Precipitation was above normal for the first time in all of central and southern Indiana since July. Towards the end of December, river flooding developed for the first time in more than five months.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Precipitation was above normal for the first time in all of central and southern Indiana since July. Towards the end of December, river flooding developed for the first time in more than five months. Northern Indiana received significant snow and ice on the 18th and 19th. Rainfall returned on the 23rd as freezing rain. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches fell on the 23rd and 24th in much of central and southern Indiana. This caused rivers to rise to bankfull levels in areas south of I-70. Precipitation in northern Indiana was once again a winter mix and did not have a large effect on streams. Near record temperatures later on the 26th and 27th ended the ice problems, but contributed to the developing river flooding by allowing additional precipitation to fall as rain. Rainfall generally ranged from 1/2 to 2 inches. This resulted in widespread lowland flooding in western and southern Indiana. No snow remained on the ground at the end of the month.
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 Dec 26, 6:20 AM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 620 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 12Z TAFS. VERY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWLY APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL BRING INCRGLY WARM MOIST AIR TO FORECAST AREA. WHEN THIS INTERACTS WITH COLD GROUND...IT WILL CAUSE WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS BY LATE MORNING AND WIDESPREAD IFR CIGS IN AFTN. VSYBS LIKELY TO DROP TO MVFR IN AFTN. ONCE IFR CIGS AND MVFG VSBYS DVLP...THEY SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH 12Z. SHRA ALSO PSBL FROM TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. AS LOW PRESSURE APCHGS...WINDS WILL REMAIN SLY WITH SPEEDS 10-15 KTS THRU KTS TONIGHT. LLWS PSBL THIS MORNING...BUT SHOULD END BY MID AFTN AS SRLY WINDS BECOME MORE UNIFORM WITH HEIGHT. && .DISCUSSION... FORECAST FOCUS IS ON PRECIPITATION TYPE THEN PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS THRU SAT NIGHT. AT 08Z ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF AN UPPER WAVE WAS PRODUCING PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF NRN IL. RADAR SHOWS PATCHY LIGHT PRECIP ACROSS THE FAR NWRN FORECAST AREA /FA/. TEMPERATURES WERE 28 TO 31 ACROSS THE FA...BUT AIR WAS DRY WITH DEWPOINTS IN LOWER 20S. MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT. GFS SEEMS A BIT STRONG WITH UPPER AND SFC FEATURES WITH THE WEEKEND SYSTEM WHILE ECMWF AND NAM ARE WEAKER. SEE NO COMPELLING REASON FOR THE STRONGER FEATURE TO BE VALID...SO WILL WITH MODEL CONSENSUS OF A WEAKER SYSTEM. NAM ALSO IS DOING BETTER WITH COLDER AIR AT THE SFC. STRONG WARM ADVECTION ALOFT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FA THIS MORNING. ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE LIGHT PRECIPITATION...AND TRENDS INDICATE MOST OF THIS WILL FALL N OF THE FA. THE AFOREMENTIONED DRY AIR WILL HELP EVAPORATE THIS PRECIP EARLY ON...AS WELL AS KEEP TEMPS AT OR BELOW FREEZING WITH EVAPORATIVE COOLING. THUS FEEL THAT CHANCES FOR LIGHT FREEZING RAIN STILL LOOK GOOD ACROSS THE FA TIL ABOUT 14Z. ATTM BELIEVE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND COVERAGE WILL BE LOW ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE AN ADVISORY. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. NOT A LOT OF FORCING WITH THIS FRONT...SO HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP POPS JUST BELOW THE LIKELY CATEGORY. HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE ENOUGH LIFT FOR SOME DRIZZLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT. FOG WILL ALSO BE LIKELY AS WELL IN SAME AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLOW TO CLIMB AHEAD OF THE FRONT. NAM/SREF SFC TEMPS...WHICH HAVE BEEN HANDLING THE COLDER AIR BETTER...ARE COOLER THAN MOS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NRN FA. AM NOT READY TO COMPLETLY BUY INTO ITS QUITE COOL SOLUTION YET...BUT DO BELIEVE IT HAS THE RIGHT IDEA. WILL TRIM MET/MAV MOS NUMBERS MANY AREAS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NRN FA. MAX TEMPS SHOULD OCCUR NEAR THE END OF THE TODAY PERIOD. ANOTHER ROUND OF ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FA TONIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT FOR RAIN. FORCING ACROSS MOST OF THE FA DOES NOT LOOK AS IMPRESSIVE AS PREV RUNS SO WILL DROP MOST AREAS INTO CHANCE CATEGORY. KEPT HIGHER POPS ACROSS NWRN FA WHERE LIFT IS STRONGEST. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN STEADY OR SLOWLY RISE OVERNIGHT WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW. WHERE MOS WAS TOO WARM FOR TODAY/S HIGHS...IT/S THUS TOO HIGH FOR TONIGHT/S LOWS...SO CUT AS APPROPRIATE. STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO INFLUENCE THE AREA MAINLY LATE SAT AFTN AS IT HAS TO FIGHT RIDGE ACROSS SERN US. THUS BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN WILL BE ACROSS WRN HALF OF THE FA DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE RIDGE LOOKS TO KEEP THE HEAVIEST OF RAINFALL ACROSS IL DURING THE DAY ON SAT. THE STRONG FRONT MOVES THRU QUICKLY SAT NIGHT. PRECIPITABLE WATERS ARE VERY HIGH FOR LATE DECEMBER...SO WILL KEEP MENTION OF CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN AHEAD OF THE FRONT. WITH MOST OF THE RAIN FALLING ACROSS IL DURING THE DAY ON SAT AND THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE FRONT SAT NIGHT...FELT THAT A FLOOD WATCH WAS NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME. XTREME NWRN COUNTIES ARE CLOSE THOUGH AND SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. IN ADDITION...50KT WINDS NOT FAR ABOVE THE SFC MAY BE ABLE TO BE BROUGHT DOWN IN ANY CONVECTION THAT FORMS. PART OF FA IN SLIGHT RISK ON SAT...SO WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION POSSIBLE SEVERE IN HWO. WINDS WILL BE BREEZY AT THE SFC REGARDLESS OF CONVECTION THOUGH. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && AVIATION...KWIATKOWSKI PUBLIC...CS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 618 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 INZ021-028>031-035>049-057-271130- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-VERMILLION-PARKE- PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-RUSH- 618 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOWLAND FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WHITE...EAST FORK WHITE...AND WABASH RIVERS. VERY LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE THROUGH MID MORNING TODAY. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT TO SLICK SPOTS ON THE ROADWAYS AND SLOW DOWN. AREAS OF FOG WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS WELL. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING. AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS CANNOT BE RULED OUT DURING SATURDAY EVENING. REMEMBER THAT ALL THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT...WHICH MAY LEAD TO ADDITIONAL FLOODING PROBLEMS. WINDS MAY GUST TO 35 TO 45 MPH OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT. LOWLAND FLOODING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WHITE...EAST FORK WHITE... AND WABASH RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ051>056-060>065-067>072-271130- VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON-SHELBY-SULLIVAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN- BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 618 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOWLAND FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WHITE...EAST FORK OF THE WHITE... AND WABASH RIVERS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS ON SATURDAY EVENING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST INDIANA. REMEMBER THAT ALL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT...WHICH MAY LEAD TO ADDITIONAL FLOODING PROBLEMS. WINDS MAY GUSTS UP TO 35 TO 45 MPH OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT. LOWLAND FLOODING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WHITE...EAST FORK WHITE... AND WABASH RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY EVENING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of low lying agricultural land on the White River during late December, affecting Greene County at and near Elliston.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to extensive lowland flooding on the Wabash River during late December and early January, affecting Warren County at and near the Covington river gage. Higher bottomlands also flooded. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to extensive lowland flooding on the Wabash River during late December and early January, affecting Fountain County at and near the Covington river gage. Higher bottomlands also flooded. Williamsport Road flooded when the river crested at 21.5 feet on the Covington gage. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to extensive lowland flooding on the Wabash River during late December and early January, affecting Vermillion County near Covington. Higher bottomlands also flooded. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of bottomlands, parks, and lowest roads along the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Vermillion County at and near Montezuma river gage. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of bottomlands, parks, and lowest roads along the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Parke County at and near the Montezuma river gage. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of lowland on the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Vigo County at and near Terre Haute. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of low lying agricultural land on the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Sullivan County at and near the Hutsonville, Illinois river gage. Flood affects were primarily felt in Illinois. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to considerable lowland flooding along the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Sullivan County at and near Riverton. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of low lying agricultural land on the White River during late December, affecting Greene County at and near Elliston.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of lowland along the Wabash River during late December and very early January, affecting Tippecanoe County at and near Lafayette. Flood waters closed State Route 225 just south of the Wabash River near Battleground. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of low lying agricultural land on the White River during late December and very early January, affecting Knox County at and near Edwardsport. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December lead to flooding of low lying agricultural land on the White River during late December and very early January, affecting Daviess County at and near the Edwardsport river gage. This flood event continued into January.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to very brief and minor flooding of lowlands on the East Fork White River at the end of December, affecting Jackson County at and near Seymour/Rockford.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to very brief and minor flooding of lowlands on the White River at the end of December, affecting Owen County at and near Spencer.
Rainfall and warm temperatures that occurred on and off during the second half of December led to flooding of the lowest lowlands along the White River during late December, affecting Greene County at and near Newberry.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, December 2008
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: 147856, 147542, 147546, 147565, 147900, 147903, 147874, 147880, 147906, 147858, 147886, 147861, 147863, 147909, 147910, 147905.