Flooding in Indiana, December 16 to 27, 2001

Name: Flooding in Indiana, December 16 to 27, 2001
Start: 2001-12-16T07:00
End: 2001-12-27T07:00
Location: Indiana

December 16 to 27, 2001 · NWS IND · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy rain from the 14th through the 17th resulted in the highest river levels along the lower portion of the East Fork of the White River since June 1997.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

Heavy rain from the 14th through the 17th resulted in the highest river levels along the lower portion of the East Fork of the White River since June 1997. Flooding affected extensive agricultural areas and closed numerous state and local roads.Crests:Columbus: 10.5 feet on December 19 (FS = 9 feet)Seymour: 18.3 feet on December 18 (FS = 12 feet)Bedford: 30.8 feet on December 21 (FS = 20 feet)Williams: 14.0 feet on December 21 (FS = 8 feet)

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Dec 16, 2:50 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 2:50 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
250 AM EST SUN DEC 16 2001

POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND SOME FLOODING IS THE BIGGEST CONCERN
FOR THE NEXT 30 HOURS. MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE BRINGING HEAVY
RAIN ACROSS OUR CWA STARTING LATER THIS AFTN THROUGH EARLY MONDAY
MORNING. HPC FORECAST ALSO REFLECTS THIS AS THEY INDICATE 24 HOUR
AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES FROM THE VINCENNES AREA TO JUST EAST OF
IND. ALL INGREDIENTS SEEM TO COME IN PLAY WITH A 50-60 KNOT 850 JET
SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER WITH ITS NOSE POINTING TOWARDS CENTRAL
INDIANA. THERE IS ALSO DIFFLUENCE AT H2 AND H3 LEVELS AND PRECIPTABLE
WATER UP TO 1.6 INCHES BY TNGT.  12 HOUR FFG GENERALLY AROUND 1.5
INCHES BUT JUST OVER 2 INCHES IN THE FAR NORTH.

WILL ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR OUR SOUTHERN CWA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT AND ELSEWHERE FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MODELS
BRING A DRY SLOT NORTH INTO OUR CWA DURING THE DAY MONDAY.

WILL GO A CATEGORY BELOW FWC/MAV TEMPS TODAY WITH PRECIP MOVG IN AND
THE WRM FNT STILL JUST TO OUR SOUTH AT 00Z. ETA TRACKS SFC LOW ALONG
A EVV TO W CENTRAL OHIO LN BY MIDDAY MONDAY.  TEMPS SHOULD RISE SOME
OVERNIGHT TNGT ALONG AND EAST OF THIS LINE AND PROBABLY REMAIN NEAR
STEADY ELSEWHERE. WILL GO FAIRLY CLOSE TO FWC/MAV TEMPS MONDAY.

.IND...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF A
       BAK-HUF LINE. FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING
       REST OF OUR CWA.

HENDRICKSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Jackson

When: December 16, 7:00 AM EST to December 22, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.906, -86.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lawrence

When: December 17, 12:30 PM EST to December 26, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.841, -86.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Martin

When: December 17, 6:00 PM EST to December 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.708, -86.803 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bartholomew

When: December 18, 6:00 AM EST to December 20, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Bartholomew forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.206, -85.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, December 2001

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: 5274992, 5274993, 5274994, 5274991.