That tornado was part of a tornado outbreak that hit on May 29, 2019.