![\"\"](\"http:\/\/us.weatheramerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/\u2018We-are-now-within-Tornado-Alley-Shifting-weather-patterns-expected-to-increase-risk-of-tornadoes-floods-in-Bartholomew-County-scaled.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nBartholomew County<\/strong>, in the heart of Indiana<\/strong>, is now experiencing a dramatic shift in its climate reality \u2014 one that experts say could become the new normal. This spring season<\/strong>, the county has faced two confirmed EF-2 tornadoes<\/strong>, and the worst flood event in nearly two decades<\/strong>, placing it firmly in the path of more intense and frequent severe weather<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to climate scientists, this pattern is not just an anomaly. It\u2019s the result of a warming atmosphere<\/strong> that is turning areas like eastern Missouri<\/strong>, Arkansas<\/strong>, western Tennessee<\/strong>, Kentucky<\/strong>, northern Alabama<\/strong>, Mississippi<\/strong>, and now Indiana<\/strong> into new epicenters of tornado activity<\/strong>. As Professor Gabriel Filippelli<\/strong> from Indiana University<\/strong> states, \u201cWe are now within Tornado Alley.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The most recent tornado, which hit on May 16, 2025<\/strong>, carved a 35-mile-long path of destruction<\/strong>, with a 200-yard-wide funnel<\/strong> ravaging the Grandview Lake<\/strong> area. This came just two months<\/strong> after a similar EF-2 tornado<\/strong>, boasting 112 mph winds<\/strong> and a width equivalent to 3.5 football fields<\/strong>, swept across southwest Bartholomew County<\/strong>, damaging farms, powerlines, and transmission towers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Before 2025, the last time two tornadoes<\/strong> touched down in the county in a single year was in 1974<\/strong>, when a devastating storm<\/strong> spawned an EF-3<\/strong> and a record-setting EF-4<\/strong> twister in a single day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Between the two tornadoes, 7.5 inches (190.5 mm)<\/strong> of rainfall fell within 36 hours<\/strong>, causing the East Fork White River<\/strong> to crest at its third-highest level in 112 years<\/strong>. The only floods surpassing this one were in 2008<\/strong> and 1913<\/strong>, underscoring the extreme nature<\/strong> of this spring\u2019s weather.<\/p>\n Deputy Director Mike Snyder<\/strong> of Bartholomew County Emergency Management<\/strong> said, \u201cSince 1999, I\u2019ve never seen anything like this.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Traditionally confined to Texas<\/strong>, Oklahoma<\/strong>, and Kansas<\/strong>, Tornado Alley<\/strong> is now expanding. In the 1990s<\/strong>, Indiana<\/strong> recorded a median of 17 tornadoes per year<\/strong>. That number rose to 26<\/strong> in the 2000s, then to 35<\/strong> in the 2010s. So far this decade<\/strong>, the median stands at 33<\/strong>, and 2025 alone<\/strong> has already seen 44 tornadoes statewide<\/strong> \u2014 significantly above average.<\/p>\n Nationally, the U.S. typically records about 600 tornadoes<\/strong> by mid-May. This year, over 850<\/strong> have already been confirmed, highlighting the widening and intensifying scope<\/strong> of severe storms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Climate scientists<\/strong> point to a warmer, wetter atmosphere<\/strong> as the main driver of this trend. With global temperatures rising<\/strong>, more water vapor<\/strong> is entering the air, creating volatile conditions<\/strong> for intense storms. Low-pressure systems are also lingering longer<\/strong>, dumping inches of rain over the same regions for multiple consecutive days<\/strong>, which was the case in the April flooding event in Indiana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As Filippelli<\/strong> explains, \u201cWarmer air holds more water vapor.<\/strong> That water doesn\u2019t just stay in the sky \u2014 it comes down hard. That\u2019s why each storm is becoming more extreme<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Climate projections suggest that extreme flooding<\/strong> could increase by another 15%<\/strong> over the next two decades<\/strong>, further intensifying risks for areas like Bartholomew County<\/strong>. Places previously considered relatively safe may soon find themselves in the crosshairs<\/strong> of destructive storms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Historically, tornadoes were rare<\/strong> in Bartholomew County. Since 1950<\/strong>, only 21 confirmed tornadoes<\/strong> have been recorded \u2014 most of them moderate<\/strong> in intensity (EF-1 or EF-2). But that\u2019s changing. Tornadoes are no longer limited to spring or summer<\/strong>; they\u2019ve been documented as late as November and December<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As severe weather becomes more frequent<\/strong> and unpredictable<\/strong>, local authorities<\/strong> are bracing for what may be a long-term shift<\/strong> in climate behavior, though some still hope it\u2019s a rough but isolated year.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope this calms down<\/strong>,\u201d said Snyder<\/strong>. \u201cBut we\u2019re preparing for the worst. That\u2019s all we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bartholomew County, in the heart of Indiana, is now experiencing a dramatic shift in its climate reality \u2014 one that experts say could become the new normal. This spring season, the county has faced two confirmed EF-2 tornadoes, and the worst flood event in nearly two decades, placing it firmly in the path of more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":2873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTornadoes strike twice in one season after 50 years<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Historic rainfall triggers major flooding<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tornado Alley shifting east due to climate change<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Warming atmosphere driving extreme weather<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Floods and tornadoes to grow more intense by 2045<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Twisters were once rare \u2014 not anymore<\/strong><\/h3>\n