Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Indiana, July 18, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Indiana, July 18, 2002
Start: 2002-07-18T16:00
End: 2002-07-18T17:20
Location: Indiana

July 18, 2002 · NWS IND · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: $97,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 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 Jul 18, 2:30 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 2:30 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
230 PM EST THU JUL 18 2002

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST INTO THE NIGHT.

THE FORECAST AREA WILL SEE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOPED
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...PERSISTING THIS EVENING IN THE WARM...MOIST
AIR. SOME CONCERN THAT MCS OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY COULD
REACH THE AREA LATER TONIGHT.

A FRONT WAS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE SOUTH HALF OF THE GREAT LAKES
THIS AFTERNOON. WEAK FLOW PERSISTED IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT. THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO DRIFT
SOUTH TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER MIDDLE
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE
OHIO RIVER BY LATE TOMORROW.

PW AND CAPES WERE HIGH THIS AFTERNOON...BUT HEAVY RAINFALL SHOULD BE
ISOLATED.

DEW POINTS WERE AROUND 70F THIS AFTERNOON. WEAK FLOW SHOULD KEEP
THEM IN THAT AREA TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. TONIGHTS GUIDANCE LOWS
AROUND 70F LOOK GOOD. CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION SHOULD HOLD
TEMPERATURES DOWN A FEW DEGREES BELOW THIS AFTERNOONS HIGHS.

.IND...NONE.
DS

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 18, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Clay County, Brazil
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.533, -87.117

Trees down. Gas station sign fell on vehicle.

Lightning, Vigo

When: July 18, 5:20 PM EST
Where: Vigo County, Riley
Property damage: $90,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.431, -87.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a funeral home and caused extensive damage.

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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, July 2002

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: 5304189, 5304190.