Flash flooding and record river flooding occurred over the southern sections of the Northern Indiana County Warning Area starting July 4th and 5th with river flooding abating by July 14th. Areas from southwest of Fort Wayne, IN to Fort Wayne, Van Wert, OH and Lima, OH received an average of 8 inches of rain during the event, with the St.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS IWX wrote it up.
Flash flooding and record river flooding occurred over the southern sections of the Northern Indiana County Warning Area starting July 4th and 5th with river flooding abating by July 14th. Areas from southwest of Fort Wayne, IN to Fort Wayne, Van Wert, OH and Lima, OH received an average of 8 inches of rain during the event, with the St. Marys river basin receiving nearly 15 inches of rain. The majority of the rain fell from July 4th to the 8th as weak upper level impulses moved along a stalled boundary just south of Fort Wayne.
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 5, 3:43 PM EST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 343 PM EST SAT JUL 5 2003 SHORT TERM DISCUSSION... PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERNS ARE FLOOD AND SEVERE POTENTIAL FOR TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER WEST CENTRAL INDIANA PAST HOUR...IN AREA OF MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WITH LIFTED INDICES NEAR MINUS 9. IT APPEARS CONVECTION WILL BE FOCUSED NEAR FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. WEAK MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHING INTO REGION SHOULD AID TSRA DEVELOPMENT. WILL GO WITH LIKELY WORDING FAR SOUTHERN COUNTIES...THEN TAPER OFF TO LOW CHANCE POPS FOR EXTREME NORTH. GIVEN LAST NIGHTS RAINS AND CURRENT PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEAR 2 INCHES...WILL EXTEND EXISTING FLOOD WATCH TO COVER TONIGHT PERIOD. WOLCOTT PROFILER INDICATES INCREASING MID LEVEL WINDS...UP TO 55 KT...SO ENOUGH CONCERN ABOUT DAMAGING WIND TO INCLUDE IN ZONES. ETA AND GFS INDICATED ANOTHER MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHING ACROSS CWFA ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...SO HIGH CHANCE POPS WARRANTED. WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS MID LEVEL IMPULSES CONTINUE TO SLIDE ACROSS REGION AND AIRMASS REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE. EXTENDED DISCUSSION...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ON COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH TUES NGT INTO WEDS. AS SUCH...CHC POPS STILL WARRANTED. COOLER AND DRIER AIR LOOKS TO WORK IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR THURS AND FRI SO DRY FORECAST IN ORDER WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPS. SATURDAY...A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT DROPS OUT OF THE PLAINS AND COULD BRING A CHC OF PRECIP IN. HOWEVER...AMT OF MSTR AVAILABLE AND EXACT TIMING PRECLUDES MENTION IN ZONES AT THIS TIME. 18Z TAF DISCUSSION... OTHER THAN SOME SCATTERED CU/SC AROUND...ONLY SOME HIGH CLOUDS PERSIST. QUESTION IS WHETHER ANY REDEVELOPMENT OF STORMS WILL OCCUR. PRESENT THINKING IS THAT ANY CHANCE FOR SOUTH BEND WILL HOLD OFF TILL LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...SO HAVE ADJUSTED TIMING IN THE TAFS. KFWA A BIT TRICKIER AS THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE LEFT OVER BOUNDARIES THAT COULD STIR THINGS UP LATER THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE KEPT VICINITY THUNDER IN FOR A FEW HOURS LATER AFTN/EARLY EVENING. THEN DRY THINGS OUT. .IWX... IN...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES INZ012>018...INZ020... INZ022>027...INZ032>034. MI...NONE. OH...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES OHZ015>016...OHZ024>025. BARJENBRUCH/LWF
INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-061000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 1240 PM EST SAT JUL 5 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST OHIO AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KNOX TO FORT WAYNE TO OTTAWA. WIND GUSTS TO 60 MILES AN HOUR AND THREE QUARTER INCH HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAIN AND FLOODING. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT...WITH A CONTINUED RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL TRIGGER THE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THE STORMS FOCUSED ALONG A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHING ACROSS THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY. DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MOST LIKELY THREAT AT THIS TIME. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BUT THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/IWX BARJENBRUCH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1223 PM EST SAT JUL 05 2003
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0940 AM BUNKER HILL IN FLOOD
07/05/03 MIAMI FLOODING CONTINUES OVER
SOUTHERN PART OF COUNTY.
PIPE CREEK WAS OUT OF ITS
BANKS AND SEVERAL COUNTY
ROADS WERE FLOODED.
0940 AM 3 S PERU IN FLOOD
07/05/03 MIAMI TRAILER PARK EVACUATED
290W AND 300S
0830 AM 1 N CONVERSE IN FLASH FLOOD
07/05/03 MIAMI SEWAGE OVERFLOW. MOST
ROADS IN THE SOUTHERN PART
OF THE COUNTY WERE BLOCKED
BY FLOOD WATER.
WAMSLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1236 PM EST SAT JUL 05 2003
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1015 AM GENEVA IN FLASH FLOOD
07/05/03 ADAMS MINOR FLOODING OCCURED
MAINLY OVER SOUTHERN HALF
OF THE COUNTY. SAND BAGGING
WAS GETTING STARTED IN THE
GENEVA...BERNE...AND MONROE
AREAS.
1015 AM 3 E REDKEY IN FLOOD
07/05/03 JAY MINOR FLOODING. COUNTY
ROAD 250W 500N WASHED OUT.
WAMSLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0125 PM EST SAT JUL 05 2003
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0124 PM ONWARD IN FLOOD
07/05/03 CASS HIGH WATER. BRIDGE LOST AT
100S 375E
WAMSLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0559 PM EST SAT JUL 05 2003
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0539 PM 7 NE WARREN IN F1 TORNADO
07/04/03 WELLS 8.5 MILE LONG TORNADO PATH
THROUGH EXTREME EASTERN
HUNTINGTON COUNTY AND
WESTERN WELLS COUNTY.
EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO SEVERAL
HOUSES AND BARNS. TIME
ESTIMATED.
HITCHCOCK/SKIPPERThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Wabash river in Bluffton reached the second highest crest on record at 18.3 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet. Emergency management reported an estimated damage amount for homes and business as well as damage to infrastructure.
The St. Marys river at Decatur reach a record crest of 26.94 feet. Flood stage is 17 feet. Emergency management reported nearly 200 homes damaged with some business and public facility damage.The St. Marys river in Fort Wayne went into major flood downstream from Decatur where the St. Marys had reached a record crest. Emergency management reported damage to 213 private structures and 8 to 10 businesses and numerous public facilities. The Wabash river in Bluffton reached the second highest crest on record at 18.3 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet. Emergency management reported an estimated damage amount for homes and business as well as damage to infrastructure.
The St. Marys river at Decatur reach a record crest of 26.94 feet. Flood stage is 17 feet. Emergency management reported nearly 200 homes damaged with some business and public facility damage.The St. Marys river in Fort Wayne went into major flood downstream from Decatur where the St. Marys had reached a record crest. Emergency management reported damage to 213 private structures and 8 to 10 businesses and numerous public facilities. The Wabash river in Bluffton reached the second highest crest on record at 18.3 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet. Emergency management reported an estimated damage amount for homes and business as well as damage to infrastructure. One man died near Bluffton along the Wabash river when checking his fields. His 4 wheeler got too close to the river and floated. He fell off his vehicle and was swept down the river and drowned.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Allen | 2003-07-06 | 45 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, July 2003
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: 5373993, 5373347, 5373346.