Flooding in Indiana, March 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Flooding in Indiana, March 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-03-30T06:45
End: 2002-03-31T23:59
Location: Indiana

March 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS IND · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Heavy rains near the end of the month brought flooding to portions of the White river. Most areas effected were bottomland, and a few roads were flooded.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 3

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 rains near the end of the month brought flooding to portions of the White river. Most areas effected were bottomland, and a few roads were flooded.

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 Mar 30, 3:20 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 3:20 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
320 AM EST SAT MAR 30 2002

BIGGEST PROBLEM ARE WHETHER TO MENTION ANY POPS FOR SUNDAY AND
TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY. SATELLITE SHOWS LOW CLOUDS CONTINUE OVER THE
ERN HALF OF OUR CWA...WHILE MOSTLY CLR CONDITIONS WITH PATCHY FOG ARE
OUT WEST. ALL MODELS INDICATE MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER TODAY AS HIGH PRES
BUILDS FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. TIME HEIGHT
CROSS SECTIONS SHOWS INCRG MID LEVEL MOISTURE LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT.

MODELS MOVE AN UPR LOW CURRENTLY OVER WEST TEXAS TO NW ALABAMA
SUNDAY. ETA KEEPS THE PRECIP MAINLY SOUTH OF OHIO RIVER...WHILE THE
NGM BRINGS IT UP TO CENTRAL INDIANA LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. AVN IS
SOMEWHAT IN BETWEEN BUT CLOSER TO THE ETA. I PREFER THE MORE SLY
ETA/AVN SENARIO AS MODELS ALSO BRINGING A NRN STREAM S/W INTO THE SRN
GREAT LAKES BY LATE SUNDAY.  WITH INDIANA BEING BETWEEN THESE TWO
SYSTEM WILL DOWNPLAY PRECIP ON SUNDAY.  BUT NEVERTHELESS WILL MENTION
LOW POPS FAR SOUTH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND 20-30 PCT ELSEWHERE SUNDAY
AFTERNOON.  BY SUNDAY NIGHT BOTH OF THESE DISTURBANCES WILL BE MOVING
ON TO THE EAST.

IN THE EXTENDED AVN BRINGS A STG CD FNT ACROSS INDIANA TUESDAY. WILL
GO WITH HIGH POPS TUESDAY AND THEN DRY AND QUITE COOL WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY.

WILL GO CLOSER TO WARMER MAV TEMPS TODAY AS TEMPS UPSTREAM CURRENTLY
NOT THAT COOL. IN OTHER PERIODS A BLEND OF FWC/MAV TEMPS LOOKS OK.

.IND...NONE.
HENDRICKSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Madison

When: March 30, 6:45 AM EST to March 31, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.162, -85.719 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Owen

When: March 30, 9:45 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Owen forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.313, -86.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Marion

When: March 31, 5:45 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.782, -86.138 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, March 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: 5282024, 5282026, 5282025.