Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the evening.
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 ILN wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the evening.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 12, 6:52 PM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 752 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TONIGHT....BRINGING WITH IT THE THREAT FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF OUR AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD INTO THE REGION...EVENTUALLY SLIDING TO THE EAST COAST...AND SUBSEQUENTLY PROVIDING DRY CONDITIONS TO OUR ENTIRE AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... FRONTAL TROUGH WILL SLOWLY MOVE INTO THE ILN FORECAST AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. FORCING IS NOT ALL THAT ORGANIZED AHEAD OF THE FRONT. SO HAVE MAINLY CHC POPS EARLY...THEN INCREASING TO LIKELY AS THE FRONT...WITH MORE ORGANIZED FORCING...MOVES INTO THE AREA. THE THREAT FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY THROUGH LATE EVENING. THE BEST MLCAPE VALUES ARE FOUND ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF OUR FA...WITH VALUES REACHING NEAR 3000 J/KG. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS WEAK AND THE WBZ IS NEAR 12 KFT AGL. CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY IS QUITE EVIDENT HOWEVER AS MAX DELTA THETA-E VALUES FORECAST TO NEAR/ABOVE 20 DEG K. SO FOR THOSE STORMS OBTAINING A STRONG UPDRAFT...THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINS POSSIBLE FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS AS WELL...GIVEN PWATS NEAR TWO INCHES. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... NAM AND GFS CONTINUE TO SHOW MORE IN THE WAY OF ORGANIZED LINEAR BDRY LAYER CONVERGENCE IN ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS OUR AREA ON SUNDAY. STILL NOT THAT CONFIDENT OF HOW FILLED IN THE RESULTING AREA OF PRECIPITATION COVERAGE WILL BE DURING THIS TIME...ESPECIALLY DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE DAY. FOR WHILE THE FORCING IS BETTER ORGANIZED...IT IS NOT THAT STRONG. THUS HAVE KEPT HIGH END LIKELY POPS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE NEXT SET OF MODEL RUNS MAY PROVIDE US MORE REASON TO INCREASE POPS TO CATEGORICAL. BY LATE IN THE DAY...MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THE FRONT WITH ITS ASSOCIATED FORCING WILL MOVE OFF TO OUR ESE. THUS HAVE DIMINISHED POPS FROM NW-SE...AND ENDING PRECIPITATION BY EARLY SUNDAY EVENING ACROSS THE SE PART OF OUR FA. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD IN FROM THE WEST SUNDAY NIGHT...PROVIDING THE AREA WITH DRYER AND LESS HUMID CONDITIONS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... MUCH OF THE PERIOD IS DRY WITH HIGH PRESSURE ACRS THE OH VLY. 06Z GFS DEVELOPED A H5 S/W ACRS THE UPPER GREAT LAKES MID WEEK...WHICH CAUSED A CDFNT TO DROP AS FAR S AS SRN MI/LAKE ERIE LATE WED NGT. 12Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF KEEP THIS FNT MUCH FARTHER N AS A WRM FNT ACRS THE UP OF MI. THEREFORE...KEPT FCST MO SUNNY AND DRY THRU THU. THU INTO FRI A STRONGER H5 S/W SWINGS E ALONG THE US/CANADIAN BORDER. ASSOCIATED WITH THIS IS A CDFNT THAT PUSHES OUT OF THE PLAIN INTO THE OH VLY ON FRI. FNT MOVES ACRS THE FA FRI NGT. HAVE INTRODUCED CHC TSRA AS THE FNT PUSHES THRU. GFS/ECMWF IN AGREEMENT THAT FNT WILL STILL BE IN SRN OH SAT MRNG. KEPT POPS FOR THE MRNG HOURS...UNTIL FNT PUSHES S. DIDNT STRAY TOO FAR FROM GUIDANCE. TEMPS WILL SEE A GRADUAL WARM UP AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES. DID GO A LITTLE WARMER THU INTO FRI AHEAD OF FNT. && .AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... STORMS THAT DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON ARE STARTING TO DIMINISH BUT COULD STILL AFFECT THE COLUMBUS TERMINALS THROUGH 02Z. THEN FOCUS WILL BE ON LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING FROM THE WEST. EXTRAPOLATION SUGGESTS THAT THESE STORMS WILL PUSH ACROSS THE TAF SITES BETWEEN 04Z AND 08Z. AFTER THIS MOVES THROUGH THERE COULD BE SOME ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH BETWEEN 12Z AND 15Z. CLOUDS WILL DIMINISH LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD AS DRIER AIR WORKS INTO THE REGION. OUTLOOK...NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JTD NEAR TERM...JTD SHORT TERM...JTD LONG TERM...SITES AVIATION...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 415 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>096-OHZ034-035-042-043-051-060- 061-070-071-077-132015- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- PENDLETON-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE-SHELBY-MIAMI-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY- BUTLER-WARREN-HAMILTON- 415 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...PROMPTING THE POSSIBILITY FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. KYZ097>100-OHZ026-044>046-052>056-062>065-072>074-078>082-088-132015- BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS-HARDIN-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON-FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-GREENE-FAYETTE OH- PICKAWAY-FAIRFIELD-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING-CLERMONT-BROWN-HIGHLAND- ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 415 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
631 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0621 PM HAIL CARROLL 39.80N 82.70W
07/12/2008 E0.88 INCH FAIRFIELD OH PUBLIC
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 651 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 OHZ054-055-122315- MADISON OH-FRANKLIN OH- 651 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN FRANKLIN AND CENTRAL MADISON COUNTIES THROUGH 715 PM EDT... AT 647 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED NEAR MADISON LAKE...MOVING EAST AT 34 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...BIG PLAIN...LILLY CHAPEL...HARRISBURG...URBANCREST AND GROVE CITY. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO OCCUR. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES LEADING KILLERS. REMEMBER... IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
939 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0915 PM TSTM WND DMG GETTYSBURG 40.12N 84.50W
07/12/2008 DARKE OH LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:00 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were knocked down.
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, July 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: 123084.