2017 Mulberry-Kokomo-Bluffton, Indiana tornado

the 2017 Mulberry-Kokomo-Bluffton, Indiana tornado was a long-tracked, deadly and violent EF4 tornado that struck various towns along a 90 mile track from southwest of Mulberry, Indiana to just northeast of Bluffton, Indiana on May 21, 2017. The tornado was easily one of the costliest on record, causing nearly a billion dollars in damages. The tornado was the strongest of the Tornado outbreak of May 19-22, 2017, as well as the strongest of the season. It was also the deadliest of the season.

Meteorological history
On the morning of May 21, 2017, the SPC issued a high risk of severe thunderstorms for a 60% + hatched risk of damaging winds, however the tornado risk was only at a 10% + hatched, well below high risk levels. However, despite this, the SPC was still forecasting a outbreak of tornadoes, a few potentially strong to maybe even violent. CAPE readings from Indianapolis at around 1500 that morning shown CAPE values around 6,000 J/kg, however the lack of a moist atmosphere was expected to limit the tornado risk to a more enhanced risk. The 1630 outlook upgraded the region to a 15% + hatched risk, upgrading the threat to a moderate risk of tornadoes, some strong to violent.

By 2130, several discrete supercells were in progress across the region, and at 2134 the National Weather Service in Indianapolis issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Mulberry area.

The tornado
By 2150, a tornado warning had been issued on the storm as reports of nearly 5 spin-up tornadoes forming over the last 10 minutes had been received. The tornado finally touched down at 2153, directly over a creek. Many storm chasers tracking the storm expected this to be yet another weak spin-up, just like the tornadoes this storm had previously produced, however it tracked northeast and became a stovepipe tornado over wooded areas. The first house was almost directly impacted at 2154, and sustained EF1 damage, it continued into wooded areas, and eventually into fields at 2156, now a cone tornado. By 2200, the tornado was a high-end EF2, and struck a shop and house at 2201.

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