Flood — Jackson, Indiana

2008-06-05 to 2008-06-17 · near Freeman Arpt, Jackson, Indiana

Event narrative

Flood occurred along the East Fork White River in Jackson County, including in the cities of Seymour and Rockford, due to heavy rain. Water was over roads and houses were flooded in Medora. Water also affected several homes on the east side of Cortland and trapped some residents. In Seymour and Rockford multiple homes were affected by flood waters. many low spots around the county were flooded. Water rescues were made and a railroad bridge was washed out.

Wider weather episode

Massive and historic flooding struck central Indiana. In Indiana alone, flood waters affected over 25,000 people. This flood affected about 9% of the state's farmland. The Great Flood of June 2008 was one of Indiana's costliest natural disasters. Heavy rainfall on May 30th allowed streams and rivers to rise. Additional heavy rainfall on the 3rd and the 4th added to these high levels. Severe weather brought heavy rainfall on the 6th as well. The stage was set for historic flooding in portions of central and southern Indiana. The storms on the 6th exacerbated the situation by laying down a boundary in southern Illinois and southern Indiana. A moist southerly low level jet rode over this boundary for more than 12 hours continually generating showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall of two to nearly eleven inches fell across portions of central and southern Indiana. The impact of the rain was immediate with widespread flooding developing and major roads and interstates flooded. This episode is in reference to flooding of the East Fork White River.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.9247, -85.9358)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 116708. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.