INDIANAPOLIS — Tornadoes can happen in Indiana any time of year and any time of day. Many Hoosiers got a sad reminder of that fact nearly one year ago.
On March 31, 2023, 23 tornadoes hit Indiana — all in the dark of night.
The light of day showed the damage left behind as one of those tornadoes touched down in McCormick's Creek State Park. The EF-3 tornado hit around 11 p.m. impacting nearly 300 acres of the park - including the campground.
Two people we're injured, and two more were killed.
Three more people lost their lives when an EF-3 tornado cut a 13-mile path across Sullivan County.
A study by Northern Illinois University found that tornado related deaths in the U.S. nearly double at night compared to the daylight hours. That's despite the fact that our frequency of tornadoes drops dramatically after sunset and through the overnight hours.
This highlights the added danger when tornadoes occur at night.
Not only are tornadoes more difficult to spot in the dark, but many of us are usually sleeping and likely unaware of an approaching threat.
That's why it's so important to have a device like a weather radio or the FREE Storm Shield app, which is available at WRTV.com.
Both will alert you day or night when a severe weather watch or warning is issued for your area.
