A few strong thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on the morning of 4 August, 2004. A brief tornado was the only severe event reported from these thunderstorms, however lightning strikes caused some damage as well.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 IND wrote it up.
A few strong thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on the morning of 4 August, 2004. A brief tornado was the only severe event reported from these thunderstorms, however lightning strikes caused some damage as well.
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 Aug 4, 2:38 AM EST, 5 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 235 AM EST WED AUG 4 2004 .DISCUSSION...SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE TODAY OVER THE FORECAST AREA. AN MCS WAS OVER THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY EARLY THIS MORNING. LOW PRESSURE WAS OVER NORTH MISSOURI. A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED EAST THROUGH NORTH INDIANA. AN UPPER SHORT WAVE TROUGH WAS OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. STORMS THAT MOVED INTO NORTH INDIANA LATE IN THE EVENING CONTINUED TO WEAKEN. STORMS MOVING EAST FROM ILLINOIS WILL PROBABLY STAY NEAR THE SURFACE BOUNDARY THIS MORNING...AND BRUSH THE NORTH COUNTIES OF THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO BE INHIBITED FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING. MODELS IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT THIS MORNING. THE LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE EAST TODAY ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT. ETA HAS THE LOW MOVING THROUGH LAF EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND MIE LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. WILL KEEP CATEGORICAL POPS THAT AREA. WILL TAPER POPS OFF SOUTHWARD. CONVECTION MAY STILL BE INHIBITED SOUTH WERE 700 MB TEMPERATURE IN NEAR 10C. CAPES ARE FORECAST AT 2000-3000 J/KG THOUGH. WHILE NORTH MORE LIKELY AREA OF SEVERE STORMS...WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION SEVERE THROUGH THE SOUTH PART OF THE AREA. HEAVY RAIN A POSSIBILITY OVER THE NORTH ALSO. ETA PRECIPITABLE WATER IS FORECAST TO BE OVER 2 INCHES. SURFACE LOW FORECAST TO BE INTO OHIO THIS EVENING WITH A COLD FRONT PASSING SOUTH OF THE AREA. WILL HOLD ON TO A CHANCE OF EVENING SHOWERS AS MODELS HAVE THE UPPER TROUGH STILL TO THE WEST OF THE AREA. DRIER AND MUCH COOLER AIR FORECAST OVER THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND. WILL KEEP CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AS GFS HAS A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WILL HOLD DOWN TEMPERATURES OVER THE FAR NORTH TODAY. THE SOUTH PART OF THE AREA WILL BE WARM AND HUMID. WILL GO TOWARD THE WARMER MET OVER THE SOUTH. MET AND MAV SHOW LITTLE DIFFERENCE TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 512 AM EST WED AUG 4 2004 INZ021-028>031-038-040>042-051100- CARROLL-CLINTON-DELAWARE-HOWARD-MADISON-RANDOLPH-TIPPECANOE-TIPTON- WARREN- 512 AM EST WED AUG 4 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. LIGHTNING...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FOR THE STORMS...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. HEAVY RAINFALL OF TO AROUND 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED TODAY. INZ035>037-039-043>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-051100- BARTHOLOMEW-BOONE-BROWN-CLAY-DAVIESS-DECATUR-FOUNTAIN-GREENE- HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HENDRICKS-HENRY-JACKSON-JENNINGS-JOHNSON-KNOX- LAWRENCE-MARION-MARTIN-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-MORGAN-OWEN-PARKE-PUTNAM- RUSH-SHELBY-SULLIVAN-VERMILLION-VIGO- 512 AM EST WED AUG 4 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. LIGHTNING...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FOR THE STORMS...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED TODAY.
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:16 UTC.
2 lightning, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck and ignited a home in Fishers while the owners were away. Damage estimates were unavailable.
A very small and brief tornado touched down from a thunderstorm near Bloomington, causing damage to several trees in the backyard of a residence. No one was injured, and no other significant damage was reported.
Lightning struck the communications tower at the Decatur County Sheriff's Department, damaging the fire repeater and radio console.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2004Warnings in Indiana, August 2004
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: 5419372, 5419370, 5419371.