Yellow area indicates a slight risk of severe weather between 8 a.m. Thursday, May 9 and 8 a.m. Friday, May 10, based on a Day One Convective Outlook issued by the Storm Prediction Center at 8:21 a.m. Thursday, May 9. (All times EDT.)

There is a slight risk of severe in much of northern and central Indiana today, including many of the counties served by the northern Indiana National Weather Service (NWS) office and all the Indiana counties of IMO SKYWARN’s quadrant two (Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Blackford and Jay). The slight risk area also includes a small part of Van Wert County, Ohio.

According to the Day 1 Convective Outlook that the NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 8:21 a.m. EDT this morning, thunderstorms could begin by this afternoon. The outlook indicates a 15 percent chance of damaging thunderstorm winds within 25 miles of any point and the same chance of hail of one inch diameter or larger.

The outlook forecasts an atmosphere that will be barely unstable enough for severe storms to develop. If any severe storms form, the forecasters believe those storms will weaken by evening.

At 4:28 a.m. EDT today, the northern Indiana NWS office issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook that indicates severe storms are more likely this evening than this afternoon. It reads, “Spotter activation may be needed this evening.”

Keep an eye on the SPC website for any mesoscale discussions that it might issue, as they’ll provide advance notice of thunderstorm watches. Meanwhile, if severe thunderstorms develop, remind your friends and family that they can be more dangerous than tornadoes, as the June, 2012 derecho demonstrated!