Flash Flood — Johnson, Indiana

2008-06-07 · near Princes Lakes, Johnson, Indiana

Event narrative

Flash flooding occurred at the hospital and at least two bridges failed on county roads due to flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall and a breach in a dam. Large agricultural areas underwater. About 500 homes were flooded in Whiteland with all roads closed into the town. Multiple people were rescued from cars and homes. In Edinburgh, flooding left an estimated 40 to 50 homes uninhabitable. Bluff Creek flooded. The Prince's Lake area flooded as a man made dam eroded in sections and left a gash in the dam. In Franklin, apartments, shops, and homes were flooded. More than 400 water rescues took place in the county. Seventeen police cars were swept away.

Wider weather episode

Massive and historic flash flooding struck central Indiana. The Great Flood of June 2008 was one of Indiana's costliest natural disasters. Major roads and interstates flooded. 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 flash flooding occurring.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.3364, -86.1411)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 118337. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.