Scattered thunderstorms developed during the mid afternoon hours ahead of an approaching cold front.
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 ILN wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed during the mid afternoon hours ahead of an approaching cold front.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 11, 11:52 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 1252 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 .SYNOPSIS... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL TRACK ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS WILL THEN MOVE IN THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS INTO THE REGION. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... HAVE LOWERED SKY COVER IN THE EAST THIS MORNING WITH THE UPDATE AND SUBSEQUENTLY RAISED TEMPS SLIGHTLY ALONG AND EAST OF I-71 CORRIDOR IN CWA. ADJUSTED THE ONSET OF SHOWERS TO A DELAY OF AN HOUR OR TWO BUT ONLY MADE MINOR CHANGES TO THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION. MODELS ARE NOT IN SOLID AGREEMENT WITH WHEN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...AND EVEN WHERE SHOWERS ARE NOTED THIS MORNING. GIVEN THE LACK OF A DECENT INITIALIZATION ON WHERE THE SENSIBLE WEATHER IS OCCURRING...I THOUGHT THAT PEELING BACK CHANCES AND TIMING OF PRECIP MORE WAS IN ORDER BUT STOPPED SOMEWHAT SHORT OF WHERE I WANTED AS A PRECAUTION. WHILE SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE WILL BE PULLED IN AHEAD OF THE SHOWERS...THEY WILL RACE AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND THE LOWER LEVEL SHEAR NEEDED TO PRODUCE ANY STORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE HELD BACK FROM THE ACTUAL STORMS. MID LEVEL VORT IS ELONGATED IN A N-S FASHION AND BASICALLY IS RIDING ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE DEPARTING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AT H5. THE STRONGER DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH ARE WELL WEST OF OHIO VALLEY TODAY AND SHOULD NOT AIDE IN THE ENHANCEMENT OF STORMS TO A SEVERE LEVEL. REGARDLESS OF THIS DISJOINT...THE ATMOSPHERE IS PRIMING AHEAD OF EXPECTED CONVECTION AND AT LEAST SOME MID LEVEL SPIN. THE HEATING AHEAD OF THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY LEAD TO DISCRETE CELLS AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM...SOME OF WHICH COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND ESPECIALLY DAMAGING WINDS. LATEST MODELS ARE HOLDING BACK ON THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE ACTUAL FRONT OVERNIGHT. THERE SHOULD BE A MARKED WIND SHIFT WITH DRIER AIR AND A RAPID CLEARING THIS LATE EVENING. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL BE ONGOING THROUGH TUESDAY WITH STRATOCUMULUS DEVELOPMENT PRIMARILY IN THE AFTERNOON. CLOUDS WILL DECREASE TUESDAY EVENING AND SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. STAYED CLOSE TO A MOS BLEND FOR TUESDAY HIGHS BUT THEN LEANED TOWARDS COOLER NUMBERS FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF TO THE EAST. TEMPERATURES WILL START TO MODERATE. A WARM FRONT WILL DEVELOP THURSDAY NIGHT AND LIFT TOWARDS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. THE BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN IN THE VICINITY OF THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THUS THERE WILL BE UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WITH THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER TEMPERATURES WILL RISE BACK ABOVE NORMAL. && .AVIATION /16Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CROSS THE AREA EARLY IN THE FORECAST...AS EARLY AS 19Z AT KCVG AND KDAY...BEGINNING A FEW HOURS LATER AT 21 OR 22Z AT KCMH/KLCK. HAVE THUNDERSTORMS IN FOR A 4-5 HOUR PERIOD IN THE VICINITY OF THE TAFS AND BROUGHT THEM IN WITH THE TEMPO GROUP FOR ABOUT A 2 HOUR TIME FRAME TO SHOW THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE A WASHOUT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. CIGS ARE GENERALLY VFR BUT MAY DROP TO MVFR DURING THE HEAVIER STORMS...AS WELL AS VSBYS SHOULD ONLY DROP IN THE CORES OF THE STORMS WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MISS THE AIRPORTS. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AHEAD OF THE LINE WILL SEE HIGHER GUSTS TO 30KT OR BETTER AS THE STORMS CROSS. THE WIND SHIFT WILL OCCUR AFTER SHOWERS HAVE EXITED THIS EARLY EVENING AND A RELATIVELY QUICK CLEARING IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. COLD POOL IN THE POST-FRONTAL ATMOSPHERE WILL PROBABLY BRING IN SOME STRATUS IN THE NORTH ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS EVERYWHERE TOMORROW IN THE LATER MORNING AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER MIXES. FURTHER SOUTH TOWARDS CVG/LUK WILL HAVE LESS CHANCE AT ANY CIGS AND BE MORE SCATTERED FAIR WX CU WITH SOMEWHAT LIGHTER WINDS DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. OUTLOOK...MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY IN SHOWERS. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...FRANKS SHORT TERM... LONG TERM... AVIATION...FRANKS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 907 AM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-121000- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS-HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE- SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON- FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE-FAYETTE OH-PICKAWAY- FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING-HAMILTON-CLERMONT-BROWN- HIGHLAND-ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 907 AM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA AS THE AIR MASS BECOMES MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND A DISTURBANCE HEADS INTO THE REGION. BESIDES HELPING TO TRIGGER THE STORMS...THIS DISTURBANCE WILL CAUSE WINDS TO STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE DEPTH OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THE COMBINATION OF INSTABILITY AND STRONGER WINDS WILL RESULT IN FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR STORMS TO STRENGTHEN AND POSSIBLY BECOME SEVERE. IF SEVERE STORMS DO OCCUR...THEN THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE GREATEST BETWEEN 3 PM AND 10 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
112 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015
OHZ079>081-111745-
ADAMS OH-BROWN OH-HIGHLAND OH-
112 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN HIGHLAND...EASTERN
BROWN AND NORTHWESTERN ADAMS COUNTIES THROUGH 145 PM EDT...
AT 109 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
WINCHESTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
STORM HAZARDS INCLUDE...
WINDS TO 40 MPH...
PENNY SIZE HAIL...
SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
SEAMAN...FINCASTLE...EMERALD...MAY HILL...
BELFAST AND SERPENT MOUND.
LAT...LON 3912 8362 3911 8341 3894 8341 3880 8362
3893 8380
HATZOSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
156 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015
INZ074-075-080-KYZ089>091-111830-
SWITZERLAND IN-OHIO IN-DEARBORN IN-BOONE KY-CARROLL KY-GALLATIN KY-
156 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN GALLATIN...
CARROLL...BOONE...SOUTHEASTERN DEARBORN...OHIO AND SWITZERLAND
COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT...
AT 155 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MOUNT
STERLING...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
STORM HAZARDS INCLUDE...
WINDS TO 50 MPH...
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...
SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...WARSAW...RISING SUN...
UNION...LAWRENCEBURG AND BURLINGTON.
ALSO...MARKLAND...JACKSONVILLE...ETHRIDGE...CENTER SQUARE...
FAIRVIEW...FLORENCE...ALLENSVILLE...EAST ENTERPRISE...QUERCUS GROVE
AND ABERDEEN ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM.
RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT. IF THIS STORM BECOMES
STRONGER...THEN A WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.
LAT...LON 3911 8486 3896 8460 3894 8461 3870 8500
3881 8513The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:59 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large limbs were downed across central Franklin County.
An outdoor barn and storage facility were damaged.
Several trees and power lines were downed in the vicinity of West County Road 300N and North County Road 150W.
Two semi trailers were blown into the median of I-70 near the State Route 1 interchange.
A tree was uprooted and damage occurred to an exterior porch addition.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2015
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: 566176, 566178, 566182, 566183, 566184.