A couple, isolated thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of July the 20th across central Indiana and briefly produced a few severe reports before dying out during the evening hours. A few wind and hail damage reports were received from Lawrence and Henry counties with these storms.
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 couple, isolated thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of July the 20th across central Indiana and briefly produced a few severe reports before dying out during the evening hours. A few wind and hail damage reports were received from Lawrence and Henry counties with these storms.
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 Jul 20, 2:31 PM EST, 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 331 PM EDT WED JUL 20 2011 .UPDATE... THE SYNOPSIS...NEAR TERM...SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM SECTIONS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... DANGEROUSLY OPPRESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY CONTINUES INTO THE WEEKEND AS RIDGING ALOFT REMAINS IN PLACE. A WEAK BOUNDARY MAY APPROACH THE AREA ON FRIDAY BEFORE WASHING OUT. ANOTHER WEAK BOUNDARY AND SURFACE HIGH MAY ENTER THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK...ALLOWING A SLIGHT COOL DOWN...BUT WITH TEMPERATURES STILL REMAINING ABOVE NORMAL. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/... FOCUS IS TEMPERATURES. GUIDANCE IS SIMILAR ON MAJOR FEATURES AND A BLEND IS SUFFICIENT. CONSIDERED A SLIGHT CHANCE POP FOR THE FIRST HOUR OR TWO OF THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD TO ACCOUNT FOR ANY POP UPS THAT MANAGE TO HOLD ON PAST 00Z...BUT FEEL THAT THIS IS UNLIKELY ENOUGH TO MERIT NO MENTION. AMPLE INSTABILITY IS PRESENT...BUT WITH LITTLE TO NO SHEAR AND FORCING/TRIGGERS...EXPECT VAST MAJORITY OF STORMS TO HAVE DISSIPATED BY 00Z. ON TEMPS...GUIDANCE PERFORMING POORLY ON OVERNIGHTS...ESPECIALLY NEAR CITIES IN THE AREA...AND WITH NO AIRMASS CHANGE WILL GO WITH TEMPS AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE PERSISTENCE. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... FOCUS REMAINS TEMPS. GUIDANCE IS SIMILAR AND A BLEND IS SUFFICIENT. LITTLE CHANGE IN AIRMASS ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK...AND THUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE. GUIDANCE STRUGGLES WITH THIS...AND TEMPS AT OR ABOVE PERSISTENCE WILL BE USED TOMORROW...WITH A SLIGHT REDUCTION ON FRIDAY FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. AMPLE INSTABILITY NECESSITATES A SLIGHT CHANCE POP TOMORROW AFTERNOON...BUT CANNOT JUSTIFY HIGHER IN ABSENCE OF SIGNIFICANT FORCING. A WEAK BOUNDARY MAY APPROACH THE AREA...BUT WILL LIKELY STALL WELL TO THE NORTH ON THURSDAY. THIS BOUNDARY MAY GET A LITTLE CLOSER ON FRIDAY...AND GUIDANCE HINTS AT WEAK WAVES THAT MAY SLIDE ALONG THE BOUNDARY IN THE PRESENCE OF A SLIGHTLY WEAKENING CAP. THUS...WILL CONTINUE SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW CHANCE POPS ON FRIDAY. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... LITTLE RELIEF IN SIGHT AS FLAT...BROAD RIDGING REMAINS THE RULE ACROSS THE REGION. WEAK BOUNDARY AND SURFACE HIGH EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL LIKELY BRING SOME RELIEF FROM HUMIDITY...AND MINOR TEMPERATURE RELIEF...WITH HIGHS DROPPING BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S/LOW 90S. WENT SLIGHTLY ABOVE HPC NUMBERS SOME PERIODS. ON POPS...MAY SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...BEFORE DRY WEATHER RETURNS WITH SURFACE HIGH MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. HPC NUMBERS WERE A BIT SPORADIC AND GENERALLY WENT NEAR ENSEMBLE NUMBERS. MAY END UP NEEDING TO EXTEND HEAT WARNING INTO SUNDAY...BUT WITH AMPLE TIME TO MAKE THIS DECISION...WILL DEFER FOR NOW. A LOT CAN CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND DAY 5. && .AVIATION.../FOR 201800Z TAFS/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE FROM SOUTHEAST STATES TO FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT REMAINING OVER AREA. PERSISTENT SCT TO BKN CIRRUS AT 25 THOUSAND FEET. SCT-BKN TOWERING CUMULUS WITH BASES 5 THOUSAND FEET THIS AFTERNOON. VISIBILITIES P6SM...EXCEPT AREAS MVFR IN HAZE 09Z-13Z THURSDAY. WINDS MAINLY SOUTHWEST LESS THAN 10 KNOTS. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM EDT SATURDAY FOR INZ021- 028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072. && SYNOPSIS...NIELD NEAR TERM...NIELD SHORT TERM...NIELD LONG TERM....NIELD AVIATION...JK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 542 AM EDT WED JUL 20 2011 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-211000- 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- 542 AM EDT WED JUL 20 2011 ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HEAT INDICES IN THE 105 TO 115 DEGREE RANGE ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED...ALTHOUGH SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HEAT INDICES ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 100 AND 115 DEGREES DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EARLY EVENINGS THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE LATE THE WEEK...AROUND FRIDAY...AS WELL AS EARLY NEXT WEEK...AROUND SUNDAY INTO NEXT MONDAY. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. .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) JAS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
357 PM EDT WED JUL 20 2011
INZ070-202045-
LAWRENCE-
357 PM EDT WED JUL 20 2011
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR LAWRENCE COUNTY UNTIL 445 PM
EDT...
AT 355 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF BEDFORD...MOVING SOUTHWEST
AT 10 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
BEDFORD...
HELTONVILLE...
AVOCA...
SPRINGVILLE...
OOLITIC...
TUNNELTON...
SPRING MILL STATE PARK...
MITCHELL...
WILLIAMS...
SILVERVILLE...
HURON...
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.
TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.
&&
LAT...LON 3891 8668 3899 8651 3899 8628 3889 8628
3869 8632 3870 8668
TIME...MOT...LOC 1957Z 023DEG 7KT 3894 8639
CPThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:14 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Dry outflow from a thunderstorm blew off a screen door and blew down a couple of utility poles.
Trees and utility lines were blown down in Oolitic due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. One tree crashed into a home.
An 18 to 24-inch diameter tree was downed across County Road 375 West due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Also, dime to quarter sized hail was observed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, July 2011
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: 338460, 338470, 337556.