Dead Battery??

[NY-95Touring]

On the way home from work tonight my gauges suddenly went dead including the amber message center (car ran fine). The turn signals worked. When I parked it and tried to restart it......nothing, not even a click. The locks work, and the message center works with the key in the ignition and door open (msg about key in ignition). When I switch the ignition on I end up with check engine and parking brake light (even though the brake isn't on).Any ideas? Dead battery?
PS: Car (95 525I Touring) sat through a heavy thunderstorm today.

[Unregistered]

My battery just went dead a couple days ago but when it was dead NOTHING worked. Not even the locks, I spent 2 days breaking into my car. I don't think its the battery but if there is an autozone near you where you can grab one pick one up and try it out. They will let you return it if it turns out the battery isn't the problem.

[Elekta]

3.0 v8 or the in line 6?

Smell any melted plastic or rubber?

Alternator charred?

battery cables melted?

Flood waters, wet engine compartment, look at the electronics...if it killed your battery, work back from there.

[Tiger]

Probably alternator died... running off your battery. Happened in rain... possibly something shorted out. Check fuses.

[NY-95Touring]

Thanks for all the ideas folks. I had her towed home today. The tilt back driver tried his car starter....no difference. So I ordered a fusible link (no one in town, including the BMW dealer had one). It was suggested on http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e34/
Hopefully that will do the trick. Thanks! PS: Let you know if that's the problem.
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Electrical/Fusible_link.htm