Indiana, 2002

Flash Flooding and Flooding in Indiana, May 12 to 13, 2002

May 12 to 13, 2002 · NWS LMK · 9 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong cold front moved slowly across South Central Indiana during the evening hours of May 12 and the early morning hours of May 13. Ripples of low pressure moved upward along the front, acting as a focus for periods of heavy rain over the area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
9

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 LMK wrote it up.

A strong cold front moved slowly across South Central Indiana during the evening hours of May 12 and the early morning hours of May 13. Ripples of low pressure moved upward along the front, acting as a focus for periods of heavy rain over the area. Much of South Central Indiana had rainfall amounts in excess of four inches over these two days. Numerous roads and highways were covered by water in the affected counties.

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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 12, 2:10 PM EST, 8 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 2:10 PM EST, 8 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
310 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 2002

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS SUBTLE S/W  (WHICH MODELS PICK-UP) FM NRN
IND BACK INTO SE MO AT MID AFTN. THAT S/W WILL SETTLE NEAR THE OHIO
RVR LATE THIS AFTN EVNG. BELEIVE IF WE GET ANY SVR...IT WILL BE
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE...AS TSTMS DVLP IN THE LWR MO VLY...
AND RACE E-NE THRU THE MID OH VLY... OUT AHEAD OF SAID S/W FEATURE.
THIS FAST MVMT IN RESPONSE TO DECENT MID LVL FLOW OF 50 KNOTS PLUS.
HOWEVER... AFT THIS EVNG WNDS DECREASE ALNG WITH SVR THREAT.

OTHERWISE...STG S/W COMING OUT OF CO WILL HELP BACK MEAN FLOW LTR
TNGT. STG ANTICYCLONIC JET (RIGHT ENTRANCE RGN) WILL COME INTO
PLAY TO ENHANCE LFTG ACRS OH VLY. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 1.50
INCHES OR GREATER IN PLACE...ALNG WITH TRAINING POSSIBILITY. STILL
THINK HVY RAIN A GOOD POSSIBLITY...BUT EXACT LATITUDINAL PLACEMENT
IN QUESTION. SOMEWHAT BACKED FLOW AND WAVE RIDING UP FNT SUGGESTS
HEAVIEST QPF IN AXIS FM S-CNTRL INTO E-CNTRL KY THRU MONDAY MRNG.
BEST FCST TO KEEP FFA GOING ALL OF RGN TNGT AND MONDAY MRNG.

UPR SYS WILL KEEP CHUGGING RIGHT ALNG MONDAY...SO RAIN WILL END FM
WEST TO EAST...FM LATE MRNG THRU THE AFTN HOURS.

BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW MONDAY NIGHT TUE...SO ONLY A PARTIAL EROSION OF
CLDS. UPR TROF SETTLES ACRS THE GREAT LAKES ON TUE...WHILE A SPOKE
OF ENERGY ROTATES INTO THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. WE WILL KEEP OUR
ERN ZONES DRY TUE...AND TAKE ANOTHER LOOK TOMORROW.

HAVE SIDED WITH A BIT FASTER MOVEMENT OF FNT TNGT...CLOSER TO AVN
AND ETA...CONSEQUENTLY WE ARE UNDER NGM MOS MINS TNGT AND ALSO
COOLER ON MONDAY WITH CLDS/PCPN AND CAA.

ALL GUIDE NUMBERS THEN CONVERGE MON NITE...TUE.

.SDF...FLOOD WATCH ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA
TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.

STUREY

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Crawford

When
May 12, 10:45 PM EST to May 13, 4:45 AM EST
Where
Crawford County, Countywide
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.292, -86.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Dubois

When
May 12, 10:45 PM EST to May 13, 4:45 AM EST
Where
Dubois County, Countywide
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.364, -86.880 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Perry

When
May 12, 11:40 PM EST to May 13, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Perry County, Countywide
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.080, -86.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Harrison

When
May 12, 11:40 PM EST to May 13, 5:40 AM EST
Where
Harrison County, Countywide
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.195, -86.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Crawford

When
May 13, 4:45 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.292, -86.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dubois

When
May 13, 4:45 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Dubois forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.364, -86.880 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Harrison

When
May 13, 5:40 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Harrison forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.195, -86.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Perry

When
May 13, 9:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.080, -86.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Orange

When
May 13, 9:30 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Orange forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.542, -86.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 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: 5300046, 5300049, 5300051, 5300158, 5300047, 5300050, 5300159, 5300157, 5300048.