On the September 16th release of the drought monitor D2 (Severe drought) conditions expanded into Vermillion and Parke counties from Illinois as a result of a stretch of dry weather that began in early August. These conditions continued into October.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
On the September 16th release of the drought monitor D2 (Severe drought) conditions expanded into Vermillion and Parke counties from Illinois as a result of a stretch of dry weather that began in early August. These conditions continued into October.
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 Sep 16, 5:32 AM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 632 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry and very warm to hot conditions are anticipated through Friday - Drying fuels and low RH values each afternoon today through Friday may lead to elevated fire threat, but light winds should limit overall concerns - Next chance of rain and nearer to normal temperatures arrives this weekend && .SHORT TERM (Today and tonight)... Issued at 244 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 Fair, yet at times very warm conditions will continue across central Indiana through dawn Wednesday. A positively-tilted and narrowing upper level ridge will maintain its proximity from the southern Plains to southeastern Canada...while flanked by quasi-stationary troughs over both the northern High Plains and eastern seaboard. Broad but rather weak surface high pressure sliding from southeastern Canada to New England...will provide a light breeze locally, veering from northeast to easterly through the period. Resultant temperatures will continue to exhibit a larger diurnal spread with overall above normal readings led by afternoon highs. Afternoon maximums will range from mid-80s over north-central zones to low 90s along and southwest of a line from southern Vermillion County to the Bedford area. Tonight, minimums in the upper 50s will be common once again for most of the region, with lows closer to 60 degrees over southern counties and in Marion County. Given the maringally-hot readings and lighter winds expected today, an Air Quality Alert for higher levels of ozone will remain in effect until midnight tonight for Greene County down through the US- 50 corridor. && .LONG TERM (Wednesday through Monday)... Issued at 244 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 The persistent omega block over the country in the upper levels will maintain the ongoing stagnant pattern highlighted by hot and dry conditions through the end of the week. A stronger upper level low will shift into the northern Plains by this weekend and aid in breaking down the ridge over the Ohio Valley. This will allow temperatures to cool slightly while introducing a threat for isolated to scattered convection with the best chance for much needed rain and storms holding off until early next week as a cold front moves into the region. Wednesday through Friday Ridging aloft and at the surface will remain the prevalent features influencing weather over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. Dry weather with mostly clear skies are expected for the bulk of the second half of the week. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s each afternoon with lows in the upper 50s and lower 60s. The elevated fire weather threat will persist through Friday as minimum RH levels will fall into the 25-30% range each afternoon. Winds will remain variable in direction and largely at or below 10mph which will mitigate more critical fire weather concerns. Friday Night through Monday The approach of the upper trough to the west with subtle moisture recovery will at least present opportunities for isolated to scattered convection this weekend. The lingering presence of the surface ridge to the east and residual dry air and subsidence below 700mb will substantially hamper a greater convective risk for the region however. The antecedent dry conditions over the Ohio Valley will only amplify these challenges. Hard to justify more than chance pops for Saturday and Sunday with the possibility of many locations remaining dry. Increasing clouds associated with the upper level trough will bring an end to the hot temperatures over the next few days with highs pulling back to the low to mid 80s over the weekend. A weakening cold front will move into the region early next week with what is likely to be the best overall rain chances for the area over the next 10 days. Thermodynamic profiles improve with a slightly better influx of low level moisture by Monday afternoon which should enable a greater convective risk. In the wake of the frontal passage by early Tuesday...cooler air will briefly expand into the Ohio Valley as an upper low passes tracks from near James Bay into New England. Broad upper level ridging however will return to the region for the second half of next week lasting perhaps through the end of the month with a resumption of warm and dry conditions. && .AVIATION (12Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 631 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 Impacts: None Discussion: VFR conditions are expected through Wednesday morning over central Indiana terminals. A quasi-staionary upper-level ridge aligned from the Ozarks into the Great Lakes will be flanked by a weak disturbance over the Mid-Atlantic. FEW/SCT high clouds spinning off the western periphery of the disturbance into Indiana will oversee some afternoon cumulus. Light winds will veer from mainly northeasterly today to easterly tonight...with light southeasterly winds at KIND Wednesday morning. Sustained winds will be mainly under 7KT...and 5-10KT at KIND. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && SHORT TERM...AGM LONG TERM...Ryan AVIATION...AGM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 307 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-170715- 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- 307 AM EDT Tue Sep 16 2025 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Unseasonably high temperatures providing daily minimum relative humidity values of 25 to 35 percent...and rain-free conditions will dry out ground conditions through at least Friday...promoting an elevated fire weather threat during afternoon hours Wednesday through Friday. Overall lighter winds will mitigate this threat. Scattered showers Saturday through Monday may contain isolated thunderstorms at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind AGM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall amounts of only 1.55 to 2.00 inches over the month of September combined with amounts of less than an inch in August caused Severe Drought intensity to begin on September 16, 2025 in western Parke County. D2 conditions then continued into October.
Rainfall amounts of only 1.55 to 2.00 inches over the month of September combined with amounts of less than 2 inches in August caused Severe Drought intensity to begin on September 16, 2025 in southern Vermillion County. D2 conditions then continued into October.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, September 2025
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: 1290218, 1290236.