Severe weather is not uncommon in the Hoosier state. Every year, we get our fair share of hail, severe storms, and tornadoes; generally, they occur in the spring and summer. Occasionally, though, the atmosphere will surprise us and spit something out in, say, winter. Just 32 years ago this month, Hoosiers got quite a rude surprise. On January 7th, 1989, a violent F4 tornado touched down in neighboring Illinois, crossed the Wabash River, and tore a trail of destruction through parts of Indiana.

Author’s note: Though the map showing the path of this tornado is genuine, photos in this article are from other Indiana severe weather events due to a lack of public-access photo documentation of this storm. The photos of tornado damage are photos from other Indiana F4 tornadoes; the damage to parts of Illinois and Indiana in 1989 would have looked similar. 

January 7, 1989, was not your average winter day. Thick, dark clouds rumbled over the American midwest.

Shelly/Flickr In the mid-afternoon, severe thunderstorms developed over much of the region. Minor tornadoes touched down in Mill Shoals and Albion, Illinois, but the system was just warming up.

Briefly after 5:00 p.m., a tornado touched town about four miles southwest of Allendale, Illinois.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr It was powerful from the moment it touched the ground; initially, it was doing F2 damage. “F2” damage was defined at that time as “considerable damage,” with winds between 113-157 miles per hour.

Modernly, an enhanced version of the F-Scale, known as the EF Scale, is used for tornado ratings. In today’s terms, this tornado would have started its life as an EF2 or mid-range EF3.

To the horror of meteorologists and residents of Wabash County, the tornado rapidly strengthened to a devastating F4-strength.

Bart Everson/Flickr In 1989, F4-strength winds were measured as being 207-260 miles per hour. The damage was classified as “devastating.”

At 5:19 p.m., the tornado wandered across the Wabash River, lingering on the water for a short time before clambering up onto the Indiana riverbank.

Knox County, Indiana, would be the next region under the gun.

NOAA-National Centers For Environmental Information The tornado roared in, gearing down from F4 to F3 strength before it settled back at a still-devastating F2 strength, much like it had been at the start of its life. It seemed to make a beeline straight toward the town of Vincennes.

If the populated region of Vincennes was hit, the results would be ghastly.

LouisvilleUSACE/Flickr There is some contention about exactly how long the tornado’s path of destruction was; the Storm Prediction Center records say one thing and Storm Data records say another.

This tornado was significant in many ways, most notably, though, for the fact that it occurred in the dead of winter- which was (nearly) unheard of.

However, what is known for sure is that it was on the ground for at least 19-22 miles; tornadoes on the ground for longer than 25 miles are considered “long-track” and are uncommon.

laserbub_Drew/Flickr The tornado was never larger than .056 miles wide- so, much less than a quarter-mile. This further drives home the idea that a tornado shouldn’t be rated by size alone; wind speed and/or property damage are integral parts of the process.

In total, 5 Hoosiers were injured, but nobody was killed.

Steve Shook/Flickr Illinois, particularly Allendale, had been ravaged; 55 were injured, though again, nobody lost their lives.

Strong tornadoes like the one that trekked from Illinois into Indiana are rare, even during the heart of tornado season. Somewhere around 2% of all tornadoes in the US are EF4s or EF5s; to have an F4 tornado rip up the land in Illinois and Indiana, in January, was quite an unusual event. It was the perfect storm of being in the wrong place at the just-right time, and it was downright terrifying.

Shelly/Flickr

In the mid-afternoon, severe thunderstorms developed over much of the region. Minor tornadoes touched down in Mill Shoals and Albion, Illinois, but the system was just warming up.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr

It was powerful from the moment it touched the ground; initially, it was doing F2 damage. “F2” damage was defined at that time as “considerable damage,” with winds between 113-157 miles per hour.

Modernly, an enhanced version of the F-Scale, known as the EF Scale, is used for tornado ratings. In today’s terms, this tornado would have started its life as an EF2 or mid-range EF3.

Bart Everson/Flickr

In 1989, F4-strength winds were measured as being 207-260 miles per hour. The damage was classified as “devastating.”

At 5:19 p.m., the tornado wandered across the Wabash River, lingering on the water for a short time before clambering up onto the Indiana riverbank.

NOAA-National Centers For Environmental Information

The tornado roared in, gearing down from F4 to F3 strength before it settled back at a still-devastating F2 strength, much like it had been at the start of its life. It seemed to make a beeline straight toward the town of Vincennes.

LouisvilleUSACE/Flickr

There is some contention about exactly how long the tornado’s path of destruction was; the Storm Prediction Center records say one thing and Storm Data records say another.

This tornado was significant in many ways, most notably, though, for the fact that it occurred in the dead of winter- which was (nearly) unheard of.

laserbub_Drew/Flickr

The tornado was never larger than .056 miles wide- so, much less than a quarter-mile. This further drives home the idea that a tornado shouldn’t be rated by size alone; wind speed and/or property damage are integral parts of the process.

Steve Shook/Flickr

Illinois, particularly Allendale, had been ravaged; 55 were injured, though again, nobody lost their lives.

Where were you during this historic storm event? Tell us your stories in the comments!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Knox County, IN, USA