All posts by Jay Farlow

I'm Jay Farlow. W9LW is my amateur (ham) radio call sign. I've been a ham since 1973. I've been a volunteer storm spotter for the National Weather Service SKYWARN program since the 1970s. I've also been a volunteer EMT and firefighter and member of a disaster medical assistance team. I advise the leadership team of Associated Churches Active in Disaster, a ministry of Associate Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County. Learn more about w9lw at www.qrz.com/db/w9lw.

NWS northern Indiana office issues updated “Hazardous Weather Outlooks”

The northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service issued updated “Hazardous Weather Outlooks” at 5:03 p.m. EDT. It used slightly different wording for two parts of its 37-county warning area.

Regarding IMO SKYWARN quadrant two, the outlook reads as follows for Whitley and Huntington Counties:

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING WITH DAMAGING WINDS LIKELY.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

For the remainder of quadrant two, including Allen County, Indiana, the outlook reads,

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA MID TO LATE EVENING. DAMAGING WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

PDS severe thunderstorm watch for northwestern, north central Indiana until 10 p.m. EDT

Severe thunderstorm watch map

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 375
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
335 PM CDT MON JUN 30 2014

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN AND EASTERN ILLINOIS
NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN
EASTERN WISCONSIN
LAKE MICHIGAN

* EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 335 PM UNTIL
900 PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND SCATTERED SIGNIFICANT GUSTS TO 80
MPH LIKELY
ISOLATED LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
A TORNADO OR TWO POSSIBLE

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF
MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN TO 65 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF VALPARAISO
INDIANA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 373...WW 374...

DISCUSSION...FAR ERN IA DERECHO-PRODUCING MCS EXPECTED TO MOVE
MAINLY E THROUGH EARLY TNGT. THE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM WILL ENCOUNTER
SLIGHTLY LESS UNSTABLE LOW-LVL ENVIRONMENT OVER NE IL/SE WI RELATIVE
TO THAT OVER ERN IA/WRN IL. BUT GIVEN EXISTING STRENGTH OF
CONVECTIVE SYSTEM...AND LIKELIHOOD FOR SOME INCREASE IN THE MEAN
FLOW OVER NRN IL AS NW MO UPR IMPULSE APPROACHES...EXPECTED AN
ORGANIZED BAND OF SVR STORMS TO CONTINUE E AT LEAST AS FAR AS LK MI.
BACKING OF DEEP FLOW AHEAD OF MO IMPULSE...AND CONTINUED NWD SPREAD
OF LOW-LVL MOISTURE...FURTHER SUGGEST THAT THE SQLN COULD BUILD A
BIT FARTHER N INTO WI WITH TIME.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 27045.

Moderate risk area expands further into NW Indiana

Probabilities of damaging straight-line thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or greater within 25 miles of a point. Brown area: five percent. Yellow: 15 percent. Red: 30 percent. Purple: 45 percent (moderate risk) plus a 10 percent chance of “significant” gusts to 75 mph or greater. Highlighted counties: county warning area of the northern Indiana NWS office. Source: SPC “Day 1 Convective Outlook,” 12:33 p.m. EDT.

A larger portion of northwestern Indiana has a moderate risk of severe weather this afternoon and tonight, according to the updated “Day 1 Convective Outlook” that the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 12:33 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, the risk for IMO SKYWARN quadrant two did not change from the previous outlook.

The primary threat remains damaging straight-line thunderstorm winds or gusts of 58 mph or stronger but there’s also a risk of one-inch or larger hail and an occasional tornado.

In quadrant two counties covered by the slight risk area, the probabilities of severe weather within 25 miles of a point remain at 15 percent for winds of 58 mph or higher and one-inch or larger hail and two percent for a tornado.

The northwestern counties that are in the a moderate risk area have a 45 percent probability of 58 mph thunderstorm winds and a 10 percent probability of gusts to 75 mph or higher.

The next update to the convective outlook for today is due by 4 p.m. EDT.

Slight risk for severe weather this afternoon and tonight

Probabilities of damaging thunderstorm winds or wind gusts of 50 knots (58 mph) or higher within 25 miles of a point. Purple area: 45 percent. Red area: 30 percent. Yellow area: 15 percent. Brown area: five percent. Grey area outlined in black: 10 percent or greater probability of “significant” wind gusts of 75 mph or greater within 25 miles of a point. Highlighted counties: County warning area of the northern Indiana NWS office.

See an update to this post.

There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms in northeastern, northwestern and north central Indiana between 9 a.m. EDT today and 8 a.m. EDT tomorrow, according to the “Day 1 Convective Outlook” that the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 8:52 a.m. EDT.

The greatest threats are damaging straight-line thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or greater and hail of one inch or greater diamter. A small part of northwestern Indiana has an enhanced risk of “significant” damaging thunderstorms winds (gusts of 75 mph or greater).

The slight risk area includes the following counties in IMO SKYWARN quadrant two: Allen (Ind.), Whitley, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Blackford and parts of Jay and Paulding.

The counties (or parts of counties) listed above have the following probabilities of the following types of severe weather within 25 miles of a point:

Tornado Two percent
Damaging thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or greater 15 percent
Hail of one inch diameter or larger 15 percent

Some thunderstorms might occur this afternoon but the chance is greatest tonight, according to the “Hazardous Weather Outlook” that the NWS northern Indiana office issued at 4:28 a.m. EDT. That outlook indicates that SKYWARN storm spotter activation will likely be needed tonight.

As always when this amount of risk is present, people planning outdoor activities this afternoon and tonight should assure that they have a way of learning of any watches or warnings that the NWS might issue and a way to quickly take shelter. SKYWARN storm spotters should fuel up their vehicles, make sure their communications equipment is ready and review reporting criteria and procedures.

The SPC will next update its convective outlook for today by 12:30 p.m. EDT.

SPC changes its mind, puts northern Indiana under slight risk

Day 1 convective outlook map from 3:45 p.m. EDT
Probability of damaging thunderstorm winds or wind gusts of 50 knots (58 mph) or higher within 25 miles of a point. Learn why 15 percent is meaningful.

After issuing “Day 1 Convective Outlooks” at 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT that indicated no risk of severe weather today in Indiana, the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a revised outlook at 12:30 p.m. that indicated a slight risk of severe weather in most of the northern half of Indiana. That risk continues in the updated outlook that the SPC issued at 3:45 p.m. EDT.

The primary threat is damaging straight-line thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or stronger. The outlook indicates a 15 percent probability of such winds within 25 miles of a point. The probably of of a tornado in the area is less than two percent and the probability of large hail is less than five percent.

The slight risk area includes all of the 37-county warning area of the northern Indiana NWS office, except for a bit of the northwest corner. The slight risk area includes all county in IMO SKYWARN quadrant two.

The latest “Hazardous Weather Outlook” from the northern Indiana NWS office, issued at 12:36 p.m. EDT, indicated that SKYWARN spotter activation was not anticipated at that time.

Strong storms possible today and tomorrow, severe storms unlikely

thunderstorm clip art

There is a chance for thunderstorms today and tonight in northeastern Indiana, southern Lower Michigan and northwestern Ohio, but forecasters do not expect the storms to be severe, according to the “Hazardous Weather Outlook” that the northern Indiana National Weather Service (NWS) office issued at 5:25 a.m.

Wind gusts to 45 mph are possible, however, with the strongest storms, so it would be a good idea to put away any lightweight lawn furniture or anything else that could blow away. Some storms could also bring locally heavy rainfall.

There is a chance for more storms tomorrow (Tuesday, June 25), a few of which could produce isolated wind gusts approaching severe limits (58 mph). If that happens, it will most likely be east of Interstate 69.

NWS meteorologists did not anticipate any activation of SKYWARN storm spotters at the time they wrote the outlook.

NWS publishes summary of Wednesday storm damage

The northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service (NWS) published early this morning a summary of all the storm damage reports it received during and immediately after the severe thunderstorms that affected its 37-county warning area Wednesday, June 18. Here’s a link to the full report and below are excerpted the lines that refer to Fort Wayne and Allen County.

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0415 PM TSTM WND GST 5 SW FORT WAYNE 41.03N 85.20W
06/18/2014 M60 MPH ALLEN IN TRAINED SPOTTER

MEASURED 60 MPH JUST EAST OF AIRPORT BY SPOTTER WITH
HANDHELD MEASURING DEVICE.

0420 PM TSTM WND DMG FORT WAYNE 41.08N 85.13W
06/18/2014 ALLEN IN BROADCAST MEDIA

TREES AND UTILITY LINES DOWN AROUND COLISEUM AND
ANTHONY BLVD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

0425 PM TSTM WND DMG FORT WAYNE 41.08N 85.13W
06/18/2014 ALLEN IN TRAINED SPOTTER

MEDIUM SIZE TREE SPLIT WITH HALF ON GROUND.

0425 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NNE FORT WAYNE 41.11N 85.11W
06/18/2014 ALLEN IN PUBLIC

LARGE TREE SNAPPED AT THE BASE.