Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 1, 2008

Name: Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 1, 2008
Start: 2008-08-01T20:45
End: 2008-08-01T21:15
Location: Indiana

August 1, 2008 · NWS IND · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 IND wrote it up.

Thunderstorms formed across central Illinois and southwest Indiana during the late afternoon and early evening hours along the southern-most of two low-level confluence features. A severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 5:05 PM EST due to further expected intensification of the storms as a result of strong daytime heating, moist air, increasing deep wind shear, and upper-level support. Over the next several hours new storms formed further north and east over Indiana, though remaining scattered in coverage and marginally severe. A new severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 9:15 PM EST to cover the continued development of storms, which were now ahead of an amplifying trough of low pressure.

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 Indianapolis, IN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 1, 5:55 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 1, 5:55 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
655 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008

.AVIATION...

DISCUSSION FOR 00Z TAFS.

EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SO FAR SOUTH THAT THEY WILL ONLY BE
MENTIONED IN KBMG TAF FOR THE FIRST 3 HOURS. AFTER THAT CLEARING
IS EXPECTED BUT THE VFR CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO FOG AGAIN
TONIGHT WITH MVFR EXPECTED AT ALL SITES WITH IFR CONDITIONS
POSSIBLE TOWARDS SUNRISE IN THE OUTLYING AREAS. IND SHOULD REMAIN
MVFR OR BETTER. THEN A RETURN TO VFR AT ALL SITES AFTER 14Z.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 200 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008/

DISCUSSION...EARLY THIS AFTERNOON A WEAK COOL FRONT WAS FOUND FM
SRN MI TO NRN IL STRETCHING TO N CENTRAL MO. VIS SAT PIX SHOW
ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER ACRS IL AND PLENTY OF SHALLOW CU ACRS INDIANA.
WEAK SW SFC FLOW WAS FOUND ACRS THE AREA AND DEW POINTS WERE QUITE
HUMID...NEAR 70.

MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE TONIGHT WL BE POPS.

MODELS REMAIN IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT AND WL USE A BLEND FOR THE
MOST PART. H2O VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A S/W OVR WRN ONTARIO DIVING SE
TOWARD THE GRT LKS. MODELS KEEP THE BEST DYNAMICS WITH THIS FEATURE
WELL NORTH OF INDIANA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A WEAK CAP IN
PLACE ACRS CENTRAL INDIANA. TIME HEIGHT SECTIONS SHOW LIMITED MID
AND UPPER LVL MOISTURE...BUT GOOD LWR LVL MOISTURE....BUT UPWARD VV
IS NOT WELL ORGANIZED. LITTLE TO NO HELP TONIGHT SEEN ON THE 310K
ISENTROPIC SFC. HENCE BEST CHCS FOR FORCING WL BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN
ALONG WITH EFFECTS FROM THE UPPER S/W...WHICH WL BE MINIMAL.
HENCE...ATTM FEEL THE CAP WL PROBABLY HOLD FOR MUCH OF THE DAY.
HENCE WL KEEP LOW CHC POPS ACRS THE NRN PARTS OF THE FA...AS THIS
AREA WOULD BE MOST LIKELY TO BE INFLUENCED BY THE S/W. FARTHER SOUTH
WL STICK CLOSE TO MAVMOS POPS...WHICH SHUD RESULT IN A DRY FCST.
GIVEN THE MOIST DEW POINTS ACRS THE AREA...WL LEAN TO THE WARMER
SIDE OF THE MAVMOS ON LOWS.

DRIER BUT WARM AIR BEGINS TO SPREAD INTO INDIANA ON SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY AS THE RIDGE OVR THE CENTRAL PLAINS BUILDS INTO THE STATE.
HENCE PTCLDY AND HUMID WARM DAYS ALONG WITH MOCLR AND MILD NIGHTS WL
BE THE WAY TO GO. H8 TEMPS WL GRADUALLY INCREASE AS THE WEEKEND
PROGRESSES...REACHING THE UPPER TEENS BY SUNDAY. GIVEN THE
WARM...MOIST AIR MASS WL CONTINUE TO LEAN TO THE WARMER SIDE OF THE
MAVMOS ON LOWS FOR SAT NIGHT AND SUN NIGHT. AS FOR HIGHS...A BLEND
OF THE MAVMOS AND METMOS SHUD WORK FINE...AS MAVMOS CONTINUE TO RUN
SLIGHTLY WARM.

AS FOR THE EXTENDED...UPPER RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVR THE AREA ON MONDAY
PROVIDING ANOTHER DAY OF HOT AND DRY WX...BUT THE RIDGE WL BEGIN TO
BREAK DOWN AND SLIDE EAST ON TUES AND WED. VERY WARM AND VERY HUMID
AIR WL LINGER IN PLACE ACRS INDIANA AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY PUSHES
SOUTH THROUGH THIS PERIOD. HENCE WL NEED TO CONTINUE THE TSRA CHCS
FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WED NIGHT. ADDITIONAL CLOUDS AND
POSSIBLE TSRA SHUD HELP COOL PREVIOUS HIGH TEMPS FROM THE MID 90S
ABOUT 3 TO 5 DEGREES.

ATTM THERE APPEARS TO BE A LACK OF UPPER SUPPORT ON THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY...ALONG WITH WEAK BUT BROAD HIGH PRES IN PLACE AT THE SFC.
FURTHERMORE MID LVLS SUGGEST SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF WEDNESDAY/S
FRONT. HENCE WL KEEP THE THURSDAY-FRIDAY PD DRY ALONG WITH
SEASONABLE TEMPS FOR NOW.

&&

.IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

AVIATION...JOHNSON
PUBLIC...JP

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 1, 4:30 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
530 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008

INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-021000-
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-
530 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA
TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK THESE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE WITH
THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND
DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

VERY HOT AND HUMID WEATHER WILL OCCUR EARLY NEXT WEEK. AFTERNOON HEAT
INDEX VALUES WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE 90S SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND CLOSE
TO 100 TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT.

&&

MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND
CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL
LOWERCASE)

KOCH

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware

When: August 1, 8:45 PM EST
Where: Delaware County, Eaton
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.330, -85.350

Thunderstorm winds blew down 2 trees in Eaton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Randolph

When: August 1, 9:15 PM EST
Where: Randolph County, 3 mi S of Winchester
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 40.127, -84.980

Several structures were damaged on a farm as a result of thunderstorm winds.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, August 2008

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: 126926, 126929.