A band of showers and thunderstorms developed and pushed across northern portions of central Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of May the 28th. These storms produced large hail, damaging thunderstorms wind gusts, and flash flooding.
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 band of showers and thunderstorms developed and pushed across northern portions of central Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of May the 28th. These storms produced large hail, damaging thunderstorms wind gusts, and flash flooding.
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 28, 3:24 PM EST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 424 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 .UPDATE... The AVIATION Section has been updated below. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 244 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 A frontal system is expected to linger over the local area into Thursday, before getting pushed off to the southeast. Another frontal system may affect the area over the upcoming weekend. High pressure is expected by early next week. && .NEAR TERM /Rest of This Afternoon and Tonight/... Issued at 244 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 Short term model data suggest an elongated area of mid level vorticity extending from southwest Michigan back into Illinois will be moving over northeast half of the forecast area later this afternoon and evening. Convection is currently developing near this feature. This morning's upper air indicates very steep lapse rates over the area, along with favorable deep layer shear for strong organized convection, especially over the northern zones. There is also a cap present. Not sure how far south the convection will get through the early evening hours, due to the presence of the cap, but will expand the PoPs farther south and west through the early evening hours. This feature expected to pass off to the east around 290100Z, so there may be a lull in the convective threat by that time. However, the trailing vorticity tail may hang back over the central and northern zones tonight. This, coupled with about 30 kts of westerly flow at 850mb, suggests there is potential for additional convection later tonight. Remnants of current convection out by the Mississippi River may also move into the local area later this evening as well. Based on above, will keep PoPs going over the area tonight. May hold off on any likely PoPs due to potential capping issues and low confidence in future tracks of any convective clusters and associated outflow boundaries. Low level thicknesses suggest the GFS MOS lows tonight look OK at this time. && .SHORT TERM /Wednesday through Friday/... Issued at 244 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 Upper troughing currently over the Rockies and western Plains is expected to drift east and gradually shear out across the Great Lakes by Thursday night. Appears the weather pattern will remain unsettled into Thursday, as a frontal system lingers in the area. Will keep PoPs in the forecast into Thursday night to cover the lingering front, although convective outflows will probably dictate where the effective boundary will be. Developing northwesterly upper flow should help to give the front a better shove off to the southeast by Friday. Will lean towards drier conditions by then. && .LONG TERM /Friday Night through Tuesday/... Issued at 244 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 Ensembles indicates a change in the overall weather pattern will occur during this period. Mean upper troughing is expected to develop over the eastern parts of the country, while mean upper ridging builds over the Plains. Ensembles suggest a frontal system may drop southeast through the area over the upcoming weekend. Will go with chance PoPs for Saturday and Sunday to cover this feature. Another disturbance may move into the area by next Monday night and Tuesday. Will bring in some chance PoPs to parts of the area at that time as well. && .AVIATION /Discussion for the 282100Z KIND TAF Update/... Issued at 417 PM EDT Tue May 28 2019 Scattered convection occurring near an elongated area of vorticity currently moving into northwest Indiana. Short term model data suggest this feature will pass near the KIND terminal early this evening. As a result, there is a threat for convection in the vicinity of the KIND terminal for a time, roughly 282200Z-290100Z. Previous discussion follows. Mainly VFR through the afternoon, but some scattered thunderstorms developing around KLAF over the next couple of hours. Southward extent of storms far less confident so will not include thunder at other sites. Overnight into the morning could see another round go through, but again timing/extent less certain so will probably go VCSH then. Possible MVFR ceilings will move into KLAF as they are in place north of boundary that is just north of there, so may include those in a tempo. Otherwise where they will wind up tonight is very dependent on what the boundary does, and that is low confidence. Occasional wind gusts to 20 to 25 kts out of the southwest will remain possible through the rest of the afternoon until around sunset. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JAS NEAR TERM...JAS SHORT TERM...JAS LONG TERM....JAS AVIATION...CP/JAS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 417 AM EDT Tue May 28 2019 INZ021-028>031-035>049-057-290830- Carroll-Warren-Tippecanoe-Clinton-Howard-Fountain-Montgomery-Boone- Tipton-Hamilton-Madison-Delaware-Randolph-Vermillion-Parke-Putnam- Hendricks-Marion-Hancock-Henry-Rush- Including the cities of Delphi, Flora, Williamsport, West Lebanon, Lafayette, West Lafayette, Frankfort, Kokomo, Attica, Covington, Veedersburg, Crawfordsville, Lebanon, Zionsville, Tipton, Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville, Anderson, Muncie, Winchester, Clinton, Newport, Rockville, Greencastle, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Danville, Indianapolis, Greenfield, Cumberland, New Castle, and Rushville 417 AM EDT Tue May 28 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Outlook: Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and tonight. Isolated severe storms are possible. Hazards: Damaging winds, large hail, locally heavy rain and frequent lightning. Timing: After 200 PM EDT. Discussion: A front along with an upper wave will bring chances for showers and thunderstorms to the area this afternoon and tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Outlook: Thunderstorms are possible over all or parts of the area at times into next weekend. Severe storms are possible on Wednesday. Discussion: A few fronts will bring chances for thunderstorms at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed Wednesday. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind INZ051>056-060>065-067>072-290830- Vigo-Clay-Owen-Morgan-Johnson-Shelby-Sullivan-Greene-Monroe-Brown- Bartholomew-Decatur-Knox-Daviess-Martin-Lawrence-Jackson-Jennings- Including the cities of Terre Haute, Brazil, Clay City, Spencer, Martinsville, Mooresville, Greenwood, Franklin, Shelbyville, Sullivan, Linton, Bloomfield, Bloomington, Nashville, Columbus, Greensburg, Vincennes, Washington, Loogootee, Shoals, Bedford, Mitchell, Seymour, Brownstown, and North Vernon 417 AM EDT Tue May 28 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Outlook: Thunderstorms are possible tonight. Isolated severe storms are possible. Hazards: Damaging winds, large hail, locally heavy rain and frequent lightning. Timing: After Midnight EDT. Discussion: A front along with an upper wave will bring chances for showers and thunderstorms to the area tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Outlook: Thunderstorms are possible over all or parts of the area at times into next weekend. Severe storms are possible on Wednesday. Discussion: A few fronts will bring chances for thunderstorms at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed on Wednesday. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:34 UTC.
4 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter reported hail mostly to the size of nickels, with a few as large as quarters.
Several 4 to 6 inch tree limbs were snapped near Oakwood Drive in Williamsport due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. This report was relayed by social media.
Several trees were downed in Kokomo due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
Some intersections were flooded in Kokomo due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. This report was received via social media.
Water was reported to be flowing over the road at Courtland and Kokomo due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. A car was stuck in a viaduct on Sycamore Street downtown.
County Dispatch reported several roads in Burlington had water flowing over them with a focus on the south side of town due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall.
County dispatch reported that they had closed numerous streets due to standing water from heavy thunderstorm wind gusts. At 10:00pm, there were at least 6 roads with water flowing over them.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2019
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: 831809, 832101, 832102, 832096, 832097, 832098, 832100.