Scattered thunderstorms developed over the northern half of Illinois during the afternoon hours of May the 6th. As the storms moved into Indiana, they congealed into a small line and slightly bowed as it moved into northwest 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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed over the northern half of Illinois during the afternoon hours of May the 6th. As the storms moved into Indiana, they congealed into a small line and slightly bowed as it moved into northwest portions of central Indiana. A couple of sub-severe wind reports were received out of the Lafayette area.
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 May 6, 6:14 PM EST, 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 714 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 233 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 A FRONTAL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM...HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD IN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM MAY MOVE INTO THE AREA BY NEXT WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 233 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 CONVECTION STILL BEHAVING ITSELF THIS AFTERNOON AS COMPLEX MOVING THROUGH NORTHEAST ILLINOIS/SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN ISN/T SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF DROPPING SOUTH. SOME ENHANCED CUMULUS DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHWEST INDIANA NEAR INSTABILITY AXIS AS WELL...BUT WITHOUT A FOCUS...NOT EXPECTING MUCH MORE THAN ISOLATED ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON. PROBABLY WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN CONVECTION AFTER DARK AS A RATHER MODEST 25KT LOW LEVEL JET NOSES INTO THE AREA. MODELS SUGGEST THE BEST LIFT WILL BE ARRIVING AFTER 070600Z. AS A RESULT...WILL BE GOING WITH CHANCE POPS OVER THE WESTERN ZONES AFTER SUNSET...AND INCREASING POPS INTO THE LIKELY OR CATEGORICAL CATEGORY IN THE WEST AFTER 070600Z. ORIENTATION OF LOW LEVEL JET SUGGESTS CONVECTIVE THREAT OVER THE FAR EASTERN/SOUTHEASTERN ZONES A LITTLE MORE QUESTIONABLE...SO WILL KEEP THOSE AREAS IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY. PROGGED LAPSE RATES AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE TONIGHT...SO THINK SEVERE THREAT WILL REMAIN LOW...UNLESS CONVECTION CAN DEVELOP A HIGHLY ORGANIZED COOL POOL. BIGGER CONCERN MAY BE HEAVY RAIN AS LOW LEVEL JET INTERACTS WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS 150-200 PERCENT OF NORMAL. BASED ON PROGGED LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES...THE GFS MOS LOWS TONIGHT LOOK A LITTLE COOL. WILL NUDGE UP THE GUIDANCE A FEW DEGREES. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... ISSUED AT 233 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 MODEL DATA INDICATE SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY. QUITE A BIT OF INSTABILITY NOTED ON THE MODELS AHEAD OF SYSTEM...BUT ACTUAL AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WILL PROBABLY BE AFFECTED BY WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT. IN ANY EVENT...WILL GO WITH HIGH POPS ALL AREAS MONDAY. LAPSE RATES AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE...BUT A MODEST LOW LEVEL JET COUPLED WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS 150-200 PERCENT OF NORMAL SUGGEST A HEAVY RAIN THREAT. MODELS SUGGEST FRONT WILL BE LOCATED OVER THE EASTERN/SOUTHEASTERN ZONES BY MONDAY EVENING...SO WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS DURING THE EVENING IN THOSE AREAS...CHANCE POPS ELSEWHERE. THINK PRECIPITATION THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH LATER IN THE NIGHT AS FRONT MOVES AWAY. WILL GO DRY ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WITH OPERATIONAL MODELS BRINGING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE INTO THE AREA. SOME OF THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE INDICATING THAT FRONT MAY GET TEMPORARILY HUNG UP NEAR THE OHIO RIVER...WHICH MAY PROLONG THE PRECIPITATION THREAT INTO TUESDAY. WHILE NOT A LIKELY SOLUTION AT THIS TIME...WILL KEEP ON EYE ON FUTURE TRENDS REGARDING THIS. WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS IN THE FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH DROPS INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. PROGGED LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES GENERALLY SUPPORT THE GFS MOS TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE THROUGH THIS PERIOD...SO NO SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE MADE. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... ISSUED AT 155 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 GUIDANCE IN FAIR AGREEMENT ON DRY WEATHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. THEN...CENTRAL REGION INITIALIZATION HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON BRINGING IN SHOWER CHANCES TO THE OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES ON SATURDAY AND PROGRESSIVELY SOUTHEASTWARD SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THE ONE EXCEPTION WOULD BE SUNDAY WHERE THE CR INIT POPS TURNED OUT BLOTCHY...SO JUST WENT WITH SMALL CHANCE ACROSS THE WHOLE FORECAST AREA THEN WITH THE FRONT MOVING THROUGH. TEMPERATURES SHOULD START OFF A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL ON THURSDAY WITH UPPER TROUGHING JUST TO THE EAST. THEN...TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO AROUND NORMAL BY FRIDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS MOVES ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. CR INIT TEMPERATURES SEEM TO REFLECT THIS WELL. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR 070000Z TAF ISSUANCE/... ISSUED AT 714 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 IFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AT KLAF WITHIN CONVECTION...POTENTIAL FOR MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY WITH STORMS AT ALL TERMINALS. INITIAL FOCUS EARLY THIS EVENING IS ON THE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX THAT HAS MOVED INTO FAR NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE THE COMPLEX HAS EXHIBITED SOME SIGNS OF WEAKENING...KLAF LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED DIRECTLY THROUGH 0130-02Z WITH IFR RESTRICTIONS AND POTENTIALLY STRONG WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH IN INTENSITY AFTER SUNSET AND ARE NOT EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE OTHER TERMINALS. FOCUS WILL THEN SHIFT TO ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. SHORT RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING AND EXPANDING CONVECTION INTO CENTRAL INDIANA PRIMARILY AFTER 06Z...CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY AS THE FRONT SLIDES ACROSS THE REGION. SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL GRADUALLY VEER TO SW THEN W/NW WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING MONDAY. MAY SEE MVFR CEILINGS DEVELOP IN WAKE OF THE FRONT TOWARDS THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JAS NEAR TERM...JAS SHORT TERM...JAS LONG TERM....MK AVIATION...RYAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 641 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 INZ031-038>042-045>049-051>057-060>065-067>069-072-072245- HOWARD-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-JENNINGS- 641 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS. TIMING: BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AFTER 200 AM. DISCUSSION: A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...BRINGING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE STORMS WILL NOT BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. LIGHTNING IS A THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. DISCUSSION: LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY BRINGING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON MONDAY. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ070-071-072245- LAWRENCE-JACKSON- 641 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...RIVER FLOODING. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS. RIVER FLOODING. TIMING: BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AFTER 200 AM. RIVER FLOODING ONGOING. DISCUSSION: A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...BRINGING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE STORMS WILL NOT BE SEVERE. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS REGARDING FLOODING ALONG THE MUSCATATUCK RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. LIGHTNING IS A THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE MUSCATATUCK RIVER. DISCUSSION: LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY BRINGING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON MONDAY. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ021-028>030-035>037-043-044-072245- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY-BOONE- VERMILLION-PARKE- 641 PM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS. TIMING: SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH 1000 PM. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT. DISCUSSION: A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...BRINGING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. LIGHTNING IS A THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. DISCUSSION: LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY BRINGING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON MONDAY. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:41 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A small, rotted tree was downed near County Road 225 West and Morehouse Road due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Some small branches were also downed.
A large oak tree was uprooted in Burden Cemetery near the intersection of Route 52 and Klondike Road due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts.
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, May 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: 386891, 386893.