Scattered strong to severe storms developed on the afternoon and evening of the 4th focused over the eastern half of central Indiana. A measured 70 mph wind gust brought trees and limbs down near Greenfield, and penny to nickel size hail was reported from the eastern Indianapolis suburbs east into Hancock County.
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 strong to severe storms developed on the afternoon and evening of the 4th focused over the eastern half of central Indiana. A measured 70 mph wind gust brought trees and limbs down near Greenfield, and penny to nickel size hail was reported from the eastern Indianapolis suburbs east into Hancock County.
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 Sep 4, 3:30 PM EST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 430 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 127 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 WEAK BUT HOT HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY WILL PROVIDE WARM AND HUMID WEATHER THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND...HOWEVER MOST AREAS WILL REMAIN DRY...HOT AND HUMID. A WEAK COOL FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE AREA ON MONDAY NIGHT AND THIS WILL BRING SOME RELIEF TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY DURING THE NEXT WORK WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 127 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 SURFACE ANALYSIS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON SHOWS WEAK BUT BROAD AND POORLY ORGANIZED HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE ACROSS APPALACHIA AND THE OHIO VALLEY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A STRONG RIDGE IN PLACE ALOFT ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES...HOWEVER A WEAK UPPER LOW WAS CUT OFF FROM THE FLOW ALOFT OVER MICHIGAN. DEW POINT TEMPS REMAINED RATHER HUMID ACROSS THE REGION IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOWER 70S. MAIN FORECAST ISSUE FOR TONIGHT WILL BE POPS. GFS AND NAM CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THE CUT OFF LOW ALOFT WILL RETROGRADE AND SAG SOUTH SOMEWHAT INTO NORTHERN INDIANA OVERNIGHT. TIME HEIGHTS ONLY SHOW LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE AVAILABLE...REPRESENTING THE VERY HIGH SURFACE DEW POINTS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW A RELATIVELY DRY COLUMN WITH CONDITIONS ONLY FAVORABLE FOR DIURNAL CONVECTION DURING THE EARLY EVENING. RAPID REFRESH APPEARS A BIT OVERDONE WITH EXPECTED CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON...SHOWING WIDESPREAD COVERAGE. GIVEN THE RECENT TRENDS AND THE LACK OF ONGOING PRECIP WILL TREND BEARISH ON POPS. WILL BE UNABLE TO RULE OUT SOME LOW POP CHANCES EARLY THIS EVENING...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE NORTH...BUT WILL ATTEMPT TO TREND TOWARD A DRY A DRY FORECAST OVERNIGHT. AS FOR TEMPS...THERE CONTINUES TO BE LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL PATTERN. WILL STICK CLOSE TO PERSISTENCE. AGAIN WITH LIGHT WINDS...MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND VERY LOW DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS EXPECTED...FAVORABLE CONDITIONS WILL EXIST FOR FOG. THUS WILL CONTINUE WITH PATCHY FOG MENTION...PARTICULARLY AWAY THE THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... ISSUED AT 127 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 MODELS REMAIN IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT DURING THIS PERIOD AND WILL USE A BLEND. UPPER FLOW REMAINS HIGHLY AMPLIFIED THROUGH MONDAY WITH A STRONG RIDGE IN PLACE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND THE OHIO VALLEY. MEANWHILE AT THE SURFACE THE WEAK AND POORLY ORGANIZED HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM REMAINS IN PLACE...PROVIDING WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW AND VERY MOIST DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOW 70S. LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL PATTERN IS EXPECTED DURING THIS PERIOD AND WILL CONTINUE WITH A PERSISTENCE TYPE FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST PLENTIFUL LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE WITH DRY AIR ALOFT AND NO LIFT. EACH DAY FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW CONVECTIVE TEMPS IN THE UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90...WITH CAPE DIMINISHING EACH DAY...FALLING FROM AROUND 2000 J/KG ON SATURDAY TO NEAR 1200 J/KG ON MONDAY. WITH LITTLE SUPPORT IN THE AREA...ONLY CHANCES FOR PRECIP WILL BE DUE TO DIURNAL HEATING. AS THE HEAT BUILDS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...EVEN THAT WILL DIMINISH SOME AS CAPE LESSENS. THUS WILL PROBABLY NEED EVERY LOW POPS ON AT LEAST SATURDAY TO COVER FOR THE ISOLATED POP UP SHOWER...BUT MAY BE ABLE TO TREND TOWARD A DRY FORECAST ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY DEPENDING UPON COLLABORATION. AS FOR TEMPS...THICKNESSES AND 850MB TEMPS APPEAR RATHER STEADY STATE THROUGH THE PERIOD. THUS WILL TREND TOWARD A PERSISTENCE TYPE FORECAST FRO HIGHS AND LOWS. MAVMOS LOOKS TO HAVE A PRETTY GOOD HANDLE ON THAT. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... ISSUED AT 215 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 MODELS ARE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT THE SUPERBLEND INITIALIZATION WAS ACCEPTED FOR MOST ITEMS. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL FLATTEN OUT AND ALLOW UPPER TROUGHING TO BUILD INTO THE EASTERN USA. THIS WILL RESULT IN CHANCES FOR RAIN AND A COOLING TREND DURING THE LONG TERM. A COLD FRONT WILL GRADUALLY WORK ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE LONG TERM. THE RESULT WILL BE CHANCES FOR RAIN MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH BEST CHANCES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL START OUT IN THE UPPER 80S ON TUESDAY BUT END UP IN THE 70S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 042100Z IND TAF UPDATE/... ISSUED AT 430 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 NO CHANGES NEEDED TO THE TAF. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... ISSUED AT 1232 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 MVFR /POTENTIALLY IFR/ FOG AT ALL BUT KIND OVERNIGHT...OTHERWISE VFR. SCATTERED CUMULUS WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY NEAR KLAF...BUT ODDS OF THEM HITTING A TERMINAL ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE TAF. SHALLOW GROUND FOG LIKELY TO DEVELOP AGAIN TONIGHT AT ALL BUT KIND. PUT MVFR FOG WITH MENTION OF DENSE SHALLOW FOG. THIS WILL BURN OFF QUICKLY...BY 13Z. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...PUMA NEAR TERM...PUMA SHORT TERM...PUMA LONG TERM....50 AVIATION...50/MK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS 448 AM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-050900- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LAFAYETTE...FRANKFORT...KOKOMO... CRAWFORDSVILLE...ANDERSON...MUNCIE...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE... SHELBYVILLE...BLOOMINGTON...COLUMBUS...VINCENNES...BEDFORD...SEYMOUR 448 AM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING MAINLY NORTH OF THE I 70 CORRIDOR. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. HOWEVER WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY OUTBREAKS OF SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME. HAZARDS: CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. TIMING: LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. DISCUSSION: A VERY WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH LABOR DAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. OUTLOOK: A FEW LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH LABOR DAY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. A FEW STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING EARLY NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY OUTBREAKS OF SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME. DISCUSSION: A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE COMBINATION OF A VERY WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS AND A COUPLE OF WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCES WILL PRODUCE A FEW AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL INDIANA BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && 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), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and/or utility lines were downed due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. This was one of multiple locations.
Damaging thunderstorm winds of an estimated 70 mph was observed in this location.
An estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was observed in this location.
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, September 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: 598012, 598013, 598014, 598016.