Slow moving thunderstorms with torrential rainfall caused flooding problems across the lower Whitewater Valley. Three to five inches of rain fell from late morning into the afternoon, with numerous roads flooded and closed across southern Union County south to Brookville.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 ILN wrote it up.
Slow moving thunderstorms with torrential rainfall caused flooding problems across the lower Whitewater Valley. Three to five inches of rain fell from late morning into the afternoon, with numerous roads flooded and closed across southern Union County south to Brookville.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 15, 10:04 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION..UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 1104 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003 WILL EXTEND THE FLOOD WATCH OVERNIGHT...AND KEEP SAME AREAL COVERAGE. OKAY...SOMEONE YESTERDAY SAID THAT THE MODELS WERE OVERDONE WITH THE PCPN NORTH OF THE FRONT. OH....THAT WAS ME. I MUST HAVE BEEN IN A DREAM WORLD. I HAVE SEEN THE ERROR OF MY WAYS AND HAVE FLOPPED 180 DEGREES TO KEEPING CHANCE PCPN IN THRU WEDNESDAY. ONE EXCEPTION IS THE EXTREME NORTH...WHICH SHOULD STAY DRY TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. SURFACE FRONT REMAINS HUNG UP IN NORTHERN KY AND STAYS THERE INTO WEDNESDAY. ATMOSPHERE NORTH OF FRONT IS UNSTABLE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S AND PW ARE BETWEEN 1 AND 1.5 INCHES. WEAK VORTS MOVE EAST ACROSS FA THE NEXT SEVERAL PERIODS. WITH PCPN EFFICIENCY OVER 1 WILL KEEP CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD IN THE SOUTH. UPPER LOW DIVES SE FROM UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ON TUESDAY. WILL INTRODUCE CHANCE OF PCPN IN THE NORTH WITH THIS FEATURE. WITH ADDITIONAL RAIN HAVE KNOCKED HIGHS DOWN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. CLEMISILN OUT SHORTLY. .ILN... IN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM MON INZ058>059-066-073>075-Z080. KY...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM MON KYZ089>100. OH...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM MON OHZ060-070-077>079-081>082-088. SITES
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-151100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 515 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY A STATIONARY FRONT WILL REMAIN ALONG AND NEAR THE OHIO RIVER THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SINCE THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO BE VERY MOIST... THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF DROPPING HEAVY RAIN. AS A RESULT...RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. THE HEAVY RAINFALL...COMBINED WITH SATURATED SOILS...COULD CAUSE CREEKS...STREAMS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS TO FLOOD QUICKLY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. PLEASE SEE CLEFFAILN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, OH
838 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0830 AM 4 W EATON OH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE HIGHWATER ON S. R. 122
0837 AM 4 SW EATON OH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE FLOODED ROADWAYS AROUND
LAKE LAKENGRENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, OH
942 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0935 AM 4 W EATON OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE HIGHWATER ON S.R. 122
0935 AM 4 SW EATON OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE FLOODED ROADS AROUND LAKE
LAKENGREN
0935 AM 5 SW EATON OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE HIGHWATER ON S.R. 732
ARPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, OH
1105 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1050 AM 6 SW CAMDEN OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE HOUSTON WOODS
ROADS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH
WATER
1050 AM 10 SW EATON OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE S.R. 177 NEAR FAIRHAVEN
CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER
1050 AM CAMDEN OH FLASH FLOOD
06/15/03 PREBLE 4 FEET OF WATER OVER S. R.
127 JUST NORTH OF CAMDEN
ARThe Cincinnati radar (KILN), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:09 UTC.
3 flash flood, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
High water was reported on Fox Run Road.
Numerous roads were underwater in town. Several homes had water on the first floor, and the College Corner Union School sustained minor flood damage.
US Route 52, and State Routes 46 and 1 are were flooded in the eastern part of the county.
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, June 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: 5361688, 5361687, 5361690, 5361691, 5361689.