A squall line moved through central Indiana during the evening hours of January 29th. Hail, damaging winds, and a tornado occurred with this storm system in central Indiana.
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.
A squall line moved through central Indiana during the evening hours of January 29th. Hail, damaging winds, and a tornado occurred with this storm system in central Indiana. The tornado was rated EF1 and occurred in Marion County.
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 Jan 29, 5:55 PM EST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 555 PM EST TUE JAN 29 2008 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 300000Z TAF ISSUANCE. CDFNT CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE WRN BORDER COUNTIES...WITH A FAIRLY NARROW LN OF SHWRS/TSTMS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. BEST ESTIMATES OF FROPA SUGGEST IT SHOULD BE CLOSE TO KLAF/KHUF BY ISSUANCE TIME...AND BY 300045Z AT KIND/KBMG. SIG WND SHFT XPCTD WITH FROPA WITH SFC GUSTS TO ARND 40KT FM THE WNW FOR A SHORT PD. WK DEFORMATION ZONE PASSES THRU THE AREA LTR THIS EVEN...WITH SOME SNOW SHWR ACTVTY XPCTD. A FEW REPORTS OF FREEZING RAIN/SLEET BEHIND FNT...BUT THINK IF THIS IMPACTS ANY OF THE TAF SITES...IT WL BE VRY BRIEF. BEST COURSE OF ACTION APPEARS TO BE TO HOLD ONTO IFR CONDS UNTIL PASSAGE OF DEFORMATION ZONE...ROUGHLY ARND 300400Z...WITH MVFR CIGS AFT THAT. STG DOWNWARD MOTIONS IN THE WAKE OF FNT SHOULD ALLOW FOR FAIRLY RAPID CLRG OF THE MVFR CIGS ACRS THE TAF SITES BY 300900Z OR SO. WND PROGS OFF THE MODELS SUGGEST GRADIENT WND GUSTS FM THE WNW OF 35-40KTS PROBABLE TIL 300600Z. P-GRAD SLACKENS OFF A BIT LTR TONIGHT...SO XPCTG A GRADU DIMINISHING TREND IN THE WNDS AFT THAT. && .SHORT TERM... ...STRONG WINDS AND SHARPLY COLDER TONIGHT... RADAR MOSAIC SHOWS SQUALL LINE OVR C IL AND RAIN SHOWERS OVR ERN KY. OVC SKIES ARE SEEN ACRS THE FA WITH TEMPS IN THE LOW 50S AND DEWPTS IN THE UPR 40S TO LOW 50S AND SLY WINDS AROUND 15KTS. A STRONG COLD FRONT FROM JUST WEST OF CHICAGO TO KCGI AT 19Z WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS INDIANA THIS EVENING. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH OCCURRING BEHIND FRONT AND ANY CONVECTION ALONG FRONT WILL EASILY PRODUCE WIND GUTS IN EXCESS OF 50 KNOTS. THUS IT APPEARS LIKELY WE WILL HAVE AT LEAST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR A FEW HOURS THIS EVENING. ANY THUNDERSHOWERS FROM THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE TO OUR FAR NORTHWEST AS EARLY AS 23Z AND PROBABLY OUT OF OUR AREA BY 03Z. RIGHT AFTER THE FRONT TEMPERATURES COULD FALL AS MUCH AS 25 DEGREES IN A FEW HOURS AND THERE WILL BE A PERIOD OF SNOW FOR A FEW HOURS. WILL GO MORE WITH NAM WHICH CUTS MOISTURE OFF QUICKLY AND AT TIME I AM THINKING JUST OVER AN INCH IN OUR FAR NORTH TO ABOUT A HALF INCH INDY AREA AND QUARTER INCH OR LESS IN OUR SOUTH. GIVEN THE HIGH WINDS...VSBYS COULD BE LOW FOR A FEW HOURS LATER THIS EVENING IN OUR NORTH FROM BLOWING SNOW. AT TIME I DON/T THINK IT WILL LAST LONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT ITS OWN STATEMENT...SO WILL ADD IT TO NEXT NEXT WIND ADVISORY STATEMENT. && .LONG TERM... WED...HIGHS WILL BE MUCH COLDER AFTER THE ADVANCE OF THE ARCTIC AIR TONIGHT. BASED ON UPSTREAM OBS WL STICK WITH COOLER MET GUIDANCE AND EVEN DROP IT A DEGREE OR TWO. WED NT...WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CLOUD CVR AND HIGHS ONLY IN THE 20S PREFER COLDEST MET GUIDANCE IN THE TEENS. WL TIGHTEN THE GRADIENT A LITTLE AS THE S MAY START TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF SOME WAA. THU...HAVE GONE COLDER THAN GUIDANCE WITH ALL THE COLD AIR STILL AROUND FROM WED/WED NT. SHUD SEE SOME WARMING BUT H8 TEMPS DON/T RECOVER MUCH AND CLD CVR WL BE INCREASING THRUOUT THE DAY. FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THU NT/FRI SYSTEM AND PRECIP TYPE/SNOW AMTS THAT GO WITH IT. MODELS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK OF THE SFC LOW AND BRING IT RIGHT UP THE OH RVR BUT THE GFS DOES THIS FASTER THAN THE 0Z ECMWF AND THE NAM SO WL LEAN AWAY FROM THE FASTER GFS. SNDINGS/THICKNESSES LOOK LIKE SNOW FOR THE N/NW FA. C FA STARTS OUT SNOW OR A MIX AND CHANGES OVR TO A MIX WITH A CHANCE FOR SOME SLEET BY 6Z BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL SNOW BY 12Z. SRN FA STARTS AS A MIX BEFORE HAVING A CHANCE AT SOME RAIN/FREEZING RAIN AND FINALLY CHANGING TO ALL SNOW BY 12Z. THE CHC FOR SOME FREEZING RAIN/SLEET MAY BE LIMITED TO THE ERN PARTS OF THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS AS THE UPR WARMING MAY BE MORE LIKELY IN E AND N OF THE LOW. AS FAR AS FORCING IS CONCERNED...THERE/S LOTS OF ISENTROPIC LIFT AT 0Z AND 6Z. 6Z ALSO SHOWS POTENTIAL FOR A TROWAL OVR S/ERN PARTS OF THE AREA. THIS WL LEAD TO THE WARMING THAT PROVIDES THE POTENTIAL FOR IP/ZR. THIS CONTINUES AT 12Z IN THE E/NERN FA. NAM BRINGS GOOD FRONTOGENESIS ACRS THE FA AT 6Z FOLLOWED BY GREAT UPR LVL Q VECTOR CONVERGENCE AT 12Z ESP ACRS THE S. WITH THIS IN MIND HAVE UPPED POPS TO CATEGORICAL FOR THU NT. GFS HAS HIGHER SNOWFALL AMTS WHILE NAM HAS HIGHER QPF...PROBABLY DUE TO NAM HAVING MORE MID LVL WARMING AND SO MORE OF A CHANCE FOR ICE OVR MUCH OF THE AREA WHERE GFS LOOKS LIKE MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW. FOR STORM TOTALS HAVE GONE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN HPC WITH POSSIBLY 5-6 INCHES OR SO FOR THE NW HALF AND RAPIDLY DECREASING TO THE SE WHERE CHCS FOR SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ARE HIGHER. WITH CHC FOR FZRA HAVE INCLUDED SMALL AMTS OF ICE /LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH/ IN THE GRIDS SIMILAR TO HPC. CONFIDENCE ON THESE AMTS IS FAIRLY LOW GIVEN DEPENDENCE ON SPECIFIC LOW TRACK AND THE TENDENCY FOR THE MODELS TO CHANGE THIS WITH UPCOMING RUNS BUT IS WHAT WE HAVE BASED ON CURRENT NAM/0Z ECMWF TRACKS. FRIDAY AFTER 12Z SHUD SEE THINGS CHANGE OVR TO ALL SNOW AND HAVE DROPPED POPS RAPIDLY AFTER 18Z. WENT CLOSE TO HPC FOR REST OF EXTENDED BUT DROPPED HIGHS SOME FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BASED ON POTENTIAL FOR SNOW COVER FROM THU NT/FRI STORM. ANOTHER SYSTEM COMES IN MON/TUE SO INCLUDED POPS FOR THIS AND RIGHT NOW LOOKS WARM ENUF FOR RAIN. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY ALL AREAS 7PM TUE TO 7AM WED. && AVIATION...JAS SHORT TERM...JH LONG TERM...CP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 433 PM EST TUE JAN 29 2008 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-302145- 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- 433 PM EST TUE JAN 29 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A EXTREMELY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. A NARROW LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THIS FRONT WILL RACE ACROSS THE CENTRAL INDIANA IN THE 5 PM TO 9 PM TIME FRAME. ANY STORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 50 MPH. DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY LINE OF SHOWERS OR STORMS THIS EVENING. LIGHTNING IS A THREAT FROM ANY THUNDERSTORM. AFTER THE COLD FRONT PASSES...STRONG WINDS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY. GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. IN ADDITION...SHARPLY COLDER AIR WILL COMBINE WITH THE WINDS TO PRODUCE WIND CHILLS BELOW ZERO BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY. A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING...MAINLY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. ANY ACCUMULATION SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN ONE INCH. THE WINDS IN COMBINATION WITH ANY SNOW MAY RESULT IN BLOWING SNOW WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING ACCUMULATING SNOWS TO CENTRAL INDIANA. A MIXTURE OF SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN MAY ALSO OCCUR. HOWEVER...THE TRACK OF THIS STORM REMAINS VERY UNCERTAIN. THEREFORE...TIMING AND AMOUNTS OF ANY SNOW OR ICE REMAIN IN QUESTION. THE FORECAST MAY CHANGE IN THE COMING DAYS. STAY TUNED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 4 PM EST TODAY. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) PUMA
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:05 UTC.
64 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 tornado, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Pieces of roofing material were blown off buildings due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Damaging thunderstorm winds moved through the north side of Terre Haute.
Wind gust was measured by television station wind equipment in downtown Terre Haute.
Trees and power lines were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A tree was reported down on State Route 58.
Damaging thunderstorm winds damaged the cross arms on an electrical pole.
A roof was blown off of a house due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Four used vehicles were damaged in a car lot and two trailers were damaged. On the south side of town a tractor sustained significant damage after a nearby building fell on top of it. Power lines and trees were reported down across the area. A FEMA trailer was blown over at a fire station due to the wins. At the VFW, the VFW sign fell onto a truck. Winds also caused an overhang of a building to be pulled away from the building.
Trees and power lines were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Wind gust was measured by a cooperative observer.
Damaging thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and caused minor damage to nearby buildings.
Power poles were knocked down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Trees and power poles were reported down across the county due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
The wind gust was measured by a trained spotter.
Gust was measured with wind equipment mounted on a truck. Numerous trees were also reported down around the city due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Part of the roof on a pole barn and a modular home was blown off due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Windows were blown in at a business. A tree fell due to the thunderstorm winds and crushed a truck.
Damaging thunderstorm winds caused a semi truck to overturn on State Route 57.
Trees and power lines were reported down across the county due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Restaurant signs were knocked down and damaged due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A utility pole, a garage, a horse barn, and a camper were damaged in Greencastle due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Wind gust was measured by a trained spotter.
The wind gust was measured by a mesonet.
The wind gust was measured by an amateur radio operator.
Trees were reported down around the city due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A garage was blown into a porch due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Broken power poles were also found in Frankfort.
There were also winds estimated at 55 mph.
A house was heavily damaged on the southwest side of Danville due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A large section of the roof on the county courthouse was blown off due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Some of the brick walls were knocked loose and some of the support trusses were also damaged.
The wind gust was measured by ASOS equipment.
A metal building was blown down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Half of the roof of an apartment building was blown off due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Trees were also reported down in the area.
A semi was blown over on the Indiana 39 Bypass just south of West Morgan Street due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A garage was blown down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Minor damage occurred to the roof and a window at a church due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Metal signs along the Indiana 39 Bypass were destroyed due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Damaging winds were reported in Whitestown.
Damaging thunderstorm winds caused significant damage to ten homes and minor damage to nearly fifty homes near County Road 800 East and 100 North along Captain Drive.
Damaging thunderstorm winds caused windows to be blown out of a building.
Part of a roof was blown off of a building due to damaging thunderstorm winds. A tree fell on the screened porch of another residence. Two small barns were destroyed due to the winds. Windows were broken out of a van. At least 30 windows were blown out around town. At another residence shingles were ripped from the house.
Trees and power lines were reported down throughout the county due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Measured wind gust was reported by a trained spotter.
Gust was measured by a trained spotter. Power was out at this location for five minutes. Pea size hail also occurred with this storm.
Pea size hail was also reported with the damaging thunderstorm wind gust.
Damaging winds were reported in Zionsville.
An EF1 tornado damaged apartment buildings and vehicles near Waterfront Parkway West at the Waterfront Pointe Apartments. Winds were estimated near 105 miles per hour.
At 30th and High School Road, damaging thunderstorm winds pushed a garage off its foundation and damaged several adjacent homes.
The wind gust was measured by a trained spotter.
The wind gust was estimated by a trained spotter.
Damaging thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees in the vicinity of 44th Street and North Kessler Boulevard.
The wind gust was measured at the Mount Comfort Airport.
Damaging thunderstorm winds caused heavy damage to a garage.
Two light poles snapped in half and landed on the press box at Denny Field due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Cart corrals were also ripped from their cement bases at a nearby store and whipped into nearby vehicles. The roof of an ATM was blown off due to the winds. Road signs and tree limbs were knocked down in Anderson. Two mobile homes in the area sustained damage.
Damaging thunderstorm winds caused trees to fall and also caused heavy damage to a building.
Trees and power lines were reported down blocking State Route 135 due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A tree fell on a house due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Trees fell on two homes causing damage to the homes. The roof and doors were also blown off a large garage due to damaging thunderstorm winds. An RV was blown off of the blocks and the legs were stuck in the ground. Another garage nearby was flattened. At a farm, damage occurred to grain bins and one of the barns.
Three semitrailers were blown over due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A barn collapsed onto a pickup truck due to damaging thunderstorm winds. A church reported playground equipment ripped from the ground and a porch tossed onto a roof.
A semi truck was overturned on State Route 37 due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Multiple large tree limbs were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A semi overturned on State Route 3 due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
A house trailer was flipped due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Trees and power lines were reported down across the county due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
Five storage sheds blew down and two decks separated from mobile homes due to damaging thunderstorm winds. High winds also pushed a car off a road. Winds tore off parts of an elementary school's roof. Trees and power lines were reported down around the area.
Damaging thunderstorm winds damaged a semi tractor and a dog house. A shed was also destroyed near this location. A chain link fence was down and a garage had the door blown out of it due to the winds. Part of a roof of a house and also the roof of the porch was blown off nearby. The television antenna at a residence was pulled from the ground and struck the chimney of the house. Trees were reported down around the area. A two story brick building had several rows of bricks blown from the top. Another roof of a house, just east of this location, was blown off.
A man suffered cuts and scratches when his trailer was damaged by thunderstorm winds. The man was not seriously injured.
A house was struck by lightning in Westfield. A firefighter suffered a neck sprain while fighting the fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2008Warnings in Indiana, January 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: 74915, 74916, 74917, 75110, 75111, 75173, 75189, 74864, 74918, 74870, 74871, 75172, 74885, 74919, 74930, 74920, 75107, 74875, 75138, 75112, 75190, 74921, 74922, 74923, 74886, 75135, 75139, 75180, 74846, 74887, 74888, 74924, 75122, 75142, 75144, 75146, 75148, 75158, 75137, 74897, and more.