Indiana, 1998

Flash Flooding in Indiana, April 15 to 16, 1998

April 15 to 16, 1998 · NWS IND · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms producing 3 to 6 inches of rain in about a 6 hour period produced widespread flooding across these counties with water levels at their highest in 30 years in parts of Jennings County. Roads were flooded, bridges and culverts were damaged, and several motorists and homeowners had to be rescued from high water.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 IND wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms producing 3 to 6 inches of rain in about a 6 hour period produced widespread flooding across these counties with water levels at their highest in 30 years in parts of Jennings County. Roads were flooded, bridges and culverts were damaged, and several motorists and homeowners had to be rescued from high water. ij

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lawrence

When
April 15, 12:45 AM EST to April 16, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Lawrence County, Countywide
Coordinates
38.841, -86.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Jackson

When
April 15, 9:30 PM EST to April 16, 4:30 AM EST
Where
Jackson County, Countywide
Coordinates
38.906, -86.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bartholomew

When
April 15, 9:35 PM EST to April 16, 4:30 AM EST
Where
Bartholomew County, Countywide
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
39.206, -85.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Jennings

When
April 15, 10:30 PM EST to April 16, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Jennings County, Countywide
Coordinates
38.997, -85.628 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Decatur

When
April 15, 10:50 PM EST to April 16, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Decatur County, Countywide
Coordinates
39.307, -85.501 (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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, April 1998

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: 5642405, 5642403, 5642401, 5642404, 5642402.