Indiana, 2001

Flooding in Indiana, February 25 to 28, 2001

February 25 to 28, 2001 · NWS IND · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

1 to 3 inches of rain across the Upper Wabash on the 25th caused another flooding episode into early March across the Wabash River from Lafayette to just north of Vincennes. Numerous roads, parks and agricultural bottomland were all water covered.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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.

1 to 3 inches of rain across the Upper Wabash on the 25th caused another flooding episode into early March across the Wabash River from Lafayette to just north of Vincennes. Numerous roads, parks and agricultural bottomland were all water covered. The following are crests along the Wabash from the 25th through the end of the month:Lafayette: 15.48 feet (flood stage is 11 feet) on the 26thCovington: 19.5 feet (flood stage is 16 feet) on the 28thMontezuma: 20.1 feet (flood stage is 14 feet) on the 28thNote: The Wabash did not crest until early March from Terre Haute downstream.

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 Feb 25, 3:30 AM EST, 11 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:30 AM EST, 11 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
330 AM EST SUN FEB 25 2001

FCST PRBLM TODAY WL BE WND...HOW MUCH CLRG AND TEMP TRENDS.

WELL DVLPD SFC LO CNTRD OVR SERN MN ERLY THIS AM. CDFNT EXTENDS SWD
INTO ERN OK. SATELLITE LOOPS INDICATE A LARGE DRY SLOT OVR ERN MO
AND WRN IL. 88D LOOPS SHOWING RAIN EXITING THE ERN COUNTIES OF THE
CWA...WITH A CLR SCOPE TO THE W.

MDLS ARE IN GD AGREEMENT. THE ETA INITIALIZES VRY WELL..ESPECIALLY
THE DRY SLOT. WL TEND TO THE ETA SINCE IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEST HANDLE
ON CLDS AND OTHER MDLS AGREE WITH MOST OTHER FCST PARAMETERS.

EXPECT THE TIGHT GRADIENT TO CONT TO CAUSE WNDS TO HOWL UP TO 45 MPH
AT TIMES TODAY. GRAD WL WEAKEN LATE THIS AFT AS SFC LO MOVS RAPIDLY
NEWD INTO CANADA. DRY SLOT PROGGED TO MOV OVR CWA THIS AM. SOME WRAP
ARND CLDS EXPECTED OVR NWRN AREAS OF CWA...BUT REST OF CWA SHUD
REMAIN PRTLY SUNNY. DO NOT WANT TO RULE OUT CAA SC IN CYCLONIC FLO
REGIME. CAA TODAY WL CAUSE TEMPS TO FALL THIS AFT. HI BLDS OVR CWA
TONIGHT EFFECTIVELY CLRG OUT AREA AND CAUSING WNDS TO DIE OFF. TEMPS
WL COOL INTO THE 20S AS POLAR AIR SETTLES INTO THE CWA TONIGHT. HIGH
CLOUDS IN ZNL FLO MAY BE ARND OVRNIGHT AND WNDS SHUD BE HI ENUF TO
KEEP ATMS MIXED SO LOWS DON'T DROP TOO MUCH FURTHER. SECONDARY SHOT
OF COLD AIR MOVES INTO CWA MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. THIS DRY FNT WL
CAUSE SOME CLDINESS (AND CUD BE SOME SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES BUT SPOPS
TOO LO TO MNTN ATTM).

GUID TEMPS SEEM REASONABLE AND ARE GENERALLY ACCEPTED.

.IND...WIND ADVISORY TODAY ALL ZONES.
EDDY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Vermillion

When
February 25, 2:30 PM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Vermillion forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.854, -87.464 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Parke

When
February 25, 2:30 PM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Parke forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.774, -87.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Tippecanoe

When
February 25, 3:30 PM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Tippecanoe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.389, -86.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Warren

When
February 26, 1:30 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.347, -87.353 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Fountain

When
February 26, 1:30 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Fountain forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.121, -87.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Vigo

When
February 26, 3:30 AM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Vigo forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.431, -87.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sullivan

When
February 26, 1:30 PM EST to February 28, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Sullivan forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.089, -87.415 (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

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 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: 5228660, 5228661, 5228657, 5228658, 5228659, 5228770, 5228771.