On April 24th's late day, a broad and deep stacked area of low pressure over northwestern North America, carried a trailing weak cold front and secondary disturbance across the western Midwest with a much weaker area of surface low pressure over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This placed central Indiana in the warm sector of the secondary disturbance, where a brief overlap of up to 1200 J/kg…
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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 April 24th's late day, a broad and deep stacked area of low pressure over northwestern North America, carried a trailing weak cold front and secondary disturbance across the western Midwest with a much weaker area of surface low pressure over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This placed central Indiana in the warm sector of the secondary disturbance, where a brief overlap of up to 1200 J/kg of CAPE to the west, and moderately strong vertical wind shear to the east produced a single severe cell that crossed the Indianapolis Metro before rotating, east of the city to Henry 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 24, 12:40 PM EST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 140 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers with a few storms this afternoon and evening - Warm and dry this weekend - Severe storms a concern from mid afternoon Monday into Monday night - Gradually cooler temperatures by late next week && .DISCUSSION (This Evening through Friday)... Issued at 140 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026 REST OF TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT Instability to this point has been minimized with the remnant convective cloud debris across the region. This has kept convection widely scattered with only a handful of lightning strikes. Breaks in the clouds has allowed for some surface heating focused especially across the southeast half of the forecast area. 17Z temperatures ranged from the upper 60s in the northern Wabash Valley to the mid and upper 70s over south central Indiana. The cold front is currently across east central Illinois and will continue to progress east through the afternoon. While instability has been limited to this point...there is likely to a subtle increase in CAPE values during the second half of the afternoon aided by the filtered sunshine. The expectation remains an uptick in convective coverage ahead of the front as a result...likely by 19-20Z and persisting into the early evening. There remains an isolated risk for damaging winds with any stronger cell as model soundings show the presence of dry adiabatic flow below 850mb...but largely anticipate subsevere convection with intensity levels pulsing as BL shear and SRH levels remain minimal. Convection will shift east out of the forecast area shortly after sunset. High pressure will build in tonight with skies clearing after midnight as progressively deeper subsidence advects south front he Great Lakes. The high will serve as the prevalent weather feature for the weekend as it drifts east into New England by Sunday. There is potential for scattered diurnal cu Saturday but strengthening subsidence will promote largely clear skies by afternoon and evening as ridging aloft builds in. Breezy northerly winds Saturday will veer to easterly Sunday as the high moves east. Abundant sunshine is expected once again Sunday with dry air and subsidence persisting over the ohio Valley. Highs both Saturday and Sunday will largely reside in the low and mid 70s. MONDAY SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL The extended model suite continues to show a consistent signal supporting a higher impact threat for severe weather across the Ohio and mid Mississippi Valleys Monday and Monday night. A vigorous and negatively tilted wave aloft will eject out of the Four Corners region on Sunday prompting rapid surface cyclogenesis over the High Plains by Sunday night. Further intensification of the surface low will take place Monday as it tracks into the Upper Midwest by late day at a 990-995mb strength. A rich surge of Gulf moisture will advect northward into the region in response to the deepening surface low with dewpoints rising into the low and mid 60s immediately ahead of the associated cold front. Much of the day Monday will be dry for the forecast area with robust convective development erupting in the vicinity of the nose of a 60+kt low level jet in the mid Mississippi Valley by mid afternoon. Scattered convection is possible across the western half of the forecast area by late afternoon but the bulk of the concern for severe weather and heavy rainfall will focus into the evening and early overnight as the low level jet moves across the region ahead of the cold front. The propagation of the low level jet into the area will contribute to enlarged and curved hodographs in the 0-3km layer by late day into the evening. 0-1 km SRH values exceeding 250 to 300 m2/s2 are present which would be more than sufficient for a tornado threat if convection can remain discrete through the evening. CAPE values in the 2000-3000 J/kg range appear plausible given the warm advection regime in the prefrontal environment. Convection along the front is likely to grow upscale into more of a linear mode by late evening with heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding increasingly becoming a threat with PWATS rising into the 1.50 to 1.75in range which is near 200% of normal for late April. The front will pivot through the forecast area after 06Z Tuesday with convection moving away to the east in the predawn hours. TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY In the wake of the cold front...a quasi-zonal regime aloft will develop with a broad upper level trough setting up over the eastern half of the country. Deeper moisture will shift well to the south of the region with a noticeably cooler and drier airmass for the region. Much of the rest of the week should be dry but the approach of an upper level wave by late next week will bring a threat for rain. Near seasonal temperatures for the middle of next week will gradually slide back to readings in the upper 50s and lower 60s to open up May. Depending on timing of any rain and associated clouds...there does appear to be some potential for patchy frost over parts of the forecast area by next Friday and Saturday. The overall cooler regime is likely to persist through the first week of May with multiple opportunities for rain. && .AVIATION (18Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 1234 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026 Impacts: - Wind gusts peaking at 20 to 25 kt through the afternoon - Rain with embedded thunderstorms focused especially from mid afternoon through early evening - Wind shift to northerly tonight, becoming gusty on Saturday Discussion: Widely scattered convection was moving across the northern half of central Indiana with a broader area of lighter rain over eastern Illinois. As the area of rain moves into western Indiana over the next few hours...expect an uptick in convective coverage with embedded thunder moving across the terminals through late afternoon and early evening. Will maintain the prob30s at all sites to highlight the uncertainty in thunderstorm potential. Gusty southwest winds will continue through the afternoon. Convection will be east of the terminals between 23Z and 01Z with the passage of a cold front. Winds will veer to northwest behind the front then northerly overnight as skies clear and high pressure builds in. A tighter pressure gradient in tandem with modest mixing through the boundary layer will support peak gusts into the 20 to 25kt range at times by midday Saturday. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && AVIATION...Ryan DISCUSSION...Ryan
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 307 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-251915- 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 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Through Tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms through late today will linger this evening. A few marginally strong to severe storms are possible...with damaging winds and lightning the greatest hazards. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. There is a greater potential for strong to severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated...but spotters are encouraged to monitor forecast trends for Monday. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind AGM
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
413 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026
INZ046-047-054-055-242045-
Johnson IN-Morgan IN-Hendricks IN-Marion IN-
413 PM EDT Fri Apr 24 2026
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Morgan,
northwestern Johnson, southeastern Hendricks and Marion Counties
through 445 PM EDT...
At 413 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Mooresville, or 19 miles southwest of Indianapolis, moving northeast
at 55 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Indianapolis, Greenwood, Plainfield, Beech Grove, Speedway,
Mooresville, Southport, Avon, Warren Park, Clermont, Monrovia,
Homecroft, Rocky Ripple, Wynnedale, Spring Hill, Crows Nest, North
Crows Nest, Monument Circle, Indianapolis Int'l Airport, and Lake
Hart.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 65 between mile markers 100 and 123.
Interstate 70 between mile markers 55 and 86.
Interstate 74 between mile markers 70 and 100.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3969 8595 3965 8595 3952 8651 3961 8659
3992 8622
TIME...MOT...LOC 2013Z 236DEG 46KT 3962 8646
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
KFThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:13 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Semi truck blown over on Indiana Route 39 by thunderstorm winds.
Thunderstorm wind gust measured at KIND Indianapolis Intl Airport; less than a mle to the south-southeast, several small empty shipping containers were blown across Perimeter Road.
Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees with multiple trees on trailer homes in Garden City area along US Highway 36 and one person injured.
Thunderstorm winds produced scattered downed trees across the mainly northern portion of downtown Indianapolis, from the IU-Indianapolis campus and Military Park to east side of downtown and the near northside where trees fell onto multiple houses; damage occurred as far northwest as Montcalm and 16th Streets.
|Trees reported on multiple houses near northside of indianapolis.
Multiple trees, power poles and lines downed in Henry County from thunderstorm winds, with this damage focused from Shirley to Kennard.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, April 2026
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: 1333640, 1333641, 1333643, 1333644, 1333642.