Severe thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on 18 May 2006, producing mainly marginally severe hail and sporadic wind damage. The Regions Bank Building at One Indiana Square, heavily damaged during a derecho event on 2 April 2006, lost more windows as breezy conditions in downtown Indianapolis blew some more debris off the structure.
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.
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.
Severe thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on 18 May 2006, producing mainly marginally severe hail and sporadic wind damage. The Regions Bank Building at One Indiana Square, heavily damaged during a derecho event on 2 April 2006, lost more windows as breezy conditions in downtown Indianapolis blew some more debris off the structure. No one was injured by the falling material.
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 May 18, 6:30 AM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 730 AM EDT THU MAY 18 2006 .AVIATION DISCUSSION...FOR 12Z-12Z TAFS FOG AT KLAF IS QUITE SHALLOW AND SHOULD CLEAR OUT QUICKLY NEXT FEW HOURS ONCE DAYTIME HEATING GETS STARTED. RADAR AND SATELLITE SHOWS OVER NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS. ALSO SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING FROM NORTHERN INDIANA INTO WISCONSIN. SHOWERS SHOULD INCREASE WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND THERE MAY ALSO BE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. FOR NOW WILL GO VCSH MAINLY AT KLAF AND KIND SITES. MODELS SHOWS AN UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN WILL MOVE TO LAKE ERIE BY 00Z AND TO WESTERN NEW YORK BY 12Z FRIDAY. CLOUDS WILL CLEAR TONIGHT AS RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR WEST BUILDS OUR WAY. WILL MENTION SOME FOG AGAIN LATE TONIGHT AT KLAF AS SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR AND WINDS LIGHT. AT KLAF AND KBMG SOME MID AND HIGH CLOUDS MAY MOVE IN LATE TONIGHT AS A WARM MOVES INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY FRIDAY. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON CHANCES OF PRECIP TODAY AND SUNDAY. EARLY MORNING SURFACE MAP IS SHOWING A COLD FRONT IS JUST CLEARING THE FAR SOUTHERN EXTENT OF THE FORECAST AREA. IT IS ANCHORED TO A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE NEAR GEORGIAN BAY. ALOFT...THE MID LEVEL FLOW PATTERN WAS STILL IN THE CONFIGURATION OF A RIDGE IN THE WEST AND TROUGH IN THE EAST. A NEW SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS DESCENDING OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES AND INTO THE MIDWEST. A VORT MAX WAS ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THIS SHORTWAVE OVER NORTHERN WISCONSIN AND WAS CLEARLY PRONOUNCED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY. THE FORECAST FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS WILL FOLLOW THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH ENTERING THE MIDWEST AND ITS CLOSING OFF OVER SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN TODAY...AND THEN ITS EASTWARD WANDERING TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. BY THE WEEKEND...A LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP JUST OFF THE PACIFIC COAST. THIS SHOULD HELP TO FORCE THE CURRENT HEAT RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES EASTWARD AND ERODE THE EASTERN TROUGH. THIS SHOULD FINALLY END THE BLOCKING PATTERN THAT HAS PLAGUED THE AREA FOR A WHILE NOW. THE MODELS INITIALIZED WELL ON ALL MAJOR FEATURES. THEY HANDLE THE EVOLUTION OF THESE FEATURES PRETTY SIMILARLY TO ONE ANOTHER. THE GFS WAS A BIT SLOWER IN ITS BREAKING DOWN OF THE EASTERN TROUGH...BUT GIVEN HOW STRONG THE UPSTREAM RIDGE IS AND IN TURN THE DEEPENING PACIFIC TROUGH...THINK THAT A QUICKER SOLUTION MAY BE IN ORDER. THE MOS NUMBERS WERE PRETTY SIMILAR TO ONE ANOTHER...AND USED A BLEND WITH DETAILS AS NOTED BELOW. FOR TODAY...THE MAIN PLAYER WILL BE THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH RAPIDLY DESCENDING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. IT IS EXPECTED TO CUTOFF OVER SOUTHERN MICHIGAN THIS MORNING. A VORT MAX ON ITS WESTERN EDGE WILL HELP TO CUT IT OFF AND LIKELY TO HELP FORCE SOME SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BEGINNING BY LATE MORNING TODAY. THERE WILL BE A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT COLD POOL WITH THE SYSTEM...WITH H85 TEMPS DOWN TO NEAR +2C IN EXTREME EASTERN INDIANA. THIS WILL CREATE FAIR AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WITH SOUNDINGS SHOWING A DECENT AMOUNT OF CAPE. LI VALUES WILL BE STRONGLY NEGATIVE FROM 18Z ONWARD TODAY. SO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SEEM A GOOD BET. PERHAPS SOME SMALL HAIL WITH FREEZING LEVEL BELOW 6000 FEET AND H7-H5 LAPSE RATED IN EXCESS OF 7 C/KM THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. THERE IS A SEE TEXT ON SWODY ONE FOR MENTION OF HAIL. WILL MENTION MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL IN HWO FOR FAR EASTERN INDIANA. HIGHS TODAY WILL BE BELOW NORMAL AGAIN...AND H85 TEMPS BETWEEN +3 AND +5 TODAY WILL YIELD GENERALLY MIDDLE 60S FOR HIGHS. TONIGHT...SHOWER AND STORMS SHOULD QUICKLY DIMINISH WITH SUNSET AND LOSS OF HEATING. SHUT POPS OFF AFTER 03Z TO SHOW THIS. OVERNIGHT SHOULD BRING SOME CLEARING AND ENOUGH TO LET TEMPS INTO THE MIDDLE 40S...CONSISTENT WITH BLENDED MOS. FRIDAY...A RATHER TRANQUIL DAY IS EXPECTED. WE REMAIN UNDER A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...AND PARTLY CLOUD SKIES LOOK LIKELY ALONG WITH H85 TEMPS REMAINING AROUND +5 TO +7 SO ANOTHER BELOW NORMAL DAY AS THOSE VALUES WOULD PRODUCE HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. OVERNIGHT FRIDAY...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD IN AND CLEAR SKIES OUT. LOWS IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 40S AS THERE SHOULD BE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN SURFACE DEW POINTS. SATURDAY...THE EASTERN TROUGH STARTS TO BEAR AN ASSAULT FROM THE WESTERN RIDGE AS IT MOVES EAST. THERE APPEARS TO BE A PLAINS CYCLOGENESIS THAT WILL FORCE A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD. IT WILL BE SOMEWHAT DIFFUSE IN THE MIDWEST AS THE LOW IS STILL WELL WEST...SO HIGHS SHOULD MAKE THE MIDDLE 70S WITH H85 TEMPS ABOVE +10C. OVERNIGHT SATURDAY...WARM FRONT WILL STRENGTHEN AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS IN KANSAS. EXPECTING A CLUSTER OF ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS NORTHEAST OF THE WARM FRONT WITH 50 KT LOW LEVEL JET OVERNIGHT. SWODY3 HIGHLIGHTS SLIGHT RISK AND IT LOOKS REASONABLE NOW. WILL MENTION IN HWO. EXTENDED...LIKELY ISSUES WITH THE WARM FRONT AS THE WESTERN RIDGE ATTEMPTS TO MOVE EAST. GFS A BIT SLOWER THAN ECMWF BREAKING IT DOWN...AND HIGHS SHOULD CLIMB ABOVE NORMAL BY MIDWEEK. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && PUBLIC...JOHNSON AVIATION...JEH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1128 AM EDT THU MAY 18 2006 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-190930- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-VERMILLION-PARKE- PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN- JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH-SULLIVAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW- DECATUR-KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 1028 AM CDT THU MAY 18 2006 /1128 AM EDT THU MAY 18 2006/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET. MANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A WARM FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVE NORTH TOWARDS CENTRAL INDIANA BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THE VERY EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY. AT THIS TIME...CONDITIONS DO APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS TO BECOME STRONG. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY EVENING. AT THIS TIME...IT DOES NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY EVENING. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAPHICAL FORMAT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:51 UTC.
16 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree fell on a home in West Lafayette. No one was injured.
Power lines and trees were downed.
A large tree was downed.
A large tree was downed.
A radio tower and some trees were downed, and a barn door was damaged.
A tree fell on a car, injuring the driver.
Trees fell throughout the city, including one that fell on a car, and another that fell on a home.
Much of downtown Noblesville was plunged into darkness as a lightning strike induced fire took out a generator at a power station.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2006
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: 5505335, 5505336, 5505337, 5505338, 5505339, 5505340, 5505341, 5505342, 5505343, 5505344, 5505345, 5505346, 5505347, 5505348, 5505349, 5505350, 5505351, 5505352, 5505353, 5505354, 5505355, 5505356, 5505357, 5505358, 5505359.