Flooding in Indiana, January 3 to 26, 2005

Name: Flooding in Indiana, January 3 to 26, 2005
Start: 2005-01-03T13:00
End: 2005-01-26T15:00
Location: Indiana

January 3 to 26, 2005 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Major flooding of the White River occurred, prompting local emergency declarations in Gibson and Pike Counties. Floodfighting activities included the National Guard, which reinforced levees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $1.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 PAH wrote it up.

Major flooding of the White River occurred, prompting local emergency declarations in Gibson and Pike Counties. Floodfighting activities included the National Guard, which reinforced levees. Of particular concern was the levee protecting the community of Hazleton, which developed weak spots and some leaks. One-third to one-half of Hazleton was threatened by the levee failure, and 21 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The Governor of Indiana visited Hazleton during a tour of the flooding. Two feet of water was over the floor of a Hazleton home unprotected by the levee. Some lowland residents all along the river were evacuated. A total of 43 Gibson County residents and 17 Pike County residents were sheltered. In Pike County, the informal community of "Dodge City" was evacuated. A total of 40 homes in Pike County were evacuated, including about 14 people by boat. Many roadways were closed, including State Route 56 near Bowman and Route 257 near the Daviess County line. A small bridge near Campbelltown was underwater. The flood crest of 31.50 feet at Hazleton approached the highest on record, which is 31.70 feet in 1937. At Petersburg, the crest was 27.68 feet on the 11th. This was not far from the 1937 flood crest of 28.3 feet. The peak river crests were on the 11th and 12th at both locations. The monetary property damage estimate for this event is a guesstimate. This major flooding was partially the result of rapid snowmelt from a record-setting snowstorm that crippled southwest Indiana just before Christmas. The 22 inches that fell in Evansville set a 24-hour snowfall record. All of the snow cover, which contained liquid equivalents from 1 to 2.5 inches in southern and central Indiana, melted by New Year's Day. The rapid snowmelt was then followed by a widespread heavy rainfall event from 2 to 4 inches over southern and central Indiana from January 1st to the 3rd. Yet another heavy rainfall event occurred from the 4th to the 6th, bringing an additional 2 to 4 inches. Two additional heavy rainfall events, from 1 to 4 inches, affected central and/or southern Indiana on the 11th and again on the 13th. As the record flood crest was moving down the river, flood fighting activities occurred in brutally cold conditions from the 15th to the 18th. Lows were in the single digits each day.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 3, 5:10 AM CST, 7 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 5:10 AM CST, 7 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
510 AM CST MON JAN 3 2005

.DISCUSSION...

A SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS LOCATED JUST TO THE NW OF THE FCST AREA
TONITE...AND A SFC WAVE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING THRU THE
AREA...INDUCED BY SUBTLE MID LEVEL S/WV ENERGY ON THE EDGE OF A
PERSISTENT RIDGE OVER THE GULF. THIS ARRANGMENT WAS TAPPING INTO A
VERY MOIST AIRMASS OVER THE REGION...WITH PWS WELL OVER AN INCH. IT
APPEARS ATTM THAT MOST OF THE RAIN WILL OCCUR TO THE SW AND NORTH OF
THE FCST AREA TONIGHT AND EARLY DAYTIME MONDAY AS THE WAVE MOVES
THRU.
THUS FOR THIS SYSTEM ANY FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BE ISOLATED IN
NATURE.

IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO
DRIFT SE INTO THE FCST AREA ON TUE. HOW FAR INTO THE FCST AREA IT
MOVES IS THE QUESTION. THE GFS MODEL IS MORE AGRESSIVE THAN THE ETA
WITH MOVING THE FRONT TO THE SE EARLY ON TUE...AND IT IS THE OVERALL
PREFERRED MODEL BY HPC. THEREFORE...THE FCST PACKAGE WILL REFLECT A
COMPROMISE IN THE TEMP/DEWPOINT/WIND FIELDS BETWEEN THE ETA AND GFS
DEPICTIONS...WITH MORE WEIGHT GIVEN TO GFS. THE FRONT WILL BE ACTED
ON BY MORE S/WV ENERGY AND ANOTHER SFC LOW LATER ON TUE AS THE LARGE
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN SRN CA FINALLY BEGINS TO EJECT EWD. FLOODING
POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR PRIMARILY THE SE MO AREA ON TUE BEFORE THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS PUSHED NWD BY THE ONCOMING SRN CA SYSTEM. TUE
NITE...THE FLOODING POTENTIAL MOVES TO THE NRN PART OF SRN IL AND SW
IN. ATTM...WILL BRIEF DAYSHIFT ON FUTURE FLOODING SITUATION AND THEY
WILL MAKE THE DECISION ON WHETHER A FFA IS NEEDED. FINALLY...EARLY
ON THU...THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SWEEPS THRU THE
NATION/S MIDSECTION....PULLS A COLD FRONT THRU THE OUR REGION AND
BRINGS AT LEAST A TEMPORARY END TO THE RAIN.

MADE ONLY VERY SLIGHT CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FCST...IT LOOKS LIKE
ANOTHER 500MB S/WV AND RETURN FLOW WILL REINTRODUCE RAIN CHANCES
EARLY NEXT WEEK AFTER A BRIEF COOL DRY PERIOD.

TEMPS IN THE NEAR TERM ARE A COMPROMISE BETWEEN ETA AND GFS...WITH
MOST WEIGHT GIVEN TO COOLER MAV NUMBERS.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.

&&

DB

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 10:26 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1026 AM CST MON JAN 3 2005

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-041108-
ALEXANDER IL-BALLARD KY-BOLLINGER MO-BUTLER MO-CALDWELL KY-
CALLOWAY KY-CAPE GIRARDEAU MO-CARLISLE KY-CARTER MO-CHRISTIAN KY-
CRITTENDEN KY-DAVIESS KY-EDWARDS IL-FRANKLIN IL-FULTON KY-
GALLATIN IL-GIBSON IN-GRAVES KY-HAMILTON IL-HARDIN IL-HENDERSON KY-
HICKMAN KY-HOPKINS KY-JACKSON IL-JEFFERSON IL-JOHNSON IL-
LIVINGSTON KY-LYON KY-MARSHALL KY-MASSAC IL-MCCRACKEN KY-MCLEAN KY-
MISSISSIPPI MO-MUHLENBERG KY-NEW MADRID MO-PERRY MO-PERRY IL-PIKE IN-
POPE IL-POSEY IN-PULASKI IL-RIPLEY MO-SALINE IL-SCOTT MO-SPENCER IN-
STODDARD MO-TODD KY-TRIGG KY-UNION KY-UNION IL-VANDERBURGH IN-
WABASH IL-WARRICK IN-WAYNE MO-WAYNE IL-WEBSTER KY-WHITE IL-
WILLIAMSON IL-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SIKESTON...POPLAR BLUFF...PERRYVILLE...
CAPE GIRARDEAU...HERRIN...HARRISBURG...CARMI...CARBONDALE...CAIRO...
PADUCAH...OWENSBORO...MURRAY...MAYFIELD...HOPKINSVILLE...
EVANSVILLE...MADISONVILLE AND HENDERSON
1026 AM CST MON JAN 3 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE QUAD STATE
TODAY AND TONIGHT.  ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE WELL BELOW
SEVERE LEVELS...BUT MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WHICH COULD CAUSE
A FEW LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS.

MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE GREEN RIVER IN
WESTERN KENTUCKY TODAY AND TONIGHT.  ALONG THE OHIO RIVER NEAR
SHAWNEETOWN...MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST TO BEGIN AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT.  PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND
STATEMENTS FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE QUAD STATE TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY.  ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE WELL BELOW
SEVERE LEVELS...BUT MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS.

MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK ALONG
PORTIONS OF THE OHIO AND GREEN RIVERS.  PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST
RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR MORE DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.  HOWEVER...ANY REPORTS OF
SIGNFICANT RAINFALL OR FLOODING PROBLEMS WOULD BE GREATLY
APPRECIATED.

DRS

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Gibson

When: January 3, 1:00 PM CST to January 26, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Gibson forecast zone
Property damage: $750,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 39.483, -86.100

Flood, Pike

When: January 3, 1:00 PM CST to January 26, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 38.399, -87.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, January 2005

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: 5438593, 5438594.