As a cold frontal boundary swept through the region from the northwest during the afternoon hours of September the 29th, a line of thunderstorms embedded within a band of showers produced a couple wind damage reports across northern portions of 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.
As a cold frontal boundary swept through the region from the northwest during the afternoon hours of September the 29th, a line of thunderstorms embedded within a band of showers produced a couple wind damage reports across northern portions of central Indiana.
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 Sep 29, 1:46 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 246 PM EDT THU SEP 29 2011 .UPDATE... THE SYNOPSIS...NEAR TERM...SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM SECTIONS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW && .SYNOPSIS... MUCH COLDER AIR WILL FLOW INTO CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. AN UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN JUST TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY...KEEPING THE THREAT OF RAIN AROUND THROUGH THEN. TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY WARM THROUGH NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. && .NEAR TERM /LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT/... FOCUS IS ON POPS AND WIND. MODELS ARE CLOSE ENOUGH SO THAT A BLEND CAN BE USED. THE COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA BEFORE 00Z. RADAR SHOWS NUMEROUS SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS...AND THESE WILL WORK ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THUS WILL GO LIKELY POPS IN THE REMAINDER OF THE PRE-FIRST PERIOD ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA...WITH CHANCE POPS ELSEWHERE. WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE UPPER 70S TO AROUND 80...AND A STRONG WIND FIELD ALOFT...CANNOT RULE OUT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON. DRY SLOT WILL WORK INTO MUCH OF THE AREA THIS EVENING BEFORE ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY ROTATES AROUND THE UPPER LOW TO THE NORTHEAST. THIS SPOKE WILL KEEP CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AROUND ACROSS THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. GUSTY WINDS WILL WORK IN AS STRONG COLD ADVECTION MOVES IN TONIGHT. DON/T THINK GUSTS WILL BE AS HIGH AS CURRENTLY TO OUR WEST DUE TO LOSS OF DEEPER MIXING...BUT WILL KEEP GUSTS AROUND 30 MPH. MOS LOOKS REASONABLE FOR TEMPERATURES. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... FOCUS IS ON WINDS ON FRIDAY AND POPS INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE SIMILAR SO USED A BLEND. YET ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY WILL ROTATE AROUND THE UPPER LOW TO OUR NORTHEAST ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON WHEN BEST FORCING WILL OCCUR. GUSTY WINDS CAN STILL BE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY AS STRONGER WINDS NOT FAR FROM THE SURFACE ARE MIXED DOWN IN THE COLD ADVECTION. GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES ON FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHEAST FORECAST AREA. LOOKS LIKE BEST FORCING AND MOISTURE WILL BE EAST OF THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT SO WENT DRY POPS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BEGIN TO BUILD INTO THE AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY KEEPING CONDITIONS DRY. USED A BLEND OF MOS TEMPERATURES FOR THE MOST PART THROUGH THE PERIOD. WIND SHOULD REMAIN HIGH ENOUGH FRIDAY NIGHT TO PREVENT FROST FORMATION. LIGHTER WINDS SATURDAY NIGHT YIELDS A BETTER FROST POTENTIAL FOR MAINLY THE NORTHEAST FORECAST AREA...ALTHOUGH SHELTERED AREAS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA COULD ALSO SEE SOME PATCHY FROST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... NO REAL CONCERNS IN THE LONG TERM AS AN UPPER RIDGE REMAINS ACROSS THE AREA. THE RIDGE WILL ALLOW A WARM UP INTO THE 70S DURING THE PERIOD. A WEAK COLD FRONT MAY TRY TO MOVE DOWN INTO OUR AREA AROUND WEDNESDAY...BUT MOISTURE WILL BE LACKING. THUS KEPT A DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE EXTENDED. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 291800Z TAFS/... BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH ANY TSRA THAT DEVELOPS...OTHERWISE...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE. RADAR TRENDS SHOW AREA OF SHRA OVER SE WI AND NRN ILLINOIS DIVING SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. DISTANCE SPEED TOOLS INDICATE ARRIVAL AT LAF AND IND TAF SITES AROUND 20Z AND 21Z RESPECTIVELY. SOUTHERN EDGE OF THIS SYSTEM MAY NOT IMPACT BMG AND HUF THUS HAVE LEFT THESE SITES WITH VCSH FOR NOW. FORECAST SOUNDINGS THIS AFTERNOON INDICATE CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 60S WITH MINIMAL CAPE. ALTHOUGH ISOLATED TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE...LIMITED CAPE WILL PREVENT WIDESPREAD THUNDER. COLD FRONT QUICKLY EXITS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS MUCH DRIER AIR ARRIVES. ANY MVFR CONDITIONS SHOULD RAPIDLY IMPROVE TO VFR AFTER 00Z AS DRY AIR ARRIVES. ANOTHER QUICK MOVING SHORT WAVE IS THEN EXPECTED TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT BEFORE EXITING ON FRIDAY MORNING. GIVEN THE DRY AIR AT THE SURFACE THIS SHOULD ONLY RESULT IN BRIEF VFR CEILINGS. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...50 NEAR TERM...50 SHORT TERM...50 LONG TERM....50 AVIATION...JP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 410 PM EDT THU SEP 29 2011 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-302015- 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- 410 PM EDT THU SEP 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. HAZARDS: THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. OTHER THREATS WILL INCLUDE LIGHTNING...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. TIMING: THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE BEFORE 800 PM. DISCUSSION: THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BRING DOWN STRONG LOW LEVEL WINDS TO THE SURFACE. OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS...WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. PATCHY FROST IS POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY NIGHT. DISCUSSION: WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY AS COLD AIR FLOWS INTO THE AREA. FROST MAY FORM SATURDAY NIGHT WITH LIGHT WINDS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1053 AM EDT THU SEP 29 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1233 AM TORNADO 6 W NORTH VERNON 39.01N 85.74W
09/26/2011 JENNINGS IN NWS STORM SURVEY
EF1 TORNADO WITH WINDS ESTIMATED NEAR 100 MPH. OCCURRED
ALONG COUNTY ROAD 700 WEST BETWEEN COUNTY ROADS 150 NORTH
AND 300 NORTH. POLE BARN DESTROYED. TWO HOMES DAMAGED. NO
INJURIES.
&&
DTUCEKThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:14 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Utility lines were downed due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts on West Jefferson Street. This report was received from the public and relayed by the fire department. Emergency services estimate the winds in the are were about 50 mph at the time.
A tree fell on a house near the university, damaging a porch. This damage was caused by strong thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 50 mph.
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, September 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: 348726, 348728.