Isolated thunderstorms on the afternoon of the 27th developed in the vicinity of a warm front over northern portions of central Indiana. Gusty winds associated with one of the storms as it moved across Madison County took down trees, power poles and power lines.
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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.
Isolated thunderstorms on the afternoon of the 27th developed in the vicinity of a warm front over northern portions of central Indiana. Gusty winds associated with one of the storms as it moved across Madison County took down trees, power poles and power lines. The town of Elwood was impacted.
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 27, 3:49 PM EST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 449 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 257 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH OF CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT BRINGING THUNDERSTORMS WITH IT. UPPER DISTURBANCES WILL KEEP CHANCES FOR RAIN AROUND INTO TUESDAY EVENING...THEN DRY WEATHER WILL RULE INTO THURSDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN. RAIN CHANCES RETURN FOR FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND WITH ANOTHER SYSTEM. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARM THROUGH THE WORK WEEK THEN COOL TO NEAR AVERAGE FOR THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 257 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 AN MCV IS GENERATING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...SCATTERED CONVECTION IS TRYING TO DEVELOP IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. INSTABILITY HAS INCREASED ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME SUNSHINE BREAKING THROUGH...AND IN THE WARM HUMID AIRMASS BEHIND THE WARM FRONT. WITH THIS ATMOSPHERE IN PLACE...FEEL THE STORMS ACROSS ILLINOIS SHOULD HOLD TOGETHER AS THEY PUSH INTO THE AREA. BASED ON LATEST MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS FEEL THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA HAS THE BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THUS WILL GO LIKELY POPS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS THE NORTH...WITH CHANCE POPS SOUTH. AS SPC HAS NOTED THERE COULD BE SOME SEVERE STORMS...WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. CHANCES FOR RAIN WILL THEN DIMINISH DURING THE LATE EVENING...BUT FEEL THAT THEY MAY INCREASE AGAIN OVERNIGHT WITH A POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX DEVELOPING TO THE WEST. WILL BUMP POPS BACK UP OVERNIGHT...BUT KEEP THEM IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY AS UNCERTAINTY IS HIGH ON HOW ANY COMPLEX WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE. WENT CLOSE TO OR ABOVE WARMER OF THE MOS NUMBERS FOR LOWS GIVEN EXPECTED CLOUD COVER AND WARM AIR BEHIND THE WARM FRONT. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISSUED AT 257 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 FOCUS IS ON CHANCES FOR RAIN THROUGH THE PERIOD. FOR THE MOST PART MODELS ARE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT A BLEND CAN BE USED...ALTHOUGH SOME OF THEM APPEAR TO SUFFER FROM CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK ISSUES. ALTHOUGH WARM FRONT WILL BE NORTH OF THE AREA EARLY ON TUESDAY...MODELS STILL SHOW SOME UPPER DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE DAY. SPC ALSO HAS THE NORTHERN AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS. WITH THE DISTURBANCES AND THE WARM FRONT STILL IN THE VICINITY IF NOT ACTUALLY IN THE AREA...FEEL THAT CHANCE POPS ARE WARRANTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. WENT CLOSER TO THE WARMER MAV FOR TEMPERATURES GIVEN HOW WARM THE AIRMASS IS TODAY BEHIND THE FRONT. KEPT LINGERING LOW CHANCES FOR STORMS ACROSS THE FAR NORTH TUESDAY EVENING...THEN WENT DRY AS FORCING FINALLY WANES. WENT CLOSER TO THE WARMER MOS NUMBERS FOR LOWS IN THE WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS. UPPER RIDGE THEN BUILDS IN AND PROVIDES DRY CONDITIONS FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE TRYING TO SHOW SOME CONVECTION ON THURSDAY...BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE CONSISTENCY IN THEM BEFORE ADDING CONVECTION THEN. THUS CONTINUED DRY FORECAST THURSDAY. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... ISSUED AT 212 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 EXTENDED IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON RETURN GULF FLOW AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO SLIDE SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST INDIANA BY SUNDAY MORNING AND SOUTH OF INDIANA LATE SUNDAY. UPPER DISTURBANCES WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND AROUND THE BASE OF UPPER MIDWEST LOW. THESE SOURCES OF LIFT IN ADDITION TO INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BRING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TO CENTRAL INDIANA THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY PER THE ALLBLEND. MID 80S TEMPERATURES LOOK GOOD FOR FRIDAY...BUT INCREASING CLOUDS SHOULD LIMIT AFTERNOON HIGHS A BIT ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ALLBLEND LOOKS GOOD. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 272100Z TAF ISSUANCE/... ISSUED AT 449 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 CONVECTIVE COMPLEX CONTINUES TO MOVE E/NE ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS AT 2030Z...WITH ADDITIONAL SCATTERED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE WARM FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. ALL SHORT RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE TRACKS THE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX OVER ILLINOIS INTO THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. ALL TERMINALS WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE COMPLEX THIS EVENING...WITH POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY WINDS AND IFR CONDITIONS WITHIN HEAVIER STORMS. BIGGEST IMPACTS LIKELY TO BE AT KHUF AND KLAF WHERE WIND GUSTS WITH STORMS MAY BE IN EXCESS OF 40KTS. 18Z DISCUSSION FOLLOWS. RAPID REFRESH SUGGESTS NORTHERN MISSOURI CONVECTIVE COMPLEX WILL STICK TOGETHER AND REACH HUF AND BMG AFTER 22Z. IND AND LAF ARE MORE PROBLEMATIC AS TO WHETHER THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE SYSTEM WILL CLIP THEM. FOR THAT REASONING WILL GO WITH TEMPO GROUP AT HUF AND BMG AND VCTS AT IND AND LAF AFTER 22Z. PRIOR TO THAT...COULD SEE SOME POP UP SHOWERS OR A THUNDERSTORM. WILL WAIT UNTIL LAST MINUTE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO THROW IN A VCTS OR TEMPO GROUP FOR THOSE. AFTER THE MISSOURI COMPLEX MOVES SOUTHEAST OF THE TAF SITES...MORE STORMS POSSIBLE UPSTREAM ESPECIALLY AFTER 05Z AND AT LAF. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY ON TIMING AND COVERAGE...WILL ONLY GO WITH VCTS AFTER 05Z AND END POPS AT 15Z AS THE WARM FRONT WILL BE WELL TO THE NORTH BY THEN. WARM FRONT SHOULD BE NEAR A HUF-BMG LINE BY ISSUANCE TIME AND REACH LAF AND IND AROUND 20Z. WINDS WILL BE SOUTHEAST 10 TO 15 KNOTS AT IND AND BMG TO START AND THEN SWITCH TO SOUTH WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. WINDS WILL PICK UP TOMORROW TO AROUND 15 KNOTS BY 15Z. VFR CONDITIONS TO START OFF BUT MVFR/IFR EXPECTED IN THUNDERSTORMS. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...50 NEAR TERM...50 SHORT TERM...50 LONG TERM....MK AVIATION...MK/RYAN VISIT US AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSINDIANAPOLIS WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSINDIANAPOLIS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 413 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-282015- 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- 413 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: LIGHTNING...HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL. TIMING: THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT. BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE BEFORE 1100 PM. DISCUSSION: AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA. OTHER SCATTERED STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. OUTLOOK: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE ON TUESDAY...MAINLY ACROSS AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. LIGHTNING IS A THREAT FROM ANY THUNDERSTORM. DISCUSSION: WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE TO PASS THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AS A WARM FRONT PASSES TO THE NORTH...BRINGING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED INTO THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF CENTRAL INDIANA. SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED ON TUESDAY. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
508 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013
INZ029-030-036-272200-
CLINTON-MONTGOMERY-TIPPECANOE-
508 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2013
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR WESTERN CLINTON...NORTHEASTERN
MONTGOMERY AND SOUTHEASTERN TIPPECANOE COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM EDT...
AT 503 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH OF CRAWFORDSVILLE...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
FRANKFORT...
CLARKS HILL...
COLFAX...
DAYTON...
MULBERRY...
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV
STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
&&
LAT...LON 4045 8669 4043 8669 4043 8667 4025 8643
4018 8662 4018 8669 4015 8669 4007 8689
4023 8708 4047 8673
TIME...MOT...LOC 2108Z 231DEG 23KT 4020 8692
TDUDThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:35 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Utility poles were downed in downtown Elwood by the hospital near the intersection of State Roads 13 and 28 due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. State Road 13 was closed due to sparking lines on the road and poles leaning into the roadway.
Three power poles were broken and several others were leaning near the intersection of County Roads 500 West and 1000 North due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. One or more of the poles were described as being major poles.
Road flooding was reported from the southern part of the county due to thunderstorm heavy rainfall. Some roads were impassable.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2013
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: 456570, 456574, 456578.