Thunderstorms developed in warm and unstable air ahead of a cold front during the afternoon of Easter. Temperatures ahead of a warm front warmed into the middle 70s across parts 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.
Thunderstorms developed in warm and unstable air ahead of a cold front during the afternoon of Easter. Temperatures ahead of a warm front warmed into the middle 70s across parts of central Indiana. Moisture also flowed in from the south. This provided enough instability to work with wind shear to produce the severe storms. Ping pong ball size hail fell in some areas, and hail was common with the storms during the 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 27, 3:12 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 412 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 319 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 A WARM EARLY AFTERNOON WITH A SOUTHWESTERLY BREEZE WILL GIVE WAY TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE DRY AIR ADVECTING IN BRINGS THEM TO AN END. UPPER RIDGING WILL CROSS CENTRAL INDIANA MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT KEEPING THE WEATHER DRY...BUT CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS MONDAY NIGHT COULD LEAD TO SOME NEAR FREEZING LOWS AND FROST. THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH RAIN CHANCES HOLDING ON THROUGH FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 319 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWS SCATTERED TO BROKEN CU FORMING ACROSS EASTERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA AT 3 PM. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S WITH ONE LONE 68 READING AT KLAF. WINDS WERE SOUTHWESTERLY AROUND 10-12 KTS WITH SOME SITES GUSTING AROUND 20-25 KTS. A COLD FRONT STRETCHED FROM LAKE MICHIGAN THROUGH CENTRAL ILLINOIS INTO SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI. LAPS CAPES RANGED FROM 0 IN THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES TO AROUND 1400 J/KG ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES...WITH A SHARP GRADIENT FROM VINCENNES TO DANVILLE TO KOKOMO WHERE DEW POINTS DROP OFF SHARPLY TO THE NORTH AND WEST. GIVEN THE INSTABILITY AND INCREASING LAPSE RATES OVER MUCH OF THE AREA EXPECT TO SEE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT YET THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. HI RES MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT THROUGH THE DAY SHOWING INITIATION AROUND 20-21Z AND WILL KEEP THIS GOING. WITH UPPER FORCING APPROACHING...ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AND COLD FRONTAL FORCING MOVING IN AS WELL...COMBINING THESE WITH AFOREMENTIONED INSTABILITY AND STEEP LAPSE RATES SHOULD PRODUCE SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE MOST LIKELY TIMING FOR SEVERE AROUND 5-10 PM. POST-FRONTAL AREA HAS SOME SHOWERS WITH IT CURRENTLY ACROSS WESTERN ILLINOIS AND EXPECT THAT TO CAUSE SOME WIDESPREAD RAIN OVERSPREADING THE AREA TONIGHT AFTER THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE OUT. WHILE MOST OF THE AREA SHOULD BE DRY BY AROUND 6Z SOME SHOWERS COULD HANG AROUND IN THE NORTHEAST...CLOSEST TO THE WRAPAROUND AREA OF THE LOW...SO HELD ONTO CHANCE POPS THERE UNTIL VERY LATE. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... ISSUED AT 319 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 THE SHORT TERM WEATHER WILL BE DOMINATED BY AN UPPER RIDGE MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA AND BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS WITH IT. COOL HIGHS IN THE 50S CAN BE EXPECTED MONDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE STRONG FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE COLD ADVECTION COULD KEEP CLOUDS AROUND THROUGH THE MORNING BUT SHOULD SEE SCATTERING AND THEN CLEARING AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. MONDAY NIGHT HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AND SKIES WILL CLEAR AND WINDS DROP TO NEAR CALM. USED A MOS AVERAGE FOR LOWS NEAR FREEZING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...AND ADDED SOME PATCHY FROST IN THE SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES WHERE FROST/FREEZE PROGRAM HAS BEGUN. DRY AND UNEVENTFUL WEATHER FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WITH HIGH SIN THE MID 50S TO LOW 60S AND LOWS IN THE 40S. WEDNESDAY THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH. LOOKS LIKE THE MORNING WILL REMAIN DRY BUT BY AFTERNOON THE AREA WILL BE IN THE WARM SECTOR OF AN APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM AND COULD SEE SOME CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE IN FROM THE WEST. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... ISSUED AT 311 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 ENSEMBLES HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT WITH MOVING THE NEXT SYSTEM INTO THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY WITH THE MAIN FRONT MOVING THROUGH AT THIS TIME...CLOSER TO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. LEFT IN CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS AS INSTABILITY LOOKS VERY GOOD. DESPITE THE TIMING OF THIS FRONT MOVING THROUGH OVERNIGHT...BELIEVE THE VERY GOOD FORCING COUPLED WITH REASONABLY HIGHER INSTABILITY PARAMETERS SO FAR THIS SEASON WARRANTS AT LEAST A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MENTIONED IN THE FORECAST FOR ALL OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A FEW ISOLATED TSTORMS MAY REMAIN IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT MOVING THROUGH AND DEPICTED THIS IN THE FORECAST EARLY THURSDAY ROUGHLY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 12Z TO 15/16Z AND THEN WENT WITH LOWER CHANCES OF SHOWERS FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. PER THE LATEST GUIDANCE...THE BOUNDARY DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE LEAVE THE OHIO VALLEY REGION UNTIL LATER THIS WEEKEND. AND MAY ALLOW A SECONDARY COLD FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH DURING THIS TIME. THEREFORE DUE TO THIS AFOREMENTIONED LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY NEEDED TO MENTIONED AT LEAST 20 TO 30 PERCENT POPS FOR FRIDAY AS WELL...THEN FINALLY THIS PESKY BOUNDARY APPEARS TO DROP SOUTH OF THE REGION ALLOWING CENTRAL INDIANA TO BE DRY BY FRIDAY NIGHT AND THROUGH MOST OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...MILD FOR EARLY IN THE PERIOD THEN COLDER WITH THE LINGERING BOUNDARY AND POSSIBLY THE AFOREMENTIONED SECONDARY COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE FOR THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 27/21Z TAF UPDATE/... ISSUED AT 412 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 CHANGES MADE FOR VEERING SURFACE WINDS. REMAINDER OF TAFS IN GOOD SHAPE. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS. VFR FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN DETERIORATING TO MVFR THIS EVENING AS THE FIRST LINES OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO ROLL ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. DID NOT NEED TO MAKE MANY CHANGES TO THE CURRENT AVIATION FORECAST. THE TIMING APPEARS TO BE VERY GOOD ACCORDING TO THE LATEST TRENDS PER RADAR/SATELLITE/OBSERVATIONS AND NEAR TERM GUIDANCE. HOWEVER...WHAT IS HARD TO DO IT NAIL DOWN ANY SPECIFIC TIMING AND GO WITH EITHER A PREVAILING THUNDERSTORM GROUP OR EVEN TEMPO. FOR NOW LEFT IN VCTS WITH CB MENTIONED AND AS THE LINE FAR OFF TO THE WEST DEVELOPS MORE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING...IT IS POSSIBLE SOME MORE SPECIFIC TIMING CAN BE INCLUDED WITH REGARD THUNDERSTORMS IMPACTING ANY ONE SITE OR SITES. THE COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED LINE OF SHOWERS AND/OR STORMS SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE AREA VERY QUICKLY THIS EVENING AND LEAVE THE TERMINALS DRY BY MIDNIGHT. HOWEVER AN INVERSION WILL DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN AND KEEP A SOLID STRATO CU DECK ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL INDIANA UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY MONDAY. THE ONLY REALLY MAJOR UPDATE THIS TAF PACKAGE WAS TO ADD MVFR CEILING AROUND 11-13Z MONDAY MORNING FOR ALL THE TERMINALS AND NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHEN...IF EVER THIS DECK WITH MIX OUT AS THE INVERSION LOOKS VERY STRONG. SO ENDED THIS FORECAST WITH MVFR CEILINGS. WINDS FOR THIS REST OF THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE SOUTHERLY UP TO 12 KNOTS WITH GUSTS 18 TO 20 KNOTS. WINDS TONIGHT WILL BECOME NORTHWEST UP TO 15 KNOTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE ARE THIS EVENING... AND THEN RETURN TO AROUND 10-12 KT SUSTAINED WITH POSSIBLY SOME LINGERING 18-20 KT GUSTS AT A FEW OF THE SITES BY 12Z MONDAY MORNING. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...CP NEAR TERM...CP SHORT TERM...CP LONG TERM...SMF AVIATION...SMF/NIELD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1009 AM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 INZ030-031-036>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-281415- CLINTON-HOWARD-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...FRANKFORT...KOKOMO...CRAWFORDSVILLE... ANDERSON...MUNCIE...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...SHELBYVILLE... BLOOMINGTON...COLUMBUS...VINCENNES...BEDFORD...SEYMOUR 1009 AM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. TIMING: THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DISCUSSION: AN UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL TRIGGER WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS AND A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK THAT THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AT TIMES. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. DISCUSSION: ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM ENTERS CENTRAL INDIANA. DRY CONDITIONS AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN TO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ021-028-029-035-281415- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-FOUNTAIN- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...LAFAYETTE 1009 AM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: STRONG WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND LIGHTNING. TIMING: THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. DISCUSSION: AN UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL TRIGGER WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS AND CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG AT TIMES WITH GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. DISCUSSION: ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM ENTERS CENTRAL INDIANA. DRY CONDITIONS AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN TO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. && 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
501 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016
INZ031-038-272145-
HOWARD IN-TIPTON IN-
501 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN HOWARD AND TIPTON
COUNTIES UNTIL 545 PM EDT...
AT 501 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
TIPTON...OR 14 MILES SOUTH OF KOKOMO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
KOKOMO...TIPTON...WINDFALL CITY...GREENTOWN...SHARPSVILLE...WINDFALL AND
INDIAN HEIGHTS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO
STATIONS AND AVAILABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
&&
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR
CENTRAL INDIANA.
LAT...LON 4040 8586 4022 8603 4022 8624 4023 8624
4056 8610 4057 8587
TIME...MOT...LOC 2101Z 211DEG 36KT 4027 8612
NIELDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
525 PM EDT SUN MAR 27 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0516 PM HAIL GREENTOWN 40.48N 85.96W
03/27/2016 E0.25 INCH HOWARD IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JJKThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
26 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down near the front of the courthouse due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Penny to nickel sized hail was also observed.
The largest stones were quarter size.
A tree was downed due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts between Paragon and Eminence near the Morgan and Owen county line.
Dime to nickel sized hail was reported at 53rd Street and Columbus Avenue in south Anderson. Hail was also reported at 42nd Street and Scatterfield Road.
Dime to quarter size hail was reported from this location.
A tree was downed on Route 43, two miles northwest of Cincinnati, Indiana due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
Quarter size hail was observed on the south side of Indianapolis near Highway 31 and Thompson Road.
Ping pong sized hail was observed near Southport High School.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, March 2016
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: 624752, 622625, 622626, 622627, 622628, 622629, 624753, 622630, 622631, 622632, 622633, 622634, 622637, 624754, 622638, 622641, 622642, 622645, 622648, 622651, 622653, 624755, 622657, 622658, 624756, 624757, 624758, 624759, 624760.