Cincinnati Area Tornadoes - 1999 Blue Ash, Sycamore Twp., Montgomery

April 9, 1999
F4 Fatalities - 5
Location: Southern Ripley County, IN to Clinton County, OH
First Touchdown, Rexville, IN - F1
Touchdown or downburst damage - Southern Dearborn County, IN - F1
Downburst or gust-front tornado "gustnado" Addyston, OH - F0/1
Touch down vicinity of Reed Hartman Hwy. and Pfeiffer Rd. on the ground into Loveland - Mainly F3/F4
Touchdown or downburst damage Deerfield Twp. Warren Co., OH - F1/F2
Downburst damage Clinton, Co., OH
Radar images courtesy of 12WKRC TV, Cincinnati, OH and the Doppler 12 Weather Center

TORNADO TRACK

DOPPLER 12 RADAR - 5:13 AM 4.9.1999 25nm RANGE

Position of Supercell
Mesocyclone over NE Hamilton Co. Tighter View
Highways Added Un-retouched Close-up
Highways Added

Note the "tail" a feature
common to many supercells.
Meteorologists call this feature
a flanking line. Closer View Note: Small magenta
area just west of I-71 and south
of I-275,this is the tornado Tight View: Note Tornado
in the small magenta spot,
approximately 1 minute after
first touching down in Blue Ash.

For damage photos and the Fujita Damage Scale ****CLICK HERE****
This supercell thunderstorm was west of Louisville and rapidly intensified as it moved into a tongue of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. The thunderstorm rotation was supported by an ideal wind environment as it crossed Hamilton Co. Ohio. Not the typical supercell as it entered SW Ohio in the space of 15 minutes it was transformed from a chaotic looking complex of thunderstorms and heavy showers into a F4 killer.
****FOR MORE ON HOW SUPERCELLS BECOME TORNADIC CLICK HERE****
DOES THE TORNADO FORM IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF ALL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS?
NO! The tornado forms in the rear of the storm. Because 90% to 95% of supercells move from SW to NE almost all tornadoes are found in the SW part of the storm. This tornado formed in the rear part of the storm like tornadoes do in all supercells, because the supercell was moving to the NE the rear was in the SW. Rare supercells sometimes move to the SE and the tornado is found in the NW, which is the rear of the storm.
Some tornadoes form along gust fronts and are called gust-front tornadoes or "gustnadoes" by some. Research is ongoing and many ideas may change in the near future concerning "gustnadoes". At the present meteorologists feel that all long-lived and powerful tornadoes are spawned by supercell thunderstorms, most of the short-lived and weaker tornadoes are spawned in other ways, while some of the weak tornadoes are from supercells.
For more on gust-front tornadoes and supercell tornadoes ****CLICK HERE****

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DOPPLER 12 RADAR - 5:13 AM 4.9.1999 25nm RANGE
Position of Supercell Mesocyclone over NE Hamilton Co.	Tighter View Highways Added	Un-retouched Close-up Highways Added

Note the "tail" a feature common to many supercells. Meteorologists call this feature a flanking line.	Closer View Note: Small magenta area just west of I-71 and south of I-275,this is the tornado	Tight View: Note Tornado in the small magenta spot, approximately 1 minute after first touching down in Blue Ash.