Indiana, 2002

High Wind in Indiana, March 9, 2002

March 9, 2002 · NWS IND · 20 events in 17 counties and zones

A strong cold front pushed across central Indiana during the late morning and afternoon of March 9. Trees and power lines were reported down in many counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
1
Property damage
$18,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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.

A strong cold front pushed across central Indiana during the late morning and afternoon of March 9. Trees and power lines were reported down in many counties. Roofs were blown off buildings in Greentown in Howard county. At the Indianapolis International Airport, an airplane rudder was damaged and an airplane windshield was broken due to the high winds. In Delaware county, a woman was injured when her car was hit by a gate blown open by the wind.

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 9, 2:45 AM EST, 9 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 2:45 AM EST, 9 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
245 AM EST SAT MAR 9 2002

...WIND ADVISORY TODAY...

STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL CAUSE STRONG WINDS OVER CENTRAL INDIANA
TODAY. WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 40 TO 45 MPH.

THE LOW WAS OVER EAST IOWA EARLY THIS MORNING. A COLD FRONT TRAILED
SOUTH SOUTHWEST FROM THE LOW. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS OVER THE
PLAINS STATES. THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT.
SOME THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST MOVING INTO WEST INDIANA.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE EARLY
MORNING. MAINLY CONCERNED WITH STRONG WINDS. 88D INDICATING WINDS 70
KTS AT 4000 FT.  WILL MENTION STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE. THE COLD FRONT
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATER IN THE MORNING.

MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT. RAPID COOLING AND DRYING BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING BY THIS AFTERNOON. CLEARING OVER
THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON AND EAST LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.
WINDS STILL GUSTY THIS EVENING. THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES FARTHER AWAY
TOMORROW AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE PUSHES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY.

WITH FRONT NOT PASSING LATER THIS MORNING...PREFER THE WARMER FWC
TODAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE WEST. FWC LOOKS A BIT COLD TONIGHT.
THOUGH SKIES CLEAR...WINDS STAY UP THROUGH THE NIGHT. AIR IS NOT
NEARLY AS COLD AS LAST WEEKEND. SUNSHINE AND SOME WARM AIR ADVECTION
SHOULD GIVE TEMPERATURES A GOOD BOOST TOMORROW...BUT NOT TO NORMAL
LEVELS.

.IND...WIND ADVISORY ENTIRE AREA TODAY.
DS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Carroll

When
March 9, 11:55 AM EST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.583, -86.563 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Boone

When
March 9, 12:05 PM EST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.051, -86.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clinton

When
March 9, 12:15 PM EST
Where
Clinton forecast zone
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.302, -86.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tree fell on a house and a chimney was destroyed near Frankfort

High Wind, Marion

When
March 9, 12:23 PM EST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.782, -86.138 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hamilton

When
March 9, 12:35 PM EST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.073, -86.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tree fell on a car in Carmel

High Wind, Howard

When
March 9, 12:55 PM EST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.484, -86.117 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roofs were blown off 3 mobile homes

High Wind, Howard

When
March 9, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.484, -86.117 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roof blown off structure in Greentown

High Wind, Marion

When
March 9, 1:10 PM EST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.782, -86.138 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Airplane rudder damaged and an airplane windshield were broken at the Indianapolis International Airport

High Wind, Boone

When
March 9, 1:30 PM EST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.051, -86.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A barn was destroyed killing 3 horses inside

High Wind, Tipton

When
March 9, 2:19 PM EST
Where
Tipton forecast zone
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.311, -86.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tree fell on a car and a motor home was blown over

High Wind, Randolph

When
March 9, 2:25 PM EST
Where
Randolph forecast zone
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.158, -85.011 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Structural damage to homes

High Wind, Shelby

When
March 9, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Property damage
$500
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.524, -85.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A large billboard was destroyed and trees were downed

High Wind, Madison

When
March 9, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Property damage
$500
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.162, -85.719 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A railroad crossing arm was broken and damage was done to cars

High Wind, Delaware

When
March 9, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$4,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.228, -85.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A woman was injured when a car was struck by a gate blown open by the wind

High Wind, Hancock

When
March 9, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.824, -85.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees down

High Wind, Bartholomew

When
March 9, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Bartholomew forecast zone
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.206, -85.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jackson

When
March 9, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.906, -86.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees down

High Wind, Rush

When
March 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Rush forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.620, -85.466 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees down

High Wind, Decatur

When
March 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Decatur forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.307, -85.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees down

High Wind, Henry

When
March 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.931, -85.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees down

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5281733, 5281734, 5281735, 5281736, 5281737, 5281738, 5281739, 5281861, 5281862, 5281863, 5281864, 5281865, 5281866, 5281867, 5281868, 5281869, 5281870, 5281871, 5281872, 5281873.