INDIANAPOLIS — Central Indiana faced a night of chaos on Wednesday as severe storms rolled through, bringing 70 mph winds and a 4/5 moderate risk for severe weather. The powerful system caused extensive damage across various communities and tragically resulted in at least one confirmed death.
MORE | ALERT: Severe storms and heavy rain expected through tonight
THE AFTERMATH
6:20 p.m. — Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam issued a Local Disaster Emergency Declaration. The declaration helps to ensure the city has the resources and support due to the impact of the tornado on April 2.
"This declaration allows us to streamline processes, cut red tape and prioritize what truly matters—helping our community rebuild," said Mayor Finkam. "My team and your city councilors are working tirelessly to ensure a quick recovery—a special thank you to our city council for expediting appropriations for our recovery efforts."
The declaration remains in effect through Thursday, April 10.
5:25 p.m. — NWS confirms another EF-1 tornado with 120 mph winds in Parke County.
4:45 p.m. — An EF-0 tornado is confirmed in Vigo County by the NWS. The tornado began near the Illinois/Indiana line and traveled toward Goshen producing damage.
4:00 p.m. — EF-1 tornado damage in Carmel is confirmed by the National Weather Service. The organization will continue to assess damage to the northeast into eastern Hamilton County, Madison County and Delaware County on Friday.
3:30 p.m. — In a special meeting Thursday, Carmel City Council unanimously voted to provide $300,000 to help pay for cleanup expenses in the aftermath of storms.
1:45 p.m. — Governor Mike Braun activated the Indiana National Guard to aid with storm recovery across the state. The Hoosier Guardsmen will assist with damage and recovery operations, as well as bagging operations for flood prevention.
MORE | Indiana National Guard activated for storm recovery efforts
1:30 p.m. — The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado with 80 mph winds in Lawrence County, near Bedford, Indiana.
11:45 a.m. — Utility companies have a long road ahead to restore power to the thousands that were affected by storms. In a Thursday afternoon update, they said more than 74,000 customers have been restored.
MORE | Duke Energy restores power to thousands after severe Indiana storm
11:30 a.m. The National Weather Service has sent crews to assess the damage in Indiana. They confirmed that an EF-2 tornado caused damage just east of Brownsburg.
MORE | National Weather Service confirms EF tornado damage in Brownsburg
10 a.m. - Just before 10 a.m., official reports of a storm-related death came in. The Hendricks County Sheriff's Department reported that a 27-year-old man was killed after coming into contact with downed power lines.
MORE | 27-year-old Danville man dies due to downed power lines caused by storm
7 a.m. - As the sun broke through on Thursday, the full extent of the storm's devastation became clear. Significant damage was reported across multiple counties, with particularly severe impacts observed in areas like Brownsburg and Carmel, leaving residents to pick up the pieces.
Light and drone footage captured the significant damage of the Sur La Table warehouse in Brownsburg.
POSSIBLE TORNADO IN CARMEL
11 p.m. — Video footage captured by Andrew Snider shows what appears to be a tornado in Carmel, taken from an apartment near 116th Street and College Avenue.
FLOODING
10:50 p.m. — According to IMPD, vehicles were found in high water at Southeastern and S Sherman. Fortunately, there were no occupants in the vehicles.
These are photos of vehicles in high water at Southeastern and S Sherman at 10:50 PM. There were, thankfully, no people in the vehicles.
— IMPD (@IMPDnews) April 3, 2025
Please don't put your vehicle or your life at risk by driving into water when you don't know how deep it is. https://t.co/hStcbpfHqL pic.twitter.com/vZrkaziE8n
TRAFFIC ALERTS
10:30 p.m. — INDOT reported an overturned semi which caused major blockage of traffic on I-65 southbund, just northwest of Indianapolis.
Severe storms have caused downed trees, power lines and other damage across east central Indiana. ⛈️
— INDOT East Central (@INDOTEast) April 3, 2025
This is a view of I-65 SB on the northwest side of Indianapolis (MM 126), where all lanes are blocked due to an overturned semi. ⛔️ pic.twitter.com/4lsyP3xVw2
PERSON TRAPPED IN BROWSBURG
10:07 p.m. — According to Brownsburg Police Department, major damage was reported at several businesses, including Kohl's, Sur La Table warehouse and a HomeGoods warehouse.
Law enforcement confirmed they were working to free a person trapped inside the Sur La Table distribution center in Brownsburg. There were initially two missing and one entrapped. Both individuals missing were found by other employees, and the entrapped individual was successfully extricated and transported to a trauma hospital.
WATCH | Woman hospitalized after warehouse is torn apart by severe weather
Power Outage Reports
9:55 PM - Statewide power losses by this time, AES Indiana reported approximately 15,000 customers without power. Duke Energy also noted that around 16,000 customers were affected. In Carmel, the Hamilton County Emergency Management reported around 4,000 people without power.
9:50 PM - Over 9,000 residents in Brownsburg were without power, according to Hendricks Power. It was just the beginning of a widespread issue impacting several areas.
TORNADO WARNINGS
8: 15 p.m. - Beginning at approximately 8:15 PM, the first tornado warning was issued for Vigo, Vermillion, and Parke counties. This was followed by a series of warnings affecting several additional counties, including Parke, Putnam, Hamilton, Marion, Boone, Hancock, Madison, Tipton, Lawrence, Martin, Jackson, Johnson, Shelby, Henry, and Rush. These warnings extended until as late as 11:30 PM
4:20 p.m. - The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch for parts of Central Indiana until 11 p.m.
3 p.m. - SEMI TRUCKS ROLL OVER ON I-65: The severe weather alerts began with strong winds. Indiana State Police reported that a strong wind gust caused semi trucks to roll over on I-65 northbound near the Lowell exit ramp on Facebook. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Video and photos of 3 of the rollovers on I-65 NB near the Lowell exit. No injuries reported. @cbschicago @RegionNewsNow @nbcchicago @ABC7Chicago @WGNtraffic @fox32news @WBBM1059Traffic @nwi @NWINews @indiana105 @lakecounty911 @MikePTraffic @INDOTNorthwest pic.twitter.com/ikq586ov1a
— Sgt. Glen Fifield (@ISPLowell2) April 2, 2025
