Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, April 20, 2000

Separate lines of thunderstorms swept across central Indiana producing numerous large hail and damaging wind reports as a strong low pressure system moved across the state during the afternoon of April 20, 2000. In addition, a single thunderstorm moved across in the early morning producing golfball size hail near Pendleton. The first line of thunderstorms moved across northwestern parts of the IND CWA just before noon producing penny to golfball size hail across Tippecanoe, Carroll and Warren counties. The second line produced large hail but more notably damaging winds across the center of the IND CWA. The worst damage was near Bloomington, Terre Haute, Lebanon and Nineveh in Johnson county. Structural damage occured across these areas. In Bloomington, 1 person was injured as three mobile homes were blown off their foundations from winds estimated up to 70 mph. A parked vehicle was damaged in downtown Bloomington, while a car was damaged as part of the sheet metal roof of the Indiana University Creative Arts building was thrown on it. 10 homes, a few businesses and 3 vehicles received significant damage in southern Johnson county from Princes Lake to Nineveh. National Weather Service survey indicated straight-line microburst damage with winds estimated to around 80 mph. Several homes received minor structural damage and a mobile home was overturned 7 miles northwest of Terre Haute, while Lebanon also saw some roof damage and a tree fell on a car in Martinsville. Otherwise, some other central Indiana sites saw large hail and numerous trees and power lines down.