The June 1990 Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawned 65 tornadoes, including seven of F4 intensity, in southern Illinois, central and southern Indiana, southwestern Ohio, and northern Kentucky on June 2–3, 1990.
In Indiana, 37 tornadoes formed, breaking the single-day record of 21 set during the Super Outbreak on April 3, 1974.[2]
Caused $2 million in damage to an industrial park, several businesses, and a farm. A woman was cut by flying glass when her vehicle was struck by a billboard.[3][4]
Three mobile homes were destroyed, including two that were completely disintegrated. A permanent home was also destroyed, and heavy oil tanks were rolled. Two injuries occurred when a tree fell onto a pickup truck.[3][4]
Destroyed four homes with others damaged. Trees were snapped and farm buildings were damaged as well. Tornado killed several hogs and 50 rabbits on one farm alone.[3][4]
1 death — Leveled several businesses alongside U.S. Route 50 and State Road 37, then went on to destroy trailers, metal high-tension structures, trees, and cabins in the Bedford area. A total of 12 homes and 29 trailers destroyed.[3][4]
Hundreds of trees and ten homes leveled to the ground. 44 homes damaged and 11 mobile homes destroyed with many farms damaged or destroyed. Nine people were injured.[3][4]
Tornado first struck Floyds Knobs and Hamburg, destroying over 25 homes and mobile homes. In Sellersburg, the tornado badly damaged a bowling alley and many businesses.[3][4]
First clipped the north side of La Grange, where three frame homes and three mobile homes were destroyed. Tornado then struck Jericho, damaging several other homes. Caused $2,500,000 in damage and injured 5 people.[3][4]
Half-mile wide tornado badly damaged many buildings, homes, and trailers in Indiana. Tornado crossed into Kentucky and struck Mt. Pleasant, where 15 homes and 25 barns were damaged. Five people were injured. This tornado followed a similar path to a devastating EF4 tornado that killed 11 people during an outbreak on March 2, 2012.[3][4]
This extremely long-tracked F4 tornado began near Aden, littering I-64 with trees and overturning a truck before striking Barnhill, where 10 homes were destroyed and 10 others were damaged. The tornado then struck Albion, where a factory, homes, and other buildings were destroyed. The tornado then caused severe damage in the Browns area, where one woman was killed in her home. In the town of Mt. Carmel, the tornado ripped apart seventeen homes and severely damaged Wabash Valley College before crossing into Indiana. In Indiana, the tornado passed near Hazleton, Bowman, Petersburg, and Orrville, where a barn was destroyed. In Daviess County, Indiana, the tornado caused $10,000,000 in damage as it destroyed 10 homes and damaged 35 others. A cabin was crushed by a tree as the tornado passed near Shoals, resulting in four injuries. The tornado passed near Whitfield before dissipating near Huron. A total of eleven people were injured by this tornado.[4]
A powerful F4 tornado developed west of Union and proceeded to enter that community from Gibson County. The tornado completely leveled one home, killing two occupants, and also blew another 30 feet (9.1 m) off its base. After passing through a wooded area, the tornado hit Petersburg, killing four people there. Upon entering the town limits, it leveled a nursing home plus an apartment complex and up to ten homes. Having now killed six people, the tornado was the deadliest to hit Indiana since the 1974 Super Outbreak.[3] It then struck the business district in downtown Petersburg and destroyed 19 businesses before going on to level 168 additional homes and damage an elementary school in Petersburg. The town became the hardest hit in Indiana on June 2, 1990.[2] The tornado destroyed half of Petersburg, including the home of the mayor. 60 others were injured by this tornado.[4][6]
A violent nighttime tornado began west of Bright, Indiana, with 50 homes destroyed in that area. Four of the homes were of brick construction, yet were completely leveled. The tornado then continued to produce F4 damage in Ohio as it hit the communities of Harrison, Crosby Township, and New Baltimore. In Hamilton County alone, the tornado damaged 800–900 homes and 31 businesses plus three schools; of these, 32 homes were reported destroyed, some so completely that their foundations were left "practically barren".[3] Steel beams, 18 inches (1.5 ft) wide, 75 feet (23 m) long, and 5⁄8 inch (0.052 ft) in thickness, were deformed and brought to ground level in Harrison. The tornado continued into the southern part of Fairfield and surrounding areas of Butler County, where 19 homes and four trailers were destroyed, with 58 homes, 22 trailers, and five apartment buildings damaged. The tornado continued into Warren County before dissipating near Mason. A total of 37 people were injured by this tornado.[3][4]
People erected makeshift shelters in Petersburg as Indiana declared a state of emergency. The tornado outbreak was the most destructive to hit Indiana since the Super Outbreak in 1974.[6] Across Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, the entire outbreak resulted in 313 homes destroyed, 76% of them in Indiana alone, and 892 damaged, fully 75% of them in Indiana.[2]
