Severe storms bring more than 11 inches of rain to Pulaski County

A massive storm system brought over 11 inches of rain and extremely high winds to the county on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and that was only the beginning of the week-long rainfall. On Tuesday, parking lots, residences, fields and roads were all in deep water for most of the day, with the storm starting in the early morning hours and not letting up until late afternoon. With this first major downpour of the week, areas throughout the county saw anywhere between 6 to 10 inches of rain, temporarily closing many county roads as well as portions of US 35. Peak wind estimates were between 60 and 70 mph. A maximum wind gust of 99 mph was measured in Gary and baseball sized hail (roughly 2.75 inches in diameter) was reported in neighboring Starke County. The National Weather Service (NWS) has preliminarily confirmed the event to be a derecho, but this will not be official until 2026 storm data is finalized. However, the NWS has stated that they are confident to confirm this as a preliminary derecho.