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.
From the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 910 PM EST MON NOV 18 2013 /810 PM CST MON NOV 18 2013/
...EF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN VAN WERT COUNTY... ...EF2 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN PUTNAM COUNTY...
ALL INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TRACKED EAST ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA SUNDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 17. WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS TRAVELED ACROSS THE REGION TO SURVEY AREAS OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE RESULTS OF SOME OF THE SURVEYS ARE BELOW.
...TORNADO /VAN WERT COUNTY OH/...
RATING: EF-1 MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEED: 100 MPH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED PATH WIDTH: 150 YARDS PATH LENGTH: APPROX. 2 MILES START TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 447 PM EST END TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 449 PM EST LOCATION: TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED ABOUT 0.3 MILES SOUTH OF ELM SUGAR ROAD AND DONER ROAD INTERSECTION AND LIFTED JUST SOUTH OF THE PAULDING COUNTY/VAN WERT COUNTY LINE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF CONVERSE ROSELM AND KIDNER ROADS. DESCRIPTION: THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE ON TUESDAY.
...TORNADO /PAULDING COUNTY OH AND PUTNAM COUNTY OH/...
RATING: EF-2 PATH LENGTH: 8 MILES MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEED: 130 MPH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED PATH WIDTH: 440 YARDS START TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 451 PM EST END TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 459 PM EST LOCATION: TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED ABOUT 0.25 MILES SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 66 AND COUNTY LINE ROAD IN SOUTHEAST PAULDING COUNTY AND LIFTED ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLOVERDALE IN WEST CENTRAL PUTNAM COUNTY. DESCRIPTION: THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE ON TUESDAY.
This just in from the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 811 PM EST MON NOV 18 2013 /711 PM CST MON NOV 18 2013/
...EF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN PULASKI COUNTY... ...EF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN CASS COUNTY MICHIGAN...
ALL INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TRACKED EAST ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA SUNDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 17. WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AS HIGH AS 85 MPH. A NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED ACROSS THE REGION TO SURVEY AREAS OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ARE BELOW.
...TORNADO /PULASKI COUNTY/...
RATING: EF-1 MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEED: 110 MPH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED PATH WIDTH: 100 YARDS PATH LENGTH: ROUGHLY 13 MILES START TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 303PM EST END TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 313PM EST LOCATION: TOUCHDOWN OCCURED JUST SOUTHWEST OF US 421 AND DELAWARE STREET IN MEDARYVILLE AND LIFTED ROUGHLY 2.5 MILES NE OF DENHAM DESCRIPTION: THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE SOMETIME TOMORROW.
...TORNADO /CASS COUNTY MI/...
RATING: EF-1 PATH LENGTH: JUST UNDER ONE HALF MILE MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEED: 110 MPH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED PATH WIDTH: 50 YARDS START TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 327PM EST END TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 329PM EST LOCATION: TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED JUST EAST OF A HIGH SCHOOL IN CASSOPOLIS AND LIFTED OVER A GOLF COURSE JUST NORTH OF THE HIGH SCHOOL DESCRIPTION: THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE SOMETIME TOMORROW.
This just in from the American Red Cross Facebook Page:
For those affected by yesterday’s storms and without power, we are opening a shelter at Bethlehem Lutheran, 3705 S. Anthony. The shelter will open tonight at 7:30 p.m. Please bring any medications, personal hygiene items, a sleeping bag and pillow for comfort on the provided cots. Please share with family and friends who may not see this post.
Shelter will be important tonight for 5,400 I&M customers who might be without power until as late as midday Wednesday. The overnight weather forecast calls for a sub-freezing low temperature of 28 degrees, with wind gusts to 20 mph.
Indiana Michigan Power reported on its website at 4:45 p.m. today that parts of Fort Wayne might not have power restored until noon Wednesday. The utility reported that it has identified a large number of broken poles and other damaged equipment, leading to estimated times of restoration later in the week for some areas. More than 150 poles need to replaced throughout I&M’s service area, including about six poles along Tillman Road and dozens more in the Yoder area.
I&M reported that a full contingent of more than 600 I&M employees, many working 16 hours per day, are working to restore power. An additional 600 people from external resources are working or will soon be working on the restoration as well.
In the Fort Wayne area, 5,300 customers (down from an initial post-storm 8,400) remained without power.
This just in from the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 238 PM EDT MON NOV 18 2013
...EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN WESTERN GRANT COUNTY...
ALL INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TRACKED EAST ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA SUNDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 17. WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AS HIGH AS 85 MPH. A NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED TO GRANT COUNTY INDIANA TODAY TO SURVEY AN AREA OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ARE BELOW.
...TORNADO /NEAR ROSEBURG IN GRANT COUNTY/...
RATING: EF-0 PATH LENGTH: BRIEF TOUCHDOWN TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 3:55PM EST LOCATION:1 QUARTER MILE WEST OF 300W/300N JUST SOUTH OF ROSEBURG. DESCRIPTION:THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE BY LATER THIS EVENING OR TOMORROW.
This just in from the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 238 PM EDT MON NOV 18 2013
...EF2 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN WESTERN GRANT COUNTY...
ALL INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TRACKED EAST ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA SUNDAY AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 17. WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AS HIGH AS 85 MPH. A NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED TO GRANT COUNTY INDIANA TODAY TO SURVEY AN AREA OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ARE BELOW.
...TORNADO /GRANT COUNTY/...
RATING: EF-2 PATH LENGTH: 12 MILES PATH WIDTH: /MAXIMUM/: 0.4 MILES TIME: ESTIMATED AROUND 3:50 PM EST LOCATION: PATH BEGAN 2 MILES N/NW OF SWEETSER AND ENDED ABOUT 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF 700N/600W JUST SOUTH OF THE GRANT/WABASH COUNTY LINE. DESCRIPTION: ESTIMATED 30-40 HOMES DAMAGED WITH 6 TO 10 HOMES RECEIVING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. DOZENS OF VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THE TORNADO PATH WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBPAGE...FACEBOOK PAGE...AND TWITTER PROFILE BY LATER THIS EVENING OR TOMORROW.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security as created an online form to collect data about damage throughout the state caused by Nov. 17 storms. If your property sustained damage, you can help the state compile valuable statistics by filling out the form. Note, however, that the form is not a way to request assistance. It’s for information gathering only. Find the form here.
If you or a loved one are customers of Indiana and Mchigan Power, you can get an update on the power outage situation at the Web address below. The utility is doing a good job of keeping it updated with current information.
The northern Indiana National Weather Service office sent out the following tweet this morning:
NWSIWX: We have 3 teams out across our area to survey damage. We’ll let you know what their findings are later today! #inwx #ohwx #miwx
The survey teams will determine what damage (if any) was done by tornadoes and what damage came from straight-line winds. The teams will also estimate the strength of any tornadoes and the strength of straight-line winds, based on the damage they see.
