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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
517 PM EDT Mon Mar 31 2025


...NWS Damage Survey for 03/30/2025 Severe Weather Event...

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis along with county
Emergency Management Agencies conducted a damage survey today,
Monday March 31st, across Monroe, Brown and Bartholomew counties
in south central Indiana.

Damage found in all locations were indicative of straight-line
winds in the 65 to 85 mph range. While numerous pictures and
video exist of rotating wall clouds and funnel clouds associated
with the circulations seen on Doppler radar, it appears the
rotation was not able to completely reach the ground based on
damage found. However, it is not out of the question that a brief,
weak tornado could have occurred in an inaccessible wooded area,
or was too weak to cause noticeable tornado damage.

The rotation aloft did help to intensify what is known as the
rear flank downdraft wind, which is simply straight-line winds
focused on the right side of a circulation. Damage found from
these storms was mostly along or just to the right (south side) of
the path of the strongest radar indicated circulation. Nearly all
damage was to small or rotten trees that were either uprooted in
the soft ground or softwood pine trees that appeared snapped from
swaying. Several trees fell across rural roads and brought down
many power lines which led to numerous power outages. All trees
found uprooted or snapped were laying to the east or northeast, in
line with each other and in the same direction as the rear flank
downdraft winds. There were also no paths where tree damage did
occur, with nearly all trees impacted being isolated and
surrounded by smaller trees or structures with little or no
damage.

One area of particular interest was along Christianburg
Road, just north of Christianburg Cemetery in eastern Brown
county. Several trees were snapped near the top in a short path,
which could have been part of the rotation associated with the funnel
cloud. However, all the down trees were laid nearly perfectly
parallel and to the northeast with no identifiable convergent pattern
in the trees or limbs to suggest a tornado.


With no clear convergent or other signatures in the damage
consistent with rotation and possible tornadoes, the determination
of straight line winds has been made for now. Additional reports,
pictures and videos are welcome and will be evaluated for other possible
tornado damage. The NWS would like to thank the Monroe, Brown and
Bartholomew county Emergency Management Agencies for their help in
conducting todays survey.

$$
Lashley