Indiana, 1996

Flash Flood in Indiana, May 16, 1996

May 16, 1996 · NWS IWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Three and one half inches of rain fell in an hour at Roanoke, Indiana causing McPherren Ditch to overflow it's banks flooding 18 homes in Roanoke. One home was seriously damaged and will have to be replaced with three other homes suffering minor damage to the living quarters.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS IWX wrote it up.

Three and one half inches of rain fell in an hour at Roanoke, Indiana causing McPherren Ditch to overflow it's banks flooding 18 homes in Roanoke. One home was seriously damaged and will have to be replaced with three other homes suffering minor damage to the living quarters. The other homes had basement damage due to the flooding. Several businesses, also, sustained minor damage.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Huntington

When
May 16, 4:00 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where
Huntington County, Roanoke
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Coordinates
40.829, -85.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5559583.