Edinburgh, Indiana - June 7, 2008 Flood

June 7, 2008 Flood

Several bouts of severe thunderstorm activity and heavy rainfall affected the Edinburgh area in early June 2008. The Big Blue River and Sugar Creek overflowed their banks as a result of this activity. However, the worst of the weather was to come. A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Central Indiana on the evening of June 6, 2008. These storms began to move south out of Edinburgh, weakening as daylight was lost. However, strong surface winds began to interact with a leftover outflow boundary from the earlier severe activity. As a result, new thunderstorm activity began to blossom and move to the east. This interaction produced what is known as a training effect, with thunderstorm after thunderstorm moving over the same area.

The first rainfall began to fall in Edinburgh at approximately 9:00 PM on the evening of June 6. The torrential rain would last until 12:00 PM on June 7. An unofficial rainfall total of 10.71 inches (272 mm) was measured in Edinburgh. Official National Weather Service rainfall totals across Central Indiana during this period ranged from 3.09 inches (78 mm) to 9.85 inches (250 mm). This water had no place to go as it struck the already saturated grounds, so runoff was extremely high. The Big Blue River and Sugar Creek began to rise rapidly. Runoff quickly flooded agricultural areas and much of this water made its way into several subdivisions in Edinburgh. Many homes were flooded with several feet of water. US 31, SR 252, and Interstate 65 were all flooded at the height of the flood, essentially cutting off Edinburgh from surrounding areas.