Scattered thunderstorms pushed eastward into and developed across southwest Indiana during the afternoon hours of the 15th of March. As these storms marched eastward, a lightning bolt, from a storm that was not in the area, struck a softball field at Seymour High School.
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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.
Scattered thunderstorms pushed eastward into and developed across southwest Indiana during the afternoon hours of the 15th of March. As these storms marched eastward, a lightning bolt, from a storm that was not in the area, struck a softball field at Seymour High School. The members of the girls' softball team were practicing at the time. Four were injured during this event.
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 Mar 15, 1:09 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 209 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012 .UPDATE... THE LONG TERM SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH TEMPERATURES CONTINUING AT WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND NEAR RECORD LEVELS. SEVERAL DISTURBANCES ALOFT WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE UPPER RIDGE...PROVIDING PERIODIC CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL INDIANA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /REST OF THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT/... AS OF 130 PM THIS AFTERNOON...ALL EYES TURN TO THE MCS MOVING TOWARD THE SW FORECAST AREA FROM SE MO/SW IL. THIS FEATURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER VORT MAX AND ALL SHORT TERM GUIDANCE AGREES ON MOVING THIS FEATURE THROUGH THE OH VALLEY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL MOVE INTO CWA IN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO AND THEN SPREAD QUICKLY AS DAYTIME HEATING WILL HAVE ALLOWED MANY LOCATIONS TO REACH THEIR CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REST OF CENTRAL INDIANA AND THE ENTIRE OHIO VALLEY REMAINS UNDER A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS. THE PRESENCE OF A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO THE NORTH WILL LIKELY HAVE SOME INFLUENCE ON CONVECTION BUT STILL APPEARS THE VORT MAX/MCS WILL BE THE MAIN DRIVING FEATURE RESPONSIBLE FOR INDUCING CONVECTION OVER THE CWA AND THE OHIO VALLEY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. EVEN THOUGH THE SLIGHT RISK HAS BEEN EXPANDED FARTHER NORTHWARD WITH SPC/S MORNING UPDATE...BELIEVE STRONGEST OF THE CONVECTION SHOULD BE FOCUSED OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA (ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-70) AS THE DISTURBANCE TRACKS INTO THE SRN OHIO VALLEY THROUGH THIS EVENING. WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY SCATTERED TO LIKELY TSTM POPS IN THE FORECAST (ESP AROUND AND S OF I-70) BUT ADDED THE THREAT OF SVR WX (FOR THE SLIGHT RISK AREA) INCLUDING LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AS THE MAIN THREATS. AS MENTIONED EARLIER...BL SHEAR VALUES REMAIN WEAK...HOWEVER WITH WBZERO VALUES ABOVE 8KFT AND STEEP LAPSE RATES PRESENT...A FEW OF THE MORE INTENSE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY SOME GUSTY WINDS. BULK OF THE TSTM...AND ESPECIALLY THE SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL DIMINISH LATER THIS EVENING. CHANCES CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AS AFOREMENTIONED UPPER WAVE DRIFTS EAST THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY. FOCUS FOR HIGHEST POPS WILL REMAIN SOUTH OF I-70 THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...LOWERING CHANCES EVEN MORE AFTER MIDNIGHT AS WEAK RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS BACK INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FEATURE. A MOS BLEND SEEMS REASONABLE TO LOW TONIGHT RANGING FROM THE UPPER 50S TO AROUND 60. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... FORECAST PATTERN REMAINS UNCHANGED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK AND ACTUALLY INTO NEXT WEEK. ABOVE NORMAL/NEAR RECORD HIGHS WILL CONTINUE DURING THE PERIOD AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE ON AND OFF CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. FORECAST CHALLENGE IS TRYING TO DECIPHER BETWEEN THE DRY AND WET PERIODS. LUCKILY ALL GUIDANCE IS SIMILAR IN HANDLING OF MAIN FEATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD. AGREE WITH PREVIOUS FORECAST THINKING AND ACTUALLY HAVE LOWERED POPS EVEN MORE FOR FRIDAY FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST AS CONFIDENCE IS LOWER IN MORE SUBSTANTIAL PRECIP COVERAGE. WINDS AND OVERALL FORCING ALOFT WEAKEN AS HEIGHTS RISE AGAIN IN RESPONSE TO THE EXPANSION OF THE UPPER RIDGE...WITH CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT LIKELY TO BE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON AVAILABLE INSTABILITY. WILL AGAIN CARRY HIGHEST POPS (30-40 PERCENT) OVER THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...DUE TO THEIR CLOSES PROXIMITY TO DEPARTING UPPER WAVE. OTHERWISE ONLY ANTICIPATE ISOLATED CONVECTION NORTH OF I-70. THERE IS MORE SUBSTANTIAL POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION LATER IN THE DAY SATURDAY AS LOW PRESSURE PULLS OUT INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. GUIDANCE SHOWS A STRONGER SHORT WAVE ALOFT OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS REACHING THE REGION DURING THIS TIME. THIS FEATURE SHOULD SPURN INCREASED CONVECTION...ESPECIALLY IF THE FEATURE ARRIVES DURING PEAK HEATING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. HAVE BUMPED UP POPS TO 40 PERCENT SCATTERED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND LASTING THROUGH SUNDAY. HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLOODING MAY BECOME AN ISSUE WITH PRECIP WATER VALUES AT OR ABOVE 1 INCH FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD. IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...POTENTIAL FOR RECORD BREAKING HIGHS AT IND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD. WITH NO APPRECIABLE CHANGE IN THE AIRMASS...EXPECT HIGHS TO BE VERY SIMILAR FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. CONTINUING THE TREND OF RUNNING A FEW DEGREES ABOVE MOS AS HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S AND LOWER 80S ARE LIKELY THROUGH THE PERIOD. RECORD HIGHS AT IND ARE 79 FROM 1945 ON FRIDAY AND 76 FROM 1894 ON SATURDAY. AND 76 ON SUNDAY FROM 1903. LOWS WILL REMAIN NEAR 60 THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... EARLY IN THE LONG TERM THINK HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE TOO LOW BASED ON RECENT TRENDS AND FORECAST 850 MB TEMPERATURES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT/S BEEN SEEN THE PAST FEW DAYS. THEREFORE INCREASED INITIALIZATION BY AT LEAST A FEW DEGREES FOR HIGHS FROM MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ALSO WITH UPPER RIDGE AXIS BUILDING OVER THE AREA EARLY IN THE LONG TERM REMOVED THE SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE POPS FROM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY AND INSTEAD EXPECT TO SEE DRY WEATHER UNTIL AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. MODELS ARE SHOWING A DECENT BIT OF VARIABILITY IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE LONG TERM IN THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN. WHILE GFS/ECMWF/GEFS SEEM TO AGREE ON A CUT OFF LOW DEVELOPING OUT OF THE WESTERN TROUGH THERE IS A HIGH AMOUNT OF VARIABILITY ON WHERE THIS HAPPENS AND HOW MUCH RIDGING REMAINS OVER CENTRAL INDIANA AND FOR HOW LONG. WITH THIS IN MIND WILL STICK CLOSE TO INITIALIZATION FOR POPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR 151800Z TAF ISSUANCE/... SOME WIND GUSTS OF AROUND 20 KTS OUT OF 220 COULD BE SEEN THIS AFTERNOON ACCORDING TO RUC SOUNDINGS. INSTABILITY IS INCREASING AT THE SITES AND RAPID UPDATE MODELS ARE STILL SHOWING CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA BY 19Z. WILL USE THIS AS A START FOR THE INCLUSION OF VCTS BUT WILL NOT DROP CATEGORY AT ANY SITE BESIDES KBMG AS NATURE OF CONVECTION WILL BE POP UP AND SCATTERED. KBMG IS THE EXCEPTION TO THIS AS A LINE OF STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT 1630Z IS HEADED TOWARD KBMG...AND HAVE TIMED THIS LINE IN AND INCLUDED TEMPO THUNDER AND MVFR FOR A COUPLE HOURS AROUND THE LINES ARRIVAL. CURRENT MOVEMENT AND TIMING HAS THIS LINE MISSING THE REST OF THE SITES. SHOULD SEE THIS ROUND OF CONVECTION MOVING OUT OF THE AREA BY AROUND 0-1Z. COULD SEE SOME ELEVATED ACTIVITY DEVELOP OVERNIGHT BUT THINK LIKELIHOOD IS LOW ENOUGH TO LEAVE OUT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS DO SHOW A STRONG INVERSION DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT AND HAVE CONCERNS THAT THIS COULD LEAD TO LOWER VISIBILITIES...BUT WITH SOME CLOUD COVER...SOME MIXING...AND CHANCES FOR PRECIP JUST DON/T FEEL CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO GO LOWER THAN MVFR AT THIS TIME. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SMF NEAR TERM...SMF SHORT TERM...SMF LONG TERM....CP AVIATION...CP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1010 AM EDT THU MAR 15 2012 INZ021-028>031-035-036-043-044-161415- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- VERMILLION-PARKE- 1010 AM EDT THU MAR 15 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...HAIL...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. TIMING: THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DISCUSSION: AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL TRACK INTO THE OHIO VALLEY WITH THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING BY MIDDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AND AGAIN ON MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...THE GREATEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS THROUGH THE REGION. THUNDERSTORMS MAY HAVE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE A THREAT WITH ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS. DISCUSSION: CENTRAL INDIANA WILL REMAIN WITHIN A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PRODUCE CONTINUED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY HAIL...GUSTY WINDS OR LOCALIZED FLOODING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ037>042-045>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-161415- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-PUTNAM-HENDRICKS- MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH- SULLIVAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-KNOX-DAVIESS- MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 1010 AM EDT THU MAR 15 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. TIMING: THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DISCUSSION: AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL TRACK INTO THE OHIO VALLEY WITH THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING BY MIDDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AND AGAIN ON MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...THE GREATEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS THROUGH THE REGION. THUNDERSTORMS MAY HAVE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE A THREAT WITH ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS. DISCUSSION: CENTRAL INDIANA WILL REMAIN WITHIN A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PRODUCE CONTINUED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ADDITIONALLY...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY HAIL...GUSTY WINDS OR LOCALIZED FLOODING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) SMF
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:11 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Four Seymour teens were injured by a lightning strike during softball practice. The strike happened about 4:14 P.M. EDT at Seymour High School.
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, March 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: 370537.