A decaying storm complex moved across central Indiana during the morning hours of April 5th causing gradient wind damage across the leading edge of light rain. Within this complex, thunderstorm winds caused more focused damage in a line from Gosport into Marion county.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 decaying storm complex moved across central Indiana during the morning hours of April 5th causing gradient wind damage across the leading edge of light rain. Within this complex, thunderstorm winds caused more focused damage in a line from Gosport into Marion county. Additional storms developed along and ahead of a line later in the morning and early afternoon causing additional wind damage and a weak EF-0 tornado in eastern Montgomery 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 Apr 5, 5:24 AM EST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 624 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 .Mesoscale Update... Issued at 620 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 Loosely organized cluster of convection over southern Illinois is struggling to establish a well-defined cold pool and grow further upscale. Nevertheless, longwave IR cloud top temperatures are cold and maintaining. GLM lightning trends have decreased only slightly. A 67 mph wind gust occurred at Carbondale recently. Convection is likely to maintain in a loosely organized state into southwest Indiana and further northeast through portions of central Indiana this morning as it traverses a broad warm advection regime. Isolated severe wind gusts are possible, but tornado potential would be dependent on better cold pool organization, and may also be somewhat tempered by slightly less low-level moisture (i.e., 12-14 degree 2-m T/Td spreads). && .Short Term...(Today and tonight) Issued at 256 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 Severe thunderstorms are possible today, although there are some negative factors for significant/widespread severe. Damaging winds and a few tornadoes are still possible. Hail is more conditional and should generally be limited in size and impact. Any significant severe should be localized, conditional, and dictated by the storm scale or mesoscale. Meteorological analysis and range of possibilities are covered in the analysis below. There has been a sizable shift in the character of the upstream mid- latitude cyclone in model data over the last few days. Early indications were a quicker lower amplitude scenario with jet exit region breaching the warm sector at a more orthogonal angle, resembling some of the more classic dangerous tornado scenarios of the past somewhere across the region. But the trend has been slower and more amplified with key elements for a significant larger scale tornado event now absent. Water vapor channel imagery shows an amplified trough centered roughly over the Rockies with deepening closed low over the eastern Dakotas. Models have the midlevel speed maxima downstream of the trough axis, and the strongest synoptic-scale ascent in its exit region shifting quickly into Canada today. The cold front will tend to outpace the trailing weakly cyclonic but intense midlevel flow and associated DCVA, and should be the primary forcing mechanism for convection in our area today. It should cross through during the afternoon, interacting with a deep subtropical plume of mid-high level moisture from the east Pacific that is clearly seen in CIRA layered moisture products spreading into the Ohio Valley. Within this deep moist plume, weaker midlevel lapse rates are present, and will likely limit destabilization somewhat. Nevertheless, at least modest instability will exist and in the presence of strong mass response (i.e., ~50+ knot low level jet) causing strong shear, will result in some severe thunderstorm potential. The coverage of convection may be high, resulting in complicated storm scale interactions and mergers, and limiting the opportunity for discrete storms. A QLCS forced/maintained by frontal convergence may be the most noteworthy convective feature for our area. However, satellite-derived layered moisture products show a pronounced northward surge of deeper low-level moisture in the central gulf coast states, helping to increase convective coverage over Arkansas. This is ahead of frontal forcing. The expansiveness and magnitude of this convection is currently in question, but it is occurring within a low-level warm/moist advection regime and within aforementioned mid-high level subtropical moisture plume. So, it should maintain in at least limited coverage. This could move into southern and portions of central Indiana during the early morning hours, preceding the frontal QLCS. Expected/possible scenarios with regards to convective evolution: 1. There could be just enough height falls/ascent, midlevel cooling, and low-level warm/moist advection for pre-frontal convection to increase early-mid morning. This would primarily be over the northwest half of Indiana, and seems low probability at this time. If it occurred, a marginal hail/wind threat could evolve, but diurnal minimum coupled with moistening/warming trend in the mid levels should preclude a more substantial threat. 2. Convection now in south-central Missouri and north-central Arkansas continues northeastward reaching southwest portions of the area by around 6am or shortly after. Parameter space would support a marginal hail/wind threat as well, but it may not be fully rooted in the boundary layer. 3. QLCS maintains and even reinvigorates some as it moves into central Indiana late morning through early afternoon and interacts with deep moist axis and modest diabatic surface heating. Shear vector orientations will be oblique, but sufficient in magnitude for some concern with localized surges and line reorientations supporting mesovortices and a few tornadoes. Otherwise, deep moist environment and water loading amidst at least modest instability will result in wind as the primary threat. The storm mode should limit or preclude the hail threat. Tight MSLP gradient and at least some mixing and momentum transfer could result in wind gusts at least approaching Wind Advisory criteria, albeit not as significant of a threat as the last two mid-latitude systems. We will continue the Windy Advisory, though it is low confidence relative to the previous two cases. Post-frontal gradient will be less than previous system as well, given the higher latitude track. Stronger winds aloft pass during the diurnal mixing minimum tonight, limiting potential for substantial wind speeds. && .Long Term...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 256 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 A quiescent synoptic pattern evolves in the long term period with stronger westerlies aloft relegated to higher latitudes and positive midlevel height anomalies dominating south of that. Post-frontal cold advection Thursday is modest and temperatures should be only slightly below early April climatology. A steady day to day warm-up is expected into early next week as midlevel heights become more positively anomalous. One weak perturbation over the Great Lakes by Monday is less pronounced than previous runs with minimal ascent interacting with a continental air mass. Deeper moisture at that time will be confined to the gulf coast region. Thus, precipitation seems unlikely. In its wake, an impressive plume of well mixed and adiabatically warmed air aloft originating in the semi-arid southwest will help us rise to well above climatology for what looks to be the majority of next week. Temperatures may reach the 80s by midweek, and dry conditions look to prevail. && .Aviation...(12Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 611 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 Impacts: * Low level wind shear this morning * Thunderstorm window 14-20z * MVFR stratus with rain/storms * Strong gusts up to 35-40 knots outside of storms before the front Discussion: Poor flying conditions are expected today with deteriorating ceilings, increasing storm coverage, and strong winds. Thunderstorms over southern Illinois should impact at least BMG and possibly IND and HUF early-mid morning, and additonal storms along the front will reach all TAF sites by midday and exit later this afternoon. Generally improving conditions are expected mid-late afternoon with departing rain and storms, slight decrease in wind, and return of VFR conditions. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for INZ021-028>031- 035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072. && Mesoscale...BRB Short Term...BRB Long Term...BRB Aviation...BRB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 332 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-060745- 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, Union City, Farmland, Parker City, Clinton, Fairview Park, Rockville, Montezuma, Rosedale, Greencastle, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Danville, Indianapolis, Greenfield, New Castle, Terre Haute, Brazil, Spencer, Gosport, Martinsville, Mooresville, Greenwood, Franklin, Shelbyville, Rushville, Sullivan, Carlisle, Shelburn, Farmersburg, Linton, Bloomfield, Jasonville, Worthington, Bloomington, Nashville, Columbus, Greensburg, Vincennes, Washington, Loogootee, Shoals, Bedford, Mitchell, Seymour, and North Vernon 332 AM EDT Wed Apr 5 2023 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. A few thunderstorms are expected early this morning across mainly western Indiana. Isolated hail up to the size of quarters and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible. A line of thunderstorms is expected to move through central Indiana from late morning through mid-afternoon. Damaging wind is the main threat with this line of storms, but a few tornadoes are also possible. Outside of thunderstorms, strong winds gusting to 45 MPH are expected today. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter reports would be helpful on Wednesday. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind
The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:37 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 6 high wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A 61 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust was measured at the KHUF ASOS.
Several reports of trees downed by strong gradient winds along the leading edge of light rain. One area between Bainbridge and Danville had a higher number of downed trees.
A 70 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust was measured at the KEYE ASOS. Significant tree damage also reported across northwestern Marion county which was outside the convective wind damage across the rest of the county.
Several reports of trees downed by strong gradient winds along the leading edge of light rain.
Several large trees and power lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Numerous reports of downed trees and power lines due to gradient winds on the leading edge of light rain. Most concentrated damage was in an area from Avon to Brownsburg to Clermont.
Several reports of trees downed by strong gradient winds along the leading edge of light rain.
A 62 MPH thunderstorm wind gust was measured at the KIND ASOS.
Large tree downed onto a car by thunderstorm wind gusts.
The tornado touched down on the west side of County Road 1050 East|just south of US Route 136. At this location, roof panels were|peeled back on a garage and center cut roofing material was thrown|500 yards. Some siding was peeled off the house.
The tornado moved northeast and crossed US Route 136 with|additional damage to two structures along East New Ross Road, a|house and an outbuilding. The wind entered the open door of the|outbuilding, blew out a wall panel and pulled nails straight out.|A short distance to the north, the house had its eastern garage wall blown out|after the corner of the structure bent inwards. A grill was|thrown to the east-northeast about 20 yards.
Thunderstorm winds caused roof and wall damage to a large metal shed and nearby building.
Two semi trucks were blown by thunderstorm wind gusts on Interstate 65 near mile marker 136.
Power poles snapped by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Several shingles from roof and roof's overhanging soffit blown off by thunderstorm winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2023Warnings in Indiana, April 2023
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: 1080510, 1080508, 1080511, 1080512, 1080498, 1080509, 1080513, 1080499, 1080500, 1080501, 1080502, 1080503, 1080504, 1093309.