Mainly non-thunderstorm winds occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of February 11th. A High Wind Warning was in effect for the day as well as portions of the days on either side.
Every event with a place to put it; 49 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Mainly non-thunderstorm winds occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of February 11th. A High Wind Warning was in effect for the day as well as portions of the days on either side. A strong low pressure system moved across Illinois and northern Indiana with a trailing cold front that passed through Indiana. An intense pressure gradient ahead of the front and strong pressure rises behind the front caused very strong winds to blow. A saturated ground from recent snow melt and new rainfall may have contributed to the reports of downed trees.
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 Feb 11, 6:07 AM EST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 607 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 111200Z TAF ISSUANCE. RADAR LOOP WAS SHOWING LG SHIELD OF RN AND ISOLD TRWS LIFTING NE ACRS CNTRL INDIANA THIS MRNG...WHILE THE WEAKENING SQUALL LINE THAT PRODUCED DAMAGE ACRS OK YESTERDAY WAS LIFTING NE ACRS SRN IL AND EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE WRN TAF SITES SHORTLY AFTER 13Z. MODELS ARE INDICATING WEAK INSTABILITY THEN WHICH SHOULD BE ENOUGH ALONG WITH THE DEGREE OF LIFT TO MENTION TRWS IN THE MAIN GROUP FOR AN HOUR OR TWO ON EITHER SIDE OF SQUALL LINE. AFTER THAT...EXPECT A FEW HOURS OF JUST LGT SHRAS. GRADIENT WINDS WL BE ANOTHER PROBLEM MAINLY AFTER FROPA. MODELS AND BUFKIT STRONGLY SUPPORT 45 KT OR BETTER WIND GUSTS DURING THE AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE ANY BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS. ALSO...LOOKS LIKE LOW LVL WIND SHEAR COULD BE A PROBLEM IN THE MRNG BLW THE 2K FT INVERSION. FINALLY...MODEL TIME SECS AND UPSTREAM TRENDS SUPPORT MVFR/IFR CIGS THROUGH 12Z THU IMPVG AT IND SHORTLY THEREAFTER AS SFC HIGH PRES BUILDS IN FM THE LWR MSP VLY WITH LOW LVL DRYING NOTED IN THE MODEL TIME SECS. && .PREV DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS WILL BE ON WIND/WX TODAY. WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY. VIGOROUS H5 LOW WAS NEAR THE PANHANDLE OF TX. TWO SFC LOW PRESSURE AREAS WERE OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND NORTH CENTRAL OK. TODAY...H5 LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST AND BECOME NEGATIVELY TILTED AS IT CLOSES OFF. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE TOWARD INDIANA TODAY. THE NAM/SREF ARE CLOSER TOGETHER AS FAR AS THE PLACEMENT OF THE SURFACE LOW OVER IL BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON WHILE THE GFS IS FARTHER EAST WITH THE CENTER IN INDIANA. WILL LEAN TOWARD THE NAM/SREF FOR PLACEMENT. THE SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN CONSIDERABLY...AROUND 1MB/HR...AS IT MOVES INTO IL WHILE H85 LLJ HOWLS AT 60-65KTS OUT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. BUFKIT MOMENTUM XFER SHOWS GUSTS OVER 55MPH LATER THIS AFTERNOON IN THE 18Z-00Z TIME FRAME AND THE CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNING WILL COVER THAT. BEFORE THEN...WINDS WILL INCREASE LATER THIS MORNING AND WILL GUST INTO THE 40S BEFORE THE STRONGEST WINDS ARRIVE THIS AFTERNOON. NEXT ISSUE IS POSSIBLE SQUALL LINE MOVING ACROSS THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. THE LIMITING FACTOR WILL BE THE LACK OF INSTABILITY AS RAIN WILL BE ONGOING THIS MORNING. HOWEVER THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF LL SHEAR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AND WILL POSE A RISK FOR DAMAGING WIND AS THE LINE RAPIDLY MOVES THROUGH. IT LOOKS LIKE THE WINDOW FOR SQUALL LINE PASSAGE AND MOST OF THE DAMAGING WIND WILL BE IN THE 18Z-21Z TIME FRAME. NO CHANGES MADE TO QPF...STILL ANTICIPATING 1-2 INCHES AREAL AVERAGE. TONIGHT...COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE COLD AIR WILL LAG BEHIND BY SEVERAL HOURS. HAVE KEPT LINGERING RAIN IN PORTIONS OF THE CWA UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. AFTER THAT...PULLED POPS OUT OF ALL BUT THE FAR NORTHEAST CWA AND CHANGED WX TO -SN. THURSDAY/FRIDAY...QUIET WEATHER RETURNS AND TEMPS WILL BE AROUND 20 DEGREES COOLER ON THURSDAY COMPARED TO WEDNESDAY. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 40S...STILL ABOVE NORMAL...AND LOWS WILL BE IN THE 20S. THE NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIP STILL LOOKS LIKE IT WILL OCCUR ON FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE IN NO BETTER AGREEMENT TODAY WITH THE PATH OF THE SURFACE LOW THAT MOVES OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SO NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO POPS/WX/TEMPS. && .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 110600Z TAF ISSUANCE. MAIN AREA OF LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH SRN PLAINS SYS CURRENTLY PROGRESSING NEWD ACRS SRN MO. QUITE OF BIT OF CONVECTIVE ACTVTY WITH THIS FEATURE. MODEL DATA BRING THE BULK OF THE LIFT ACRS THE TERMINALS IN THE 110800Z-111300Z TIME FRAME. 110000Z UA INDICATE A BROAD AREA OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE. CONSIDERING THE PROBABLE STRENGTH OF THE LIFT ALONG THE NOSE OF A 60-70KT LLJ...XPCTG EMBEDDED CONVECTION WITHIN THE PCPN AREA ARND THE TIME OF MAX LIFT. PCPN SHOULD DIMINISH AFT SUNRISE AS LIFT MOVES OFF TO THE NE. AT THIS PT...APPEARS REMNANTS OF SRN PLAINS SQ LN WL BE PUSHING ACRS THE LOCAL AREA ROUGHLY ARND MIDDAY ON WED...BUT SHOULD BE IN WEAKENED STATE AS CONVERGENCE/LIFT/SFC INSTABILITY ALONG SFC BOUNDARY NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE BASED ON MODEL DATA. XPCTG MAINLY MVFR CONDS XPCTD WITHIN PCPN AREAS WITH SOME IFR IN THE HEAVIER CORES. WND PROGS SUGGEST SOME SFC WND GUSTS 20-25KT FM 150-170 HEADINGS PROBABLE TOWARDS 111200Z. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST INVERSION TOP NR 030 OVERNIGHT/WED MORN...SO WS PROBABLE AFT ABOUT 110900Z NR THIS LVL AS LLJ INTERACTS WITH INVERSION. POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SFC WND GUSTS IN THE MID 40KT RANGE FM 210-230 HEADINGS AFT 111800Z... ESPECIALLY IF CLD COVER BREAKS UP. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HIGH WIND WARNING 15Z WED TO 6Z THU ALL OF IND CWA. && PUBLIC...SALLY AVIATION...MK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 413 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-120915- 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- 413 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 ...HIGH WIND WARNING 10 AM TODAY UNTIL 1 AM TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. GUSTY WIND TO 60 MPH OR HIGHER IS EXPECTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. WIND OF THIS STRENGTH CAN CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. WITH A SATURATED GROUND FROM RECENT SNOW MELT AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL EXPECTED TREES COULD EASILY BE TOPPLED IN THE STRONG WIND. IN ADDITION TO TREE DAMAGE...POWER OUTAGES COULD ALSO OCCUR AS LOOSE TREE BRANCHES AND TREES COULD FALL INTO POWER LINES. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. A SQUALL LINE...WITH DAMAGING WIND...IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL INDIANA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION TO DESTRUCTIVE WIND...HEAVY RAIN WILL PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING AND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE A HAZARD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. STRONG WIND GUSTING TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. LOWLAND FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INTO THE WEEKEND. SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENT FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. .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) SALLY
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
47 high wind, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 strong wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Shingles were blown off of a home and a large metal canoe was blown onto the owner's property from an unknown location. A number of small limbs were down.
Rural Electric Membership Corporation reported wind/tree related power outages throughout the county.
Power company reported 2400 customers without power as a result of high winds.
Two trees were blown down on east Central Avenue between 38th and 41st streets.
Scattered power outages across Indianapolis were reported by Indianapolis Power and Light to the local broadcast media. Time of event is estimate/time report was received.
Power outages were reported on the east side of Terre Haute.
An EF1 tornado very briefly occurred near near South County Road 300 East and East County Road 550 South. The tornado dislodged a barn roof and damaged the roof of a single family home across the street.
Trees were blown down on Highway 550 in Shoals, IN.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management equipment recorded the gust to 65 MPH.
Several trees and utility lines were reported to be blown down throughout the county.
Power outages were reported in Clinton and Dana.
Trees were reported to have been blown down in Sullivan and Dugger, Indiana.
Power outages were reported due to high winds in Clinton and Dana, Indiana.
A tree was blown onto a mobile home. Wind gusts were estimated between 50 and 60 MPH.
A power outage was reported as a result of a transformer exploding at 300 South and 700 West due to complications from high winds. The Frankfort police station was without power. The event time and damage amount are estimated.
Trees were reported to have blown down at many locations throughout the county. The time of the event is estimated.
Trees were reported to have been blown down at many locations throughout the county. No specific locations were given. Time of event is estimated.
Automated equipment at the Indianapolis International Airport recorded 60 mph winds.
Trees and utility lines were reported to have been blown down throughout the county. Siding was damaged on a firehouse in Bloomfield, IN.
Three reports of trees blown down on homes or cars were received by emergency management. One report was of a roof blown off the house. Time of event is estimated.
Sporadic trees and utility lines were blown down on roads around the county. A utility pole was in the road at County Road 650 North and County Road 50 West.
A semi-trailer was blown over on State Road 38. A roof was blown off of a building. A mobile home was blown onto a road near Dayton, IN. Most of the damage in the county was located south and east of Lafayette, IN.
A barn was blown over in Romney, IN. Wind gusts were estimated at 50 to 60 MPH. Property damage value is rough estimate.
Scattered utility lines were blown down throughout the county.
Automated equipment recorded a 66 MPH wind gust in Shelby, IN.
Numerous trees were blown down onto roadways in/around Nashville. At least twelve hundred customers were without power.
Multiple tree branches were reported to have been blown down in/around Brownsburg, IN. Some standing water on roadways was also noted.
Ten trees were found blown down throughout the county. Power outages occurred in Belmore and Rosedale, IN.
A tree was blown over onto an apartment building in Bloomington, IN, creating unknown damage.
Numerous trees were blown down throughout the county.
In Westfield, IN a 30-inch diameter tree was uprooted, creating damage of an unspecified nature to the main building at Union Bible College.
Numerous trees and utility lines were reported blown down throughout Hancock County as well as in the city of Greenfield, IN.
Automated equipment recorded a wind gust of 61 MPH 2 miles southwest of Fishers, IN.
Power was out in Roachdale, IN from 1800 to 2000 EST. Trees were reported blown down throughout Putnam County during the evening, including at County Road 1225 North and County Road 900 East, as well as at County Road 13761 North and 425 East.
Utility lines were reported blown down in Kramer, IN.
Trees and utility lines were reported blown down in Independence, IN.
Several trees and utility lines were reported blown down throughout the county during the evening. Event time is estimated.
Automated equipment recorded a wind gust of 58 mph at the Indianapolis International Airport.
Trees were reported blown down in Westport, IN.
Three trees were reported blown down 3 miles south of Crawfordsville, IN.
High winds were blamed for power outages in Mellot, Newton, and Kingman, IN.
Automated equipment recorded a non-convective wind gust of 58 MPH in Muncie, IN.
Numerous trees were reported blown down throughout the county, including in Pendleton at Pendleton Avenue and Reformatory Road. Trees were down near Anderson at County Road 600 South and County Road 300 East.
Automated equipment recorded a wind gust of 59 MPH in Kokomo, IN.
A barn roof was destroyed around 1820 EST. Time of event and property damage are roughly estimated.
There were numerous downed utility lines and trees throughout the county.
A 2-foot diameter tree was blown down.
Multiple power outages were reported due to tree and power lines down throughout the county. One tree landed on a house (no details available). Numerous utility lines came down on homes.
Trees and power lines were reported down.
The Jackson County REMC reported that 2400 customers were without power as a result of downed lines and/or utility poles.
The uptown area of Union City, IN was without power. Two roads were closed in town due to fallen trees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2009Warnings in Indiana, February 2009
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: 157204, 157206, 157207, 157012, 157013, 157014, 157005, 157016, 157017, 157019, 157006, 157020, 157022, 157023, 157203, 157007, 157025, 157010, 157029, 157030, 157032, 157034, 157171, 157172, 157173, 157174, 157175, 157176, 157177, 157178, 157179, 157180, 157194, 157181, 157182, 157183, 157184, 157011, 157185, 157186, and more.