The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a tornado hit southern Jackson County around 5:45 a.m. March 1.
An EF-2 tornado with an estimated peak wind at 115 mph caused major damage to Todd Stark’s home and garages at 5529 S. County Road 125E a couple of miles west of Tampico.
The brief touchdown lifted a garage off of its foundation, turning it about 30 degrees and landing on top of a truck that was in the garage, the weather service reported.
Stark’s home also lost a part of its roof, and a trailer in the driveway was lifted and flipped on its side.
The weather service said the tornado stayed on the ground for a quarter-mile, starting with 94 mph winds southwest of Stark’s home.
A nearby barn or outbuilding also was damaged by EF-1 wind estimated at 109 mph.
An EF-2 tornado has winds between 111 and 135 mph, while an EF-1 is between 86 and 110 mph.
Also, about 4ΒΌ miles away, East County Road 600S remains closed as workers replace large steel Duke Energy transmission poles that were affected by the intense winds. Three poles had to be taken down, and five others were damaged.
From the evening hours of Feb. 28 to the pre-dawn hours of March 1, the National Weather Service said 11 tornadoes were confirmed, starting north of Evansville and traveling through southern Indiana.
The other tornado confirmed Wednesday was an EF-1 that traveled 0.2 miles around Mitchell in Lawrence County. Trees were uprooted at the start of the path, and roofs were lofted 100 yards away, the weather service reported.
Look for a story about the Jackson County tornado in Saturday’s Tribune and online at tribtown.com.
