Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 7, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 7, 2002
Start: 2002-05-07T03:22
End: 2002-05-07T12:00
Location: Indiana

May 7, 2002 · NWS IND · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Thunderstorms moved across the southern half of central Indiana during the early morning hours of May 7. These storms produced heavy rain which lead to extensive flash flooding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: $925,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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.

Thunderstorms moved across the southern half of central Indiana during the early morning hours of May 7. These storms produced heavy rain which lead to extensive flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded and closed, including some state roads. In Clinton in Clay county, 10 to 12 blocks were evacuated due to flooding. In Morgan county, a school bus became stuck in high water and the occupants were evacuated.

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 May 7, 2:30 AM EST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 2:30 AM EST, 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
230 AM EST TUE MAY 7 2002

FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHES FM LOW PRES IN NRN MI TO N CENTRAL MO  AND
WRN KS. COOLING CLOUD TOPS ON IR PIX ACRS NRN MO AND WRN IL. 88D
STARTING TO SHOW SOME STORM DEVELOPMENT ACRS THE CWA...AHEAD OF THE
MAIN AREA OF STORMS FURTHER WEST ACRS MO AND IL.

FCST WL FOCUS ON PCPN TDY.

WL GO WITH HI POPS TDY AS TSTMS ACRS MO AND IL SHUD PROPAGATE ACRS
THE FA ACCORDING TO 850-300MB THICKNESSES AND CORFIDI VECTORS.
SIMILAR TO MONDAY...EXPECT A BREAK IN THE PCPN THIS AFTERNOON IN THE
WAKE OF THE CURRENT ROUND OF TSTMS.

FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO SLIDE S ACRS INDIANA TDY WITH GOOD MOISTURE AND
VV AVAILABLE TONIGHT. HENCE ANOTHER ROUND OF RW/TSTMS. MODELS IN
GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH LOWER LVL FEATURES BUT NGM/ETA DISAGREE WITH
REGARD WITH WEAK UPPER LVL FEATURES ACRS THE AREA. LIKE THE MORE
ORGANIZED AND STRONGER ETA UPPER LVL FEATURES AS STORMS SHUD BE
GENERATED AHEAD OF DIURNAL LLJ.

FRONT PULL NORTH AGAIN ON WED AND IND WL REMAIN IN THE WARM SECTOR.
CANNOT RULE OUT PCPN FOR WED...BUT MAIN FOCUS SHOULD BE ACRS THE NRN
PART OF THE CWA AS THE FRONT PULLS NORTH.

CD FRONT SWINGS THROUGH ON THURSDAY MORE AND THE RESULT WL BE MORE
SHOWERS AND STORMS.

WITH PCPN CHCS CONTINUING TDY WL KEEP FFA ACRS THE SRN TIER OF
COUNTIES TDY. GOOD WAA OVR THE FCST PD. MAV/FWC TEMPS LOOK GOOD
CONSIDERING H8 TEMPS.

IND...NONE.
PUMA

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Parke

When: May 7, 3:22 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where: Parke County, Bloomingdale
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 39.774, -87.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Putnam

When: May 7, 4:15 AM EST to 8:15 AM EST
Where: Putnam County, Countywide
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.666, -86.845 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Hendricks

When: May 7, 4:15 AM EST to 8:15 AM EST
Where: Hendricks County, Plainfield
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.770, -86.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Vermillion

When: May 7, 4:37 AM EST to 7:37 AM EST
Where: Vermillion County, Clinton
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.854, -87.464 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Rush

When: May 7, 5:30 AM EST to 8:30 AM EST
Where: Rush County, Countywide
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 39.620, -85.466 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Marion

When: May 7, 5:45 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Marion County, Indianapolis Intl Ar
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 39.782, -86.138 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Vigo

When: May 7, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Vigo County, Terre Haute
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.431, -87.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Johnson

When: May 7, 6:15 AM EST to 9:15 AM EST
Where: Johnson County, 3 mi E of Franklin
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.490, -86.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Morgan

When: May 7, 6:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Morgan County, Countywide
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.482, -86.446 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Clay

When: May 7, 7:00 AM EST to 11:30 AM EST
Where: Clay County, Harmony
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.393, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Owen

When: May 7, 7:10 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Owen County, New Hope
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.313, -86.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Shelby

When: May 7, 7:25 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Shelby County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.524, -85.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Monroe

When: May 7, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Monroe County, Countywide
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 39.161, -86.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bartholomew

When: May 7, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Bartholomew County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.206, -85.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Brown

When: May 7, 8:05 AM EST to 9:05 AM EST
Where: Brown County, Nashville
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.196, -86.227 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Decatur

When: May 7, 8:30 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Decatur County, 3 mi S of Greensburg
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.307, -85.501 (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.

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, 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: 5296095, 5296097, 5296098, 5296096, 5296099, 5296100, 5296104, 5296101, 5296103, 5296105, 5296106, 5296102, 5295948, 5296108, 5296109, 5296107.