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Local Weather History: The Community Named After a Right-Turning Tornado June 14, 1880
Weather History

Local Weather History: The Community Named After a Right-Turning Tornado June 14, 1880

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Chad Evans
Jun 07, 2025
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Local Weather History: The Community Named After a Right-Turning Tornado June 14, 1880
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June 14, 1880 saw a significant EF3 tornado track from northwest of Colfax, eastward through modern-day Cyclone, then curved southeastward south of Pickard to near Boxley, then struck Cicero directly before lifting just three miles west of Anderson, a track of around 58 miles. 22 people were killed & upwards of 90 were injured.

Today, the community of Cyclone, in Clinton County, shares the name for this tornado. This small hamlet was laid out & settled after the tornado & a post office was founded & erected in 1883. The tornado lives on in history by this name. It is this tornado that seemed to have occurred & tracked with the surface low & warm front southeastward. Often times, strong to violent tornadoes occur with they are completely atop the surface low or they ride the surface warm front or a triple point of a storm system.

Another tornado, an apparent EF4, also had a curved path from Shelby to Rush counties from south of Carrollton to north of Rushville. At least 4 people will killed in that tornado.

Damaging wind & hail occurred in many areas around Indianapolis to as far north as Lafayette with widespread flash flooding reported.

Here are the Purdue University weather observations for June 10-20, 1880 with daily high/low, dominant wind direction & daily rainfall totals (the pic is actually tornado damage from a violent EF4 in southern Missouri April 1880 in another outbreak):

Surface maps from U.S. Weather Bureau at that time:

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