During the afternoon and evening hours of July 11th, a series of thunderstorms moved across central and north central Indiana producing widespread damaging winds and large hail. Significant power outages occurred across Indianapolis and surrounding cities.
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.
During the afternoon and evening hours of July 11th, a series of thunderstorms moved across central and north central Indiana producing widespread damaging winds and large hail. Significant power outages occurred across Indianapolis and surrounding cities. During the overnight hours, a more robust line of thunderstorms brought additional wind damage and large hail to areas that had already experienced thunderstorms earlier in the day.
Many areas had several rounds of thunderstorms. Times were not always exact and could have been from one of several thunderstorms.
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 Jul 11, 1:50 PM EST, 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 250 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 .UPDATE... The LONG TERM Section has been updated below. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 148 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 A pair of upper level weather disturbances will push across Indiana tonight and on Sunday. This will bring chances for showers and thunderstorms to Central Indiana to close out the weekend. High pressure is then expected to build across the area for the start of the work week...providing dry weather with slightly below normal temperatures. A warm front is expected to push across the area on Tuesday. This will usher hot and humid air back to Central Indiana...along with chances for daily showers and thunderstorms for the middle and latter part of the work week. && .NEAR TERM /Tonight/... Issued at 148 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 Surface analysis early this afternoon shows high pressure in place across the lower Mississippi river Valley and Low pressure over upstate NY. This was resulting in a light W-NW flow across Indiana...with dew point temps mainly in the low to mid 60s. A convective complex was found over eastern IA and Nrn IL...pushing SE within the flow aloft. The air mass ahead of the approaching convection and subtle short wave will be marginally favorable for convection. Forecast soundings show CAPE around 1500 J/kg along with convective temperatures in the upper 80s which should be reached. HRRR shows scattered convection arriving late this afternoon and into the early evening within the NW flow aloft. Thus will focus some pops late this afternoon and early this evening given the impact of daytime heating. Better forcing looks to arrive overnight in association with the approaching short wave over the upper Midwest. Time Height at that time suggest deep moisture and lift in play. HRRR at that time also suggests more widespread precipitation overspreading the area. Thus will once again trend pops higher after midnight and into early Sunday as this feature pushes across the area. Given the expected clouds and possible precip...will trend lows at or above the NBM. && .SHORT TERM /Sunday Through Tuesday/... Issued at 148 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 GFS and NAM show the short wave departing on Early Sunday morning. However forecast soundings by Sunday afternoon again show favorable conditions for convection with steep lapse rates...CAPE over 2500 J/KG and pwats over 1.5...and convective temps in the lower 80s. Thus will keep some pops in the forecast on Sunday through the hours of Diurnal heating. However of note..any afternoon convection should be much more isolated. Forecast soundings show good subsidence within the column on Sunday afternoon into Sunday Night....as mid levels show good drying. Meanwhile at the surface high pressure is expected to build across Indiana and the Great Lakes...lowly passing across the area through Tuesday. As the high pressure passes along with the NW flow in place aloft on the lee side of an upper ridge over the plains...more subsidence will be expected through Tuesday. With Northeast winds expected around high...Dry weather will be expected on Monday through Tuesday with slightly below normal temperatures. && .LONG TERM /Tuesday Night to Saturday/... Issued at 234 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 Upper high pressure will expand into our area through the long term. Recent models continue to trend with the high not moving into the area quite as much as previous runs, thus have also been trending towards highs only getting into the low 90s rather than mid 90s or slightly higher. This will also place the region under more zonal flow as well as on the periphery of the high... in these cases, slight upper wave and mesoscale disturbances become more influential for rain chances. These conditions lead to lower confidence on specific rain events through the long term as models fluctuate. Have generally accepted guidance, but did cap PoPs at chance. && .AVIATION /Discussion for the 11/18Z TAF Issuance/... Issued at 149 PM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 VFR conditions are expected to prevail through the TAF period with the exception of a few sites getting down to MVFR within storms and expected lower ceilings tomorrow morning ahead of a front. A frontal system will bring a line of storms into the area starting tonight and lasting through the day tomorrow. Some isolated storms are possible through the rest of this afternoon and evening, ahead of the system. Winds will be shifting with the passage of the front from westerly to northerly, which models show will pass through central Indiana during the morning to midday hours. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...Puma NEAR TERM...Puma SHORT TERM...Puma LONG TERM....KH AVIATION...KH
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 420 AM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-121015- 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 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, Terre Haute, Brazil, Clay City, Spencer, Martinsville, Mooresville, Greenwood, Franklin, Shelbyville, Rushville, Sullivan, Linton, Bloomfield, Bloomington, Nashville, Columbus, Greensburg, Vincennes, Washington, Loogootee, Shoals, Bedford, Mitchell, Seymour, Brownstown, and North Vernon 420 AM EDT Sat Jul 11 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Outlook: Thunderstorms possible late this afternoon and tonight. A few storms may be severe this evening...especially over western portions of central Indiana. Hazards: Damaging winds...large hail...lightning and locally heavy rainfall. Timing: Storms possible anytime after 4 pm. Greatest threat for severe weather this evening. Discussion: Today will be mainly dry as high pressure shifts east. An upper level disturbance will approach the area by late day with chances for thunderstorms increasing from late this afternoon into tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Outlook: Showers and thunderstorms will continue on Sunday. Daily chances for isolated to scattered thunderstorms will return Tuesday night and continue into next weekend. Heat index values could approach 100 across all of central Indiana on Thursday and Friday. Discussion: The upper level disturbance will move across the Ohio Valley on Sunday...bringing the best chance for numerous showers and thunderstorms through the next week. After a couple dry days... thunderstorm chances return Tuesday night through Friday along with a return to hot and humid conditions. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this evening. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind Ryan
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:26 UTC.
33 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Large tree uprooted onto a house due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
Tree limbs, trees, and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts in in the nearby area.
Trained spotter estimated a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust at this location. Power was out at his location as well.
Tree limbs, trees, and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts in the nearby area. A roof was blown off a house near the intersection of State Road 39 and County Road 700N.
Tree limbs, trees, and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts in the nearby area.
Numerous trees reported down across Hamilton County. Location is approximate due to a lack of detail on any specific location for damages.
Reports received via twitter showing several trees downed in and around the town of Noblesville.
Six inch tree limbs snapped due to thunderstorm wind gusts at this location.
Large tree uprooted due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
Numerous trees downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts between Greencastle and Fillmore. 0.5 inch hail also occurred at the same time.
Numerous trees and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts in a line stretching from the northwestern portions of the county to Newport.
Tree downed on a house due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
Trees downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the southern portions of Parke County with the majority near Rosedale.
Several large tree limbs and small trees downed to thunderstorm winds near this location.
Power lines and power poles downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts near this location.
Several hailstones up to an inch. Many smaller hailstones.
Numerous trees were downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the county but no specific locations were noted.
Tree and power line downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts near the intersection of State Road 446 and US 50.
Several trees damaged due to thunderstorm wind gusts at this location.
Trees downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the southeastern portions of the county.
Several power lines and power poles snapped due to thunderstorm wind gusts along US 50 and across points to the south.
Tree limbs of unknown size downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was estimated at this locaion.
Standing water in a few parking lots and a couple of roads across the town.
Tree and power line downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
A tree was downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts and knocked down power lines.
Trees downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the northern portions of the county. No specific locations or size of tree was given.
Thunderstorm wind gusts downed a tree that knocked down a power line. US 50 was closed for 3 hours before the line and tree could be removed.
Trees downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts at Lester Square Memorial Park.
Several trees and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the central and southern portions of the county with no specific locations noted.
Power lines were downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts. Exact locations were not noted.
Tree downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts on Byerly Road.
Tree downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts at this location.
Tree was downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts and was blocking the road. Numerous power outages noted in nearby areas.
Power poles and power lines downed due to thunderstorm wind gusts near Sweetwater Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, July 2020
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: 895625, 895627, 895628, 895629, 895630, 895631, 895633, 895636, 895637, 895635, 895638, 895639, 895640, 895641, 895642, 895643, 895645, 895644, 895646, 895647, 895648, 895650, 895652, 895653, 895654, 895658, 895657, 895659, 895660, 895661, 895662, 895663, 895664, 895665, 895666, 895667, 895668, 895669, 895670, 895671, and more.