Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- July 19, 9:00 PM EST to 9:20 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.400, -85.000
Numerous trees downed.
Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Indiana, July 19 to 20, 1998
A fast moving Mesoscale Convective System with numerous bow echo segments caused wind damage early in the event. However, the thunderstorms began to repeat across the same areas causing flooding.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 6
- Property damage
- $85,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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 ILN wrote it up.
A fast moving Mesoscale Convective System with numerous bow echo segments caused wind damage early in the event. However, the thunderstorms began to repeat across the same areas causing flooding.
The radar
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:02 UTC.
Event by event
8 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Union
- When
- July 19, 9:10 PM EST to 9:25 PM EST
- Where
- Union County, Liberty
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 6 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.630, -84.930
Numerous trees downed across the county, one of which fell across a tent, injuring six campers. Also, two people were killed when a boat overturned in the storm on Brookville Lake.
Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette
- When
- July 19, 9:15 PM EST to 9:30 PM EST
- Where
- Fayette County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.650, -85.170
Many trees downed across the county.
Thunderstorm Wind, Union
- When
- July 19, 10:18 PM EST to 10:25 PM EST
- Where
- Union County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.630, -84.930
Trees downed across the county.
Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne
- When
- July 19, 10:25 PM EST to 10:35 PM EST
- Where
- Wayne County, Richmond
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.830, -84.900
Numerous trees downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Union
- When
- July 20, 12:15 AM EST to 12:30 AM EST
- Where
- Union County, Countywide
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.630, -84.930
Trees downed.
Flash Flood, Union
- When
- July 20, 12:45 AM EST to 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Union County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.626, -84.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy rainfall caused several county roads to be covered by water.
Thunderstorm Wind, Ripley
- When
- July 20, 2:45 AM EST to 2:55 AM EST
- Where
- Ripley County, Napoleon
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.200, -85.330
Trees downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- July 20, 2:50 AM EST to 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Brookville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.420, -85.020
Trees downed.
Flash Flood, Dearborn
- When
- July 20, 3:20 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Dearborn County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.145, -84.973 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy rainfall caused water to flood across county roads including US Rte 50.
Flash Flood, Ripley
- When
- July 20, 4:10 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ripley County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.104, -85.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Persistent heavy rainfall caused water to flood across some county roads.
Flash Flood, Switzerland
- When
- July 20, 5:30 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
- Where
- Switzerland County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 38.826, -85.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several hours of heavy rainfall caused some county creeks to rise out of their banks.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Union | 1998-07-19 | 46 | Male | Boat | Direct |
| Thunderstorm Wind, Union | 1998-07-19 | 30 | Female | Boat | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- 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
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 19, 1998
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Nevada, July 19 to 20, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 19, 1998
- Heat and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 19, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, July 19 to 20, 1998
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 19, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 19, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, July 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, July 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, July 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, July 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, July 19, 1998
More
Every storm in Indiana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, July 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: 5651630, 5651632, 5651631, 5651633, 5651634, 5657076, 5657082, 5657078, 5657077, 5657079, 5657080, 5657081.