Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 157, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 18, 20265 counties in Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT for 5 counties in Indiana. It was in force for 39 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 18, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT (18:40 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 2026, 3:19 PM EDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 0.75 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Delaware County, IN, Hamilton County, IN, Hancock County, IN, Madison County, IN, Marion County, IN

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:40 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 18, 11:02 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 237 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 850 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 966 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 301 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 8.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Indianapolis, IN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 18, 1:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 1:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 3:10 AM EDT, 11 hours 30 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
310 AM EDT Mon May 18 2026

INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-191000-
Carroll-Warren-Tippecanoe-Clinton-Howard-Fountain-Montgomery-Boone-
Tipton-Hamilton-Madison-Delaware-Randolph-Vermillion-Parke-Putnam-
Hendricks-Marion-Hancock-Henry-Vigo-Clay-Owen-Morgan-Johnson-Shelby-
Rush-Sullivan-Greene-Monroe-Brown-Bartholomew-Decatur-Knox-Daviess-
Martin-Lawrence-Jackson-Jennings-
310 AM EDT Mon May 18 2026

This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

Thunderstorms will impact central Indiana this afternoon into the
evening. Severe storms are possible with damaging winds and large
hail as the primary threats. Torrential rainfall producing localized
flooding is also possible, focused especially across the southwest
half of central Indiana. The timing of greatest impacts will be
between 1 pm and 7 pm.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Scattered severe storms are possible again Tuesday afternoon and
evening. Damaging winds and large hail will be the primary threats
with localized flooding possible.

Additional chances for thunderstorms return Friday into the holiday
weekend.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed later today, and possibly
Tuesday afternoon and evening as well. Spotters are encouraged to
continue monitoring the forecast.

&&

More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate
information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind

Ryan

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 18, 1:07 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
107 PM EDT Mon May 18 2026

INZ051-060-067-181730-
Knox IN-Vigo IN-Sullivan IN-
107 PM EDT Mon May 18 2026

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of south central Vigo
and Sullivan Counties through 130 PM EDT...

At 106 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Hutsonville to near Flat Rock. Movement
was northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Sullivan, Shelburn, Farmersburg, Fairbanks, Carlisle, Merom, Pimento,
Pleasantville, Turtle Creek Reservoir, Graysville, and Paxton.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 600 PM EDT for
southwestern and west central Indiana.

&&

LAT...LON 3921 8758 3925 8757 3925 8759 3926 8760
      3936 8740 3897 8724 3887 8755 3890 8754
      3890 8752 3896 8751 3899 8758 3899 8756
      3900 8758 3906 8757 3909 8762 3910 8762
      3911 8765 3912 8763 3914 8766
TIME...MOT...LOC 1706Z 239DEG 37KT 3910 8772 3893 8765

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Updike

Special weather statement, May 18, 1:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 18, 1:29 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 18, 2:21 PM EDT, 19 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 18, 2:35 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 18, 2:37 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

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The office that day

Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 11:56 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Fountain, Tippecanoe, Warren	49 min
May 18, 12:24 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Fountain, Montgomery, Parke, Vermillion	51 min
May 18, 12:33 PM EDT	Flood Watch	IND	Brown, Clay, Greene, Hendricks, Johnson, Knox and 9 more	10 hr
May 18, 12:44 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Fountain, Tippecanoe, Warren	31 min
May 18, 12:52 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Vermillion	23 min
May 18, 12:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Clay, Parke, Vermillion, Vigo	36 min
May 18, 1:07 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Sullivan	23 min
May 18, 1:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Clay, Owen	26 min
May 18, 1:29 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Putnam	31 min
May 18, 1:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Clay, Owen, Putnam	44 min
May 18, 1:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan and 2 more	55 min
May 18, 2:13 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	IND	Clay, Greene, Owen, Putnam, Sullivan, Vigo	56 min
May 18, 2:21 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Howard	24 min
May 18, 2:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Tipton	25 min
May 18, 2:37 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Hamilton, Hancock, Madison, Marion	53 min
May 18, 2:46 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Johnson, Morgan	44 min
May 18, 3:02 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Madison	28 min
May 18, 3:09 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	IND	Clay, Greene, Owen, Putnam, Sullivan, Vigo	9 hr
May 18, 3:21 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Delaware, Hancock, Madison	39 min
May 18, 3:31 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Delaware	14 min
May 18, 3:36 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	IND	Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan	9 hr
May 18, 3:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Delaware, Hancock, Henry, Madison, Rush	29 min
May 18, 3:55 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	IND	Clay, Daviess, Greene, Knox, Martin, Monroe and 1 more	37 min
May 18, 4:04 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Delaware	26 min
May 18, 4:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Delaware	46 min
May 18, 4:22 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Daviess	38 min
May 18, 4:28 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	IND	Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Shelby	3 hr
May 18, 4:32 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	IND	Clay, Daviess, Greene, Knox, Martin, Monroe and 1 more	14 hr
May 18, 4:45 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Johnson	45 min
May 18, 5:07 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Daviess, Martin	38 min
May 18, 5:15 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	IND	Bartholomew, Brown, Daviess, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence and 3 more	17 hr
May 18, 5:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Daviess, Martin	23 min
May 18, 5:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Rush	51 min
May 18, 5:40 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Randolph	20 min
May 18, 5:44 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence	46 min
May 18, 5:55 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Martin	20 min
May 18, 6:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Decatur	40 min
May 18, 6:15 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Bartholomew, Decatur, Jennings	60 min
May 18, 7:12 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IND	Decatur	18 min
May 18, 7:24 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	IND	Bartholomew, Shelby	5 hr
May 18, 7:30 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	IND	Johnson	5 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 2026 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.