A couple of rounds of severe thunderstorms moved across central Indiana during the long Memorial Day weekend. On May 26th, storms produced golf ball size hail, 70 mph damaging winds, and funnel clouds during the evening hours.
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.
A couple of rounds of severe thunderstorms moved across central Indiana during the long Memorial Day weekend. On May 26th, storms produced golf ball size hail, 70 mph damaging winds, and funnel clouds during the evening hours.
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 26, 5:40 PM EST, 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 640 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 .UPDATE... The AVIATION section has been updated below. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 152 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 An active weather pattern is taking shape for this weekend. HIgh pressure over Indiana is expected to quickly move east...this afternoon as a weak low pressure system over Illinois quickly moves across Northern Indiana tonight. This will spread showers and storms across the northern part of the state tonight. A weak high pressure system will then settle across the area for Saturday...bringing more dry weather for much of the day. Another quick moving upper level weather disturbance will arrive in the area on Saturday night. This will bring another round of showers and storms to Indiana. Dry weather is expected on Sunday morning before a cold front is expected to pass on Sunday afternoon and evening. Once again, this may bring a round of showers and storms. Slim Storm chances will linger on Monday as broad cyclonic flow will remain across the region...however many dry hours will be expected. With the exception of a secondary front bringing low chances for storms Tuesday...expect primarily dry weather for much of next week with seasonable temperatures. && .NEAR TERM /Tonight/... Issued at 152 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 Surface Analysis early this afternoon shows a ridge of high pressure over the Indiana/Ohio boarder. Compact Low pressure was found over western Illinois...surging eastward. Southerly flow was in place across Indiana with dew points in the 50s. Water vapor imagery shows a short wave associated with the over Iowa...drifting NE. GFS and NAM suggests the short wave will progress northeast across NRN Illinois toward Michiana. Rapid refresh depicts convection development mainly across the northern parts of the state from 22Z-03Z...progressing eastward. Southern parts of the convection area may be overdone. Forecast soundings show convective temperatures in the middle 80s and 700mb temps are near 8C...providing good cap. Thus the HRRR appears a bit over done with the southern extent of the showers and storm development this evening. Still Pop will be warranted given the dynamics...just will limit the highest pops to the northern areas as those locations will be in a better position to receive precipitation. Furthermore will taper pops off by 05Z-07Z as the wave aloft should be quickly departing by that time. Models appear in good agreement on temps and will stick close to the blend on expected lows. && .SHORT TERM /Saturday through Monday/... Issued at 152 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 Confidence in a dry Saturday is high. Forecast soundings and Time heights reveal a dry column. Weak high pressure in the wake of the departing low looks to be in place across the southern Great lakes...providing northerly flow. However...this does result in a warm front taking shape along the I-70 corridor...which will come in to play later. Thus will trend toward a partly cloudy sky on Saturday along with a blend on highs which should result in an outstanding weather day. Things change on Saturday night as the high quickly departs and another more organized shortwave pushes toward Central Indiana from the Central Mississippi valley. Positioning for this wave is much more favorable for Central Indiana...along with the some surface convergence available due to the lingering boundary that was previously mentioned. Models have backed off on the amount of instability as compared to yesterday...with CAPES now generally less than 1000 g/kg on Saturday night. While this will diminish the severe threat somewhat...showers and storms still cannot be ruled out given the expected dynamics. Will raise pops from the MAVMOS here...and trend lows toward wetbulbs. Confidence continues to grow for Dry weather on Sunday morning and early afternoon. GFS and NAM suggest that Indiana will once again be caught between two short wave at that time...as the Saturday Night system will have departed and the the next wave appears to be over Illinois...poised to arrive by late afternoon. Thus forecaster builder willing...we will try to keep pops out of the morning hours and begin a ramp up on Sunday mid-afternoon and evening as the expected dynamics approach from the west. Again a blend on highs will work fine. GFS suggests the quick moving wave should depart the area by 03Z- 05Z. Forecast soundings suggest rapid drying and subsidence in its wake. Thus will quickly taper pops toward dry on late Sunday night...trending temps at or below the blend. Models then depict broad cyclonic flow across the Great Lakes and Indiana on Monday. Yet another short wave is suggested to push through the circulation toward Central Indiana...but confidence for precip will be low at this point given the generally expected northwest flow of air to Central Indiana in the wake of the cold front. Still at this time forecast soundings are suggesting steep lapse rates and attainable convective temperatures...thus weak and light instability showers in the afternoon do not appear out of the question. && .LONG TERM /Monday Night through Friday/... Issued at 207 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 Ensembles in fairly good agreement during this period. An upper low will gradually shift east across the upper Great Lakes during the early parts of the extended, with the flow flattening out later next week. Ensembles suggest an upper disturbance may rotate through the area around the upper low in the Tuesday night or Wednesday time frame. Will put some chance PoPs in the forecast during those periods to cover this feature. Some of the ensembles suggest an upper disturbance may eject out of the southwest into the local area by late next week. Will put some chance PoPs in for next Friday at this time, however they may be needed for Thursday as well if the faster solutions come to pass. && .AVIATION (Discussion for the 270000Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 640 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 Conditions expected to deteriorate to IFR overnight, then return to VFR by 16-18Z Saturday. Scattered convection mainly within first few hours of valid time. Convection will impact KLAF through 01Z or so so have included that in the TAF. Went MVFR but IFR is certainly possible. South of KLAF uncertainty is high on how convection will develop. KIND has the highest chance, but even there feel only VCTS is prudent at the moment. Convection should exit the sites by 03-05Z. Afterward low level moisture will move in and allow ceilings to dip into IFR category. These will mix out during Saturday morning and into early afternoon. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...Puma NEAR TERM...Puma SHORT TERM...Puma LONG TERM....JAS AVIATION...50
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 413 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-271000- 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, and Seymour 413 PM EDT Fri May 26 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Outlook: Strong to severe thunderstorms possible. A Tornado Watch is in effect for Carroll, Howard, Tippecanoe and Warren counties through 9 pm. Hazards: Damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes, frequent lightning, and brief heavy rain. Timing: Severe 6 pm to Midnight. Lightning and brief heavy rain possible overnight. Discussion: A frontal boundary will combine with an upper wave over northwestern Illinois to trigger strong to severe thunderstorms tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Outlook: Thunderstorms are possible Saturday through Sunday and again at times over parts of central Indiana Memorial Day through Wednesday. Severe storms are possible Saturday afternoon and night and Sunday afternoon. Cloud to ground lightning, heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail will be threats. Isolated tornadoes will also be a threat Saturday afternoon and night and Sunday afternoon. Discussion: A frontal system will move across central Indiana Memorial Day weekend and spark strong to severe thunderstorms. More storms are possible next week over all or parts of the area. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is possible at times tonight, Saturday afternoon and night and Sunday afternoon. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:21 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A 16-inch diameter tree was downed in this location due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
Trees, approximately 10 inches in diameter, were downed in this location due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
A rain-wrapped funnel cloud was spotted near this location.
An estimated 70 mph thunderstorm wind gust was observed in this location.
Several reports of trees of up to 12 inches in diameter were downed across Crawfordsville due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
Tree limbs were snapped and several large signs were blown over, including a gas station price sign, due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Power was out for approximately 10 minutes.
Utility poles were laid down, power was reported to be out, and trees were downed due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
An amateur radio operator reported a measured 75 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2017
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: 702868, 702871, 702873, 702877, 702898, 702900, 702902, 702906, 702920, 702943, 703168, 703169.