Flash Flood — Jefferson, Indiana

2022-09-03 · near Manville, Jefferson, Indiana

Event narrative

A 64 year old woman was killed when water left the banks of Brushy Fork and swept away her house on Brushy Fork Road. A barn and all the family's belongings were also swept away in the flood waters. The body of the woman was found 5 miles downstream by family members after first responders suspended their efforts overnight. The value of the damaged property is unknown.

Wider weather episode

During the afternoon and evening hours of September 3rd, a combination of a moist, unstable environment and relatively light steering level winds over the Ohio Valley facilitated the development of slow moving showers and thunderstorms which produced heavy rainfall across southern Indiana. Several broken lines of convection drifted from west to east across the region, spurred on by 1000-1500 J/kg MLCAPE and Precipitable Water values approaching 2 inches. A weak mid-level low across the mid-Mississippi Valley also contributed to broad uplift across the region, with precipitation being widespread across most of the lower Midwest and Ohio Valley during the afternoon of September 3rd. Where heavy thunderstorms lingered the longest, flash flooding was reported, with rainfall reports exceeding 10 inches in isolated areas. This heavy rainfall contributed to particularly severe flash flooding in Jefferson County, Indiana along Brushy Fork, where several homes were washed away and one fatality was reported.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.8248, -85.2335)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1052133. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.