Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 20, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 20, 2002
Start: 2002-09-20T12:40
End: 2002-09-20T15:00
Location: Indiana

September 20, 2002 · NWS IND · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 6

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 Sep 20, 3:05 AM EST, 9 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 3:05 AM EST, 9 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
305 AM EST FRI SEP 20 2002

TIMING OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT AND TEMPS IN MOST
OTHER PERIODS ARE THE MAIN FORECAST PROBLEMS.

SHOWERS HAVE CONTINUED THE NIGHT OVER AT LEAST THE WEST 2/3 OF OUR
FORECAST AREA. RADAR SATELLITE AND WX DEPICTION AT 07Z SHOWS MORE
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND JUST WEST OF MISSISSIPPI
RIVER.  CD FNT WAS OVER ERN IOWA AND CENTRAL MISSOURI.  MODELS ARE IN
IN GOOD AGREEMENT MOVG CD FNT TO JUST EAST OF A KFWA-KIND LN BY 00Z
AND TO ERN KENTUCKY BY 12Z SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BECOME MORE
NUMEROUS THIS AFTN AS CD FNT MOVS THRU.  ETA CAPES ABOUT 1100 J/KG
THIS AFTN AND WINDS AT 850 ABOUT 40-50 KNOTS WHICH AGREES WITH SPC
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. PRECIPITABLE WATER ALSO JUST
OVER 2 INCHES AND SOME AREAS COULD SEE POSSIBLY AN INCH OR TWO OF
RAIN TODAY.

AFTER THIS EVENING DRY AND COOLER WEATHER WILL BE THE RULE THROUGH
THE NEXT WEEK.  MODELS SHOW A DRY SECONDARY CD FNT MOVG ACROSS OUR
AREA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND MRF SHOWS MAIN S/W MOVG THROUGH
SUNDAY AND AGAIN BY THURSDAY. BOTH HAVE LIMITED RH TO WORK WITH...SO
WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY.

WILL GO WITH A BLEND OF FWC/MAV TEMPS NEXT FEW DAYS.

.IND...NONE.
HENDRICKSON

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 20, 12:00 PM EST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1200 PM EST FRI SEP 20 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1150 AM    MONROE CITY               IN   TORNADO
09/20/02   KNOX                           TREES DOWNED.  PEOPLE
                                          POSSIBLY TRAPPED IN
                                          HOUSE. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Sep 20, 12:02 PM EST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1202 PM EST FRI SEP 20 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1157 AM    LYONS                     IN   FUNNEL CLOUD
09/20/02   GREENE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: September 20, 12:40 PM EST
Where: Greene County, 1 mi N of Worthington
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 39.133, -86.983

Trees down

Thunderstorm Wind, Owen

When: September 20, 1:05 PM EST
Where: Owen County, Gosport
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.350, -86.667

Trees down

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: September 20, 2:05 PM EST to 2:20 PM EST
Where: Lawrence County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.833, -86.517

Trees down

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: September 20, 2:20 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, 6 mi NW of Medora
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.900, -86.250

Trees down

Thunderstorm Wind, Bartholomew

When: September 20, 2:30 PM EST
Where: Bartholomew County, Columbus
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.217, -85.833

Trees and Power lines down

Thunderstorm Wind, Jennings

When: September 20, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Jennings County, North Vernon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.000, -85.633

Trees down

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.

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, September 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: 5315544, 5315545, 5315546, 5315547, 5315548, 5315549.