Dazzling, Frightening ‘River Tornado’ Straddles the Ohio Between KY & IN [VIDEO]

When that F3 tornado tore through Owensboro KY in 2000, taking out 110 structures, it passed very close to all of us here at the station. So we didn't get to see what folks out in Utica who got pictures of it saw, which is a pretty typical and terrifying tornado.

And typical tornadoes are always terrifying. But If I happen upon one of those LIVE storm chaser YouTube channels, I'm usually in that rabbit hole for a couple of hours. Terrifying? Yes. Fascinating beyond belief? Also yes.

Tornado Moves Across the Ohio River Near Madison IN

When I was a kid, my mom always told me--keep in mind she was a nurse, not a meteorologist--that Bon Harbor Hills in northwest Daviess County, coupled with the Ohio River would do a good job of keeping us from having a tornado in Owensboro. Yes, she was wrong, and no, yesterday's 'river tornado' did not get the memo.

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That was the "frightening" view; now for the "dazzling" version:

Well yes, I can see where THIS image could also be described as frightening, but I could also see myself standing on the riverbank unable to take my eyes off of it. Naturally, that wouldn't have been a good idea considering the damage caused by the storm when it was on land.

And if you're wondering why I'm referring to this as a "river tornado"--my term--and not a waterspout, it's because, 1) it happened over a river and, 2) waterspouts occur over open water, are COMPOSED of water, and can run the gamut from completely harmless to "we need to get the you-know-what out of here."

This one fell in the latter category and did damage to several structures but, thankfully, caused no fatalities.