Most of the western half if Indiana, most of Illinois and parts of many other states to the south have a slight risk of severe storms today and/or tonight, according to the “Day 1 Convective Outlook” that the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued at 8:49 a.m. EDT.
The greatest threat in the slight risk area is damaging thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or greater.
National Weather Service makes Twitter accounts operational.
The northern Indiana NWS office (@NWSIWX) has been doing a great job with Twitter for some time.
I encourage SKYWARN storm spotters who have not yet embraced this medium — including my fellow ham radio operators — to do so, as I did recently.
One advantage of Twitter is the ability to easily include photographs for visual verification of spotter reports.
I welcome your comments, using the link under the title of this post.
Areas along the western edge of Indiana have a slight risk of severe weather between 8 a.m. EDT tomorrow and 8 a.m. EDT Friday, according the “Day 2 Convective Outlook” that the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 1:16 p.m. EDT. The slight risk area also includes most of Illinois and parts of several other nearby states to the west and south.
The greatest threat in the slight risk area is damaging straight-line thunderstorms winds of 58 mph or stronger, from a squall line that forecasters expect will develop tomorrow afternoon.
The SPC will update its outlook for tomorrow when it issues the first of several “Day 1 Convective Outlooks” at around 1 a.m.
There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms in parts of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin between 8 a.m. EDT tomorrow and 8 a.m. EDT Sunday, according to the “Day 2 Convective Outlook” that the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 2:03 a.m.
The slight risk area covers the northwestern half of the county warning area of the Northern Indiana NWS office. Except for a bit of northwestern Whitley County, IMO SKYWARN quadrant two lies outside the slight risk area.
That means that while thunderstorms are forecast in the Fort Wayne area for the popular Johnny Appleseed Festival, meteorologists do not at this time expect severe storms (i.e. storms with winds at or above 58 mph or hail of one inch diameter or larger) there.
The SPC will update its outlook for tomorrow by 1:30 p.m. EDT today.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage from Wednesday’s storm in Van Wert County yesterday. They found no evidence of a tornado touchdown but did find thunderstorm wind damage. Their preliminary report appears below.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 443 PM EDT THU SEP 11 2014 /343 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2014/ ...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 09/10/14 THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE IN VAN WERT COUNTY...OHIO. .THUNDERSTORM WIND... PEAK WIND: 60 MPH PATH LENGTH: 5.5 MILES SPORADIC STORM DAMAGE OBSERVED STARTING 5 MILES WSW OF DELPHOS...OHIO AND TRAVELING TO 1.5 MILES NW OF DELPHOS OHIO WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ALONG THE PATH THERE WAS CORN FLATTENED...TREES UPROOTED...AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A FEW BARNS. NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.
A suspected tornado struck eastern Van Wert County yesterday afternoon. A storm cell moved through eastern Van Wert County at 5:10 p.m. EST just west of Delphos and caused damage over a 1.5-mile-long area, according to Van Wert County Emergency Management Director Rick McCoy.
McCoy said that based on witness reports and observed damage, it appeared that a tornado moved through the area but he was waiting on official confirmation from the National Weather Service (NWS). A survey team from the northern Indiana NWS office is scheduled to assess the site this afternoon.
McCoy’s own survey of the area and interviews with residents provided the following information:
The possible tornado initially touched down in a corn field east of Brickner Road, one tenth of a mile south of Lincoln Highway, which is 1.25 miles west of Delphos. The damage path in the corn field was 25 yards wide, where some corn stalks had been flattened and others ripped out of the ground and carried across Brickner Road.
The storm then crossed Brickner Road, moving to the northeast through a bean field.
It then struck the Craig Beining property at 10671 Brickner Road, ripping numerous shingles off a barn roof and tearing a barn door off of north side of barn.
The storm then crossed Lincoln Highway and struck the Joe Wittler property at 23121 Lincoln Highway, where it uprooted a tree and tore numerous limbs out of several trees. It then ripped a barn door off the east side of a Morton building, ripped off a door on the north side of a larger barn and tore numerous slate shingles from the barn’s roof.
Wittler told McCoy he saw the storm approaching but the possible tornado was wrapped in rain, so all he could see was all the shingles from the neighbor’s barn swirling around in the rain as it came at him. He said he heard a loud “whoosh” and that it hit before the family could even get to the basement.
The storm path continued northeastward, cutting through two bean fields and then crossed Pohlman Road. It then cut through another bean field and then came to the Gordon Moenter property, located at 9874 Shenk Road
There, McCoy found a damage path in a field that was 25 yards wide. The storm split a large tree and tore the roof off of a barn. McCoy found the roof in splintered pieces across the road and in a bean field. The storm also tore the barn door off the east side of another barn.
The storm path then continued northeastward through two more bean fields, where the damage path ended before it reached the intersection of U.S. 30 and the Ohio State Route 66.
The total damage path was 1.5 miles long. No injuries or damage to homes were reported.
McCoy estimated the tornado as high end EF-0 damage.
The vigorous storm system that moved through the area yesterday had been forecast several days in advance with the possibility of isolated tornadoes.
The National Weather Service canceled tornado watch 502 for the following counties as of 6:23 p.m. EDT:
IN NORTHERN INDIANA JAY IN NORTHWEST OHIO ALLEN OH PUTNAM VAN WERT
The National Weather Service canceled tornado watch 502 for the following counties as of 5:47 p.m. EDT:
IN NORTHERN INDIANA: ADAMS ALLEN IN BLACKFORD DE KALB GRANT HUNTINGTON MIAMI STEUBEN WABASH WELLS WHITLEY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: HILLSDALE IN NORTHWEST OHIO: DEFIANCE FULTON OH HENRY PAULDING WILLIAMS
FLOOD ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 713 PM EDT WED SEP 10 2014 INC001-003-069-179-110215- /O.NEW.KIWX.FA.Y.0037.140910T2313Z-140911T0200Z/ /00000.N.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ ALLEN IN-HUNTINGTON IN-ADAMS IN-WELLS IN- 713 PM EDT WED SEP 10 2014 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED AN * URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR... NORTHWESTERN ADAMS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST INDIANA SOUTHERN ALLEN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST INDIANA EASTERN HUNTINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST INDIANA NORTHERN WELLS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST INDIANA * UNTIL 1000 PM EDT * AT 711 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER BOWERSTOWN...OR ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF HUNTINGTON MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. RAINFALL RATES OF 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO ONE AND ONE HALF INCH ARE LIKELY WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY... COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING. TO REPORT FLOODING...POST YOUR INFORMATION ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA FACEBOOK PAGE...OR YOU CAN POST ON TWITTER WITH THE HASHTAG... #NWSIWX.
If you read convective outlooks as much as I do (especially during severe storm season), you’ll likely encounter a reference to a “shortwave,” which is an abbreviated way to mentioning a shortwave trough (area of low pressure) in the atmosphere. Shortwaves can help create thunderstorms.
Meteorologist Jason Myers published an excellent, short video explanation of shortwaves. Check it out, it’ll only take you 65 seconds!
Update: The NWS has canceled the tornado watch for northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio counties.
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 501
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
155 PM EDT WED SEP 10 2014
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
WEST CENTRAL THROUGH EASTERN INDIANA
SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN
WESTERN AND NORTHERN OHIO
LAKE ERIE
* EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 155 PM
UNTIL 900 PM EDT.
* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
A FEW TORNADOES LIKELY
SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF TOLEDO
OHIO TO 20 MILES EAST OF BLOOMINGTON INDIANA. FOR A COMPLETE
DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
TORNADO WATCH 501 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
INC001-003-005-009-011-013-021-029-031-033-035-041-047-053-055-
057-059-063-065-067-069-071-075-079-081-093-095-097-103-105-109-
119-133-135-137-139-145-151-159-161-169-177-179-183-110100-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0501.140910T1755Z-140911T0100Z/
IN
. INDIANA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ADAMS ALLEN BARTHOLOMEW
BLACKFORD BOONE BROWN
CLAY DEARBORN DECATUR
DELAWARE DE KALB FAYETTE
FRANKLIN GRANT GREENE
HAMILTON HANCOCK HENDRICKS
HENRY HOWARD HUNTINGTON
JACKSON JAY JENNINGS
JOHNSON LAWRENCE MADISON
MARION MIAMI MONROE
MORGAN OWEN PUTNAM
RANDOLPH RIPLEY RUSH
SHELBY STEUBEN TIPTON
UNION WABASH WAYNE
WELLS WHITLEY
MIC059-091-115-110100-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0501.140910T1755Z-140911T0100Z/
MI
. MICHIGAN COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
HILLSDALE LENAWEE MONROE
OHC003-011-017-021-033-037-039-043-051-063-065-069-077-091-095-
101-107-109-113-123-125-135-137-143-147-149-159-161-171-173-175-
110100-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0501.140910T1755Z-140911T0100Z/
OH
. OHIO COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ALLEN AUGLAIZE BUTLER
CHAMPAIGN CRAWFORD DARKE
DEFIANCE ERIE FULTON
HANCOCK HARDIN HENRY
HURON LOGAN LUCAS
MARION MERCER MIAMI
MONTGOMERY OTTAWA PAULDING
PREBLE PUTNAM SANDUSKY
SENECA SHELBY UNION
VAN WERT WILLIAMS WOOD
WYANDOT