Massive and historic flooding struck central Indiana. In Indiana alone, flood waters affected over 25,000 people.
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.
Massive and historic flooding struck central Indiana. In Indiana alone, flood waters affected over 25,000 people. This flood affected about 9% of the state's farmland. The Great Flood of June 2008 was one of Indiana's costliest natural disasters. Heavy rainfall on May 30th allowed streams and rivers to rise. Additional heavy rainfall on the 3rd and the 4th added to these high levels. Severe weather brought heavy rainfall on the 6th as well. The stage was set for historic flooding in portions of central and southern Indiana. The storms on the 6th exacerbated the situation by laying down a boundary in southern Illinois and southern Indiana. A moist southerly low level jet rode over this boundary for more than 12 hours continually generating showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall of two to nearly eleven inches fell across portions of central and southern Indiana. The impact of the rain was immediate with widespread flooding developing and major roads and interstates flooded. This episode is in reference to flooding of the White River.
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 Jun 10, 2:32 AM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 332 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008 .FORECAST FOCUS ON TEMPERATURES THIS WEEK. NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN NOT UNTIL LATE IN THE WEEK. SURFACE MAP SHOWS THAT THE COLD FRONT HAS CROSSED THROUGH MUCH OF THE AREA. ONGOING PRECIP IS BEGINNING TO SHOW A WEAKENING TREND. ALOFT AT H5 WE SEE THE EASTERN RIDGE BEING ATTACKED BY A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...WHICH IS FOLLOWED UP BY A STRONGER CUTOFF LOW NEAR KSEA...WITH JUST WEAK RIDGING OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. THE MODELS WERE SIMILAR BUT HPC SUGGESTED NOT USING THE GFS IN THE LONGER TERM FORECAST AND INSTEAD USE A EUROCENTRIC BLEND. TODAY THE RAIN SHOULD EXIT EARLY ON AS THE FRONT PULLS EAST AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN TO HELP STABILIZE THINGS. WILL LEAVE LOW CHANCES IN EARLY BUT DRY IT OUT BY AFTERNOON WITH CLEARING. TEMPS TODAY WILL BE COOLER THAN THE PREVIOUS DAYS AND PROBABLY ONLY AROUND 80 DEGREES. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN TONIGHT WILL ALLOW FOR A COOL NIGHT AS LOWS MAY FALL INTO THE UPPER 50S IN RURAL AREAS. WILL HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR SOME PATCHY FOG...BUT WILL NOT INCLUDE IN THE GRIDS DUE TO THE EXPECTED PATCHINESS AT THIS POINT. A SLOW WARMING TREND FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS YET ANOTHER LOW OVER THE PLAINS SENDS A STRENGTHENING WARM ADVECTION FLOW INTO INDIANA AND TEMPS CLIMB BACK UP TO THE UPPER 80S WITH H8 TEMPS OF +18C. NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN IS FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT AND AN UPPER TROUGH RUNNING INTO THE EAST COAST RIDGE. GFS SHOWS HEAVY QPF BUT FOR NOW WILL JUST GO WITH HIGH POPS AND WAIT AND SEE AS THE MODEL TIMING HAS BEEN OFF A BIT ON THIS SYSTEM SO FAR AND GFS IS NOT PREFERRED. && .AVIATION... DISCUSSION FOR 06Z TAFS RADAR TRENDS AND MOS FAVOR ENDING THE TRWS BY 10Z AT LAF AND HUF AND 12Z AT IND AND BMG. COULD BE SOME MVFR CIGS AND IFR VSBYS IN TRWS THROUGH THE NGT. FOR THE FIRST FEW HOURS IN THE TAFS...WENT WITH TRWS IN THE MAIN GROUP WITH TEMPO MVFR CIGS/IFR VSBYS. THEN...SFC HIGH PRES BEGINS TO BUILD IN FM SW-NE THIS AFTERNOON WHICH SHOULD ALLOW FOR DIMINISHING CU. CLR AFTER DARK WITH THE SFC HIGH GRADIENT. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM EDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR INZ021- 028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072. && AVIATION...MK PUBLIC...JOHNSON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 433 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051-052-055>057-060-065-072-110845- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-VERMILLION-PARKE- PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-JOHNSON-SHELBY- RUSH-SULLIVAN-DECATUR-JENNINGS- 433 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING...PRIMARILY IN EASTERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL INDIANA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...WITH LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. STORMS SHOULD EXIT BY MID-MORNING TODAY. MINOR TO MAJOR RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG MANY OF THE RIVERS ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. SEVERAL RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGICAL STATEMENT FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION AND MORE DETAILS REGARDING RIVER FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT BE UNTIL FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...BUT IT REMAINS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR THEN. MANY CENTRAL INDIANA RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL BE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH AT LEAST THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. .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) INZ053-054-061>064-067>071-110845- OWEN-MORGAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN- LAWRENCE-JACKSON- 433 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING...PRIMARILY IN EASTERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL INDIANA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...WITH LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. STORMS SHOULD EXIT BY MID-MORNING TODAY. MAJOR TO NEAR RECORD FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WHITE RIVER AND EAST FORK WHITE RIVER BASINS TODAY. SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGICAL STATEMENT FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION AND MORE DETAILS REGARDING RIVER FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT BE UNTIL FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...BUT IT REMAINS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR THEN. NEAR RECORD FLOODING ON THE WHITE RIVER AND EAST FORK WHITE RIVER BASINS WILL BEGIN TO RECEDE THIS COMING WEEK. HOWEVER RIVERS WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE FLOOD STAGE IN MANY LOCATIONS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. ANY ADDI TONAL HEAVY RAINFALL COULD POSSIBLY WORSEN THE ONGOING FLOODING OR PREVENT WATERS FROM RECEDING AS QUICKLY. .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) JOHNSON
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
128 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1150 PM TSTM WND DMG E NOBLESVILLE 40.06N 86.03W
06/09/2008 HAMILTON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
TREE BLOWN DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF 156TH STREET AND
PARIE BAPTIST ROAD.
0110 AM FLASH FLOOD 5 E NOBLESVILLE 40.06N 85.94W
06/10/2008 HAMILTON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
STANDING WATER ON INTERSECTION OF 156TH STREET AND
BAPTIST CHURCH ROAD.
&&
JHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
131 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1110 AM TSTM WND DMG 5 N PLAINFIELD 39.77N 86.39W
06/09/2008 HENDRICKS IN NWS EMPLOYEE
3 TREES BLOWN DOWN.
&&
JHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
136 AM EDT TUE JUN 10 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1110 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 N PLAINFIELD 39.77N 86.39W
06/09/2008 HENDRICKS IN NWS EMPLOYEE
3 TREES BLOWN DOWN.
&&
JHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding occurred along the White River in Morgan County, including near Centerton, due to heavy rain.
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, June 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: 116757.