Indiana, 2002

Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 20, 2002

September 20, 2002 · NWS LMK · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Numerous trees were downed by thunderstorm winds over South Central Indiana.

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

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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 LMK wrote it up.

Numerous trees were downed by thunderstorm winds over South Central Indiana.

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 Sep 20, 2:04 AM EST, 11 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 2:04 AM EST, 11 hours 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
304 AM EDT FRI SEP 20 2002

SHWR AND TSTM BATCH OVER WESTERN KY...MOVING INTO OUR FA...
CONTINUES TO DIMINISH IN INTENSITY. BETTER SHOT OF PRECIP WILL COME
THIS AFTN AND THIS EVNG IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT.

AVN AND ETA NOW IN BETTER AGREEMENT TO PASSAGE OF UPPER TROF AND
COLD FRONT. AVN IS SLIGHTLY STRONGER THAN ETA WITH THE COLD FRONT
THROUGH 36 HRS. BOTH MODELS FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH H3 JET STREAK
PATTERN FROM SRN INDIANA NORTH INTO THE UPPER GRT LAKES FROM 00Z TO
06Z TNGT. RR QUAD DIV PATTERN IN ASSOC WITH THE JET IS HELPING TO
SPIT OUT LOTS OF QPF TNGT ON THE ETA...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS ON THE
AVN.

FA IS IN SLGT RISK FOR SVR TSTMS THIS AFTN AND EVE...WILL HIGHLIGHT
IN SPS. MAIN THREAT THIS AFTN AND EVE WILL BE FROM WIND AS SOUTHWEST
LLVL JET CONTINUES TO INCREASE TO NEAR 50 KTS BY MIDDAY...CURRENT
VWP FROM LVX-88D 30 TO 40 KTS. WOULD EXPECT SOME MIX OF BOW
STRUCTURES AND POSSIBLY A SQUALL LINE THIS AFTN AND EVE.

FOR HIGHS TODAY WILL GO WITH UPPER 80S ONCE AGAIN...SLIGHTLY ABOVE
AVN MOS. WILL ONLY TWEAK POP FCST IN THE SHORT TERM...WILL GO
WITHOUT PRECIP THIS MORN FOR THE ERN PORTION FA AS BELIEVE MOST
ACTIVITY SHOULD HOLD OFF THERE UNTIL THIS AFTN. WILL BUMP UP POPS
FOR TODAY ACROSS THE NW PORTION TO 70...AND WILL INCREASE POPS TO 70
ACROSS THE FA FOR TNGT. PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF SYSTEM SHOULD ALLOW
ACTIVITY TO CLEAR MOST OF THE FA BY SAT MORNING AND WILL ONLY
INDICATE SCTRD SHWRS FOR THE ERN PORTION FA. NO MAJOR CHANGES TO
EXTDD AS WELCOME AUTUMN PATTERN SETS IN.

.SDF...NONE.

JB

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When
September 20, 1:45 PM EST
Where
Orange County, 5 mi E of Orleans
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.667, -86.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
September 20, 2:20 PM EST
Where
Washington County, Campbellsburg
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.650, -86.267

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
September 20, 2:22 PM EST
Where
Crawford County, Leavenworth
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.200, -86.350

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

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5320092, 5320093, 5320094.