Thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on the afternoon and early evening of the 30th. The majority of these storms remained sub-severe, producing wind gusts to around 50 mph which did cause a few downed trees.
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.
Thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on the afternoon and early evening of the 30th. The majority of these storms remained sub-severe, producing wind gusts to around 50 mph which did cause a few 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 Apr 30, 4:02 PM EST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 502 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 .UPDATE... THE SYNOPSIS AND NEAR TERM SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 502 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 A WEAK SURFACE LOW AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING THROUGH THE AREA ALONG WITH AN UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME PERHAPS STRONG TO SEVERE...TO THE AREA THIS EVENING. ONE OR MORE UPPER LEVEL WAVES MOVING ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE FLAT UPPER RIDGE TO OUR SOUTHEAST...MAY BRING ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...AND THEN AGAIN FROM THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BRIEFLY STRENGTHEN INTO THE AREA ALLOWING A BRIEF RESPITE FROM STORM CHANCES WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 502 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 DROPPED CARROLL...TIPPECANOE...MONTGOMERY...PARKE AND FOUNNTAIN FROM THE WATCH AS THE BROKEN LINE OF STORMS HAS MOVE EAST OF THEM. OTHERWISE...A FEW SUB SEVERE EVENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED...AND SO FAR NOTHING HAS BEEN VERY ORGANIZED. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... SCATTERED TO BROKEN LINE OF STORMS PUSHING INTO THE AREA CURRENTLY...AND EXPECT THAT THIS WILL FAIRLY RAPIDLY MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL INDIANA THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. AFTER THIS LINE EXITS...STORM CHANCES WILL DIMINISH SIGNIFICANTLY...ALTHOUGH CANNOT ENTIRELY RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR STORM ACROSS THE SOUTH LATE NEAR A SLOPED WARM FRONTAL ZONE. SLIGHT SEVERE THREAT WILL EXIST THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING WITH GUSTY WINDS AND PERHAPS ISOLATED LARGE HAIL AS THE MAIN THREATS. INSTABILITY IS NOT GREAT AND SHEAR IS MODERATE AND UNIDIRECTIONAL. TEMPS SHOULD BE RATHER WARM OVERNIGHT WITH AT LEAST SOME CLOUD COVER REMAINING. MOS LOOKED TOO LOW COMPARED TO UPSTREAM MINS AND LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES...AND A CONSENSUS OF ALL AVAILABLE GUIDANCE LOOKED MUCH BETTER. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISSUED AT 330 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 WARM FRONTAL ZONE WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA TOMORROW AND ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL WAVES...MAY BRING MORE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TO THE AREA TUESDAY AND PERHAPS TUESDAY NIGHT. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE STRENGTHENS INTO THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHICH SHOULD PUT A DAMPER ON STORM CHANCES. STORM CHANCES RETURN TO THE NORTH ON THURSDAY WITH AN APPROACHING DISTURBANCE. CONSENSUS APPROACH LOOKED FINE ON TEMPS...WITH MOS GUIDANCE LOOKING A BIT TOO COOL BASED ON LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES AND 850 TEMPS. APPEARS LIKELY THAT WE WILL REACH THE 80S WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... ISSUED AT 258 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THE PERIOD BEGINS WITH RIDGING ALOFT DAMPENING INTO MORE OF A ZONAL PATTERN BRIEFLY FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AS A SHORTWAVE PROGRESSES THROUGH THE FLOW. SHORTLY THEREAFTER IS WHERE GUIDANCE BEGINS TO DISAGREE...WITH THE 12Z GFS DEPICTING UPPER RIDGING BUILDING OVER THE PLAINS STATES...ALLOWING NW UPPER FLOW TO SET UP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...WHILE THE 00Z EURO EJECTS A STRONGER SHORTWAVE FROM THE ROCKIES ON SATURDAY. EITHER WAY IT GOES...PRECIP CHANCES IN THE EXTENDED TIMEFRAME LOOK TO BE PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY A LINGERING BOUNDARY AND A SERIES OF WEAK SHORTWAVES TRAVERSING THE UPPER FLOW. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR ONGOING POP CHANCES FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW AS TO THE TIMING OF WHEN THESE SHORTWAVES WILL IMPACT THE AREA. TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD...A COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BRINGING AN END TO THE PRECIP AS RIDGING BUILDS IN. HOWEVER...TIMING BETWEEN MODEL SOLNS DIFFER BY ABOUT 36 HOURS. THUS...DECIDED TO LOWER POP TO SLIGHT CHANCES TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING OF THIS FRONT. ALLBLEND INITIALIZATION FOR TEMPS SEEMED REASONABLE...SO FORECAST STUCK CLOSE TO IT. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 302100Z KIND TAF UPDATE/... ISSUED AT 420 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 LINE OF CONVECTION ROUGHLY 35SM W OF KIND. BASED ON EXTRAPOLATION...APPEARS THIS LINE WILL BE AFFECTING THE KIND TERMINAL AFTER ABOUT 302115Z. BRIEF IFR VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 30 KTS POSSIBLE WITH THE LINE. LOOKS LIKE THE CONVECTION SHOULD BE EAST OF KIND AROUND 010000Z. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS. VFR CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE TO MVFR OR WORSE WITH PASSING SHRA/TSRA BETWEEN 20Z-01Z THIS PERIOD...BEFORE RETURNING BRIEFLY TO VFR. MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL RETURN LATE TONIGHT DUE TO DIURNAL FOG. RAPID REFRESH INDICATES CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS EASTERN ILLINOIS...PUSHING INTO AND PASSING ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA BETWEEN 19Z AND 01Z. WILL USE VCTS FOR NOW FOR THIS WINDOW AND UPDATE WITH PREVAILING TSRA MENTION WHEN PRECISE TIMING CERTAINTY IS HIGH. BRIEF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORM THAT STRIKES A TAF SITE. AS THE SHORT WAVE EXITS TONIGHT...SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO CLEAR AS SUBSIDENCE BUILDS ACROSS THE AREA AMID WEAK HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE. WITH THE RECENT RAIN...HIGH DEWPOINTS AND CLEARINGS SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS....MVFR TO IFR FOG IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT. ONCE HEATING AND MIXING RESUMES AFT 14Z TUESDAY...A RETURN TO VFR IS EXPECTED...HOWEVER AMPLE MOISTURE AND FAVORABLE LAPSE RATES WILL RESULT IN MORE SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA DEVELOPMENT ON TUESDAY AFT 18Z. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...NIELD/MK NEAR TERM...NIELD/MK SHORT TERM...NIELD LONG TERM....MRD AVIATION...JP/JAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 408 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-012015- 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- 408 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. HAZARDS: SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL. TIMING: BEST WINDOW FOR SEVERE WILL BE UNTIL 8 PM EDT. DISCUSSION: AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS OUR REGION THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES EACH DAY WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A FEW STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY. HOWEVER WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY OUTBREAKS OF SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME. DISCUSSION: A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL REMAIN ACROSS OUR REGION TUESDAY AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES BY. ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCES WILL BRING CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LATE THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) NIELD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
416 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM HAIL 8 W FRANKFORT 40.28N 86.66W
04/30/2012 M0.25 INCH CLINTON IN COCORAHS
&&
EVENT NUMBER IND1200183
ELBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
443 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0440 PM TSTM WND GST 2 NE GREENCASTLE 39.66N 86.81W
04/30/2012 M50 MPH PUTNAM IN EMERGENCY MNGR
0440 PM HAIL 2 NE GREENCASTLE 39.66N 86.81W
04/30/2012 M0.25 INCH PUTNAM IN EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
EVENT NUMBER IND1200184
EVENT NUMBER IND1200185
ELBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
503 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0451 PM TSTM WND GST TIPTON 40.28N 86.04W
04/30/2012 E45 MPH TIPTON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER IND1200186
ELBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
529 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
INZ039-047-048-056-302215-
HAMILTON-HANCOCK-MARION-SHELBY-
529 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN HAMILTON...WESTERN
HANCOCK...EASTERN MARION AND NORTHERN SHELBY COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM
EDT...
AT 518 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF BEECH GROVE...OR 7 MILES
EAST OF INDIANAPOLIS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
LAWRENCE...
FISHERS...
GREENFIELD...
SPRING LAKE...
GEIST RESERVOIR...
MORRISTOWN...
MCCORDSVILLE...
FORTVILLE...
&&
LAT...LON 3966 8613 3990 8620 4009 8587 3995 8587
3994 8580 3965 8567
TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 230DEG 22KT 3982 8596
JKThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Street flooding was reported in the Thorntown area due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. The severity of the street flooding is unknown.
Street flooding was reported along State Route 213 due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. Some side roads were affected as well.
A 3 to 4 inch diameter tree branch was downed near 56th Street and Binford Boulevard due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
An estimated 30 foot tall, healthy pine tree was uprooted and blown over near Binford Boulevard and Emerson Avenue due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
A tree was reported down in this location due to thunderstorm wind gusts. No information on the health of the tree was provided.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, April 2012
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: 379636, 379637, 379633, 379634, 379635.