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.
All of the photos below were taken and provide by IMO SKYWARN storm spotter Charles Ward, KC9MUT.
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| Green St., south of New Haven High School |
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| Dundee Dr., between Berwick Ln. and Scots Ln. |
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| Corner of Scots Ln. and Aberdeen Ln. |
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| Aberdeen Ln., close to Highland Terrance Dr., north side of street |
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| Aberdeen Ln., behind houses on south side of street |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Near Wells Fargo Bank on S.R. 930 |
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| Corner of Aberdeen Ln. and Highland Terrance Dr. |
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| Across S.R. 930 from Wells Fargo Bank |
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| Across S.R. 930 from Wells Fargo Bank |
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| Across S.R. 930 from Wells Fargo Bank |
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| Across S.R. 930 from Wells Fargo Bank |
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| Across S.R. 930 from Wells Fargo Bank |
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| Keller Dr |
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| Keller Dr. |
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.
I shot these photos this morning. Yesterday’s storm blew down a span of five to six utility poles in the 3800 block of Tillman Road on the south side of Fort Wayne.
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| 3800 block of Tillman Road, south side of Fort Wayne, Ind. Photos by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
From the National Weather Service northern Indiana office:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
652 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013 /552 PM CST SUN NOV 17 2013/
...WIDESPREAD DAMAGE REPORTED ACROSS THE AREA...
...STORM SURVEYS TO BE CONDUCTED MONDAY...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA HAS RECEIVED MANY
REPORTS OF WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADIC DAMAGE
ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. STORM SURVEYS WILL BE
CONDUCTED MONDAY FOR THE AREAS WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO
DETERMINE IF THE DAMAGE WAS FROM A TORNADO OR STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.
A side note from me: If you have photographs of damage from the Nov. 17 storm, send them to the northern Indiana office using this email address:
w-iwx.webmaster@noaa.gov
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| Southern Allen County, Ind. Photos by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
Below are photos of damage I personally saw. It’s not the worst of the damage in the Fort Wayne area, just the damage I came across while serving as a SKYWARN storm spotter. I’ll post the photos of others to this blog and additional information on the damage reported throughout the area covered by the northern Indiana NWS office.
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| Barkley Road, near S.R. 101 (south of Monroeville). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
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| Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
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| Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
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| Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
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| Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN |
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 562
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1120 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
INDIANA
FAR NORTHERN KENTUCKY
LOWER MICHIGAN
WESTERN OHIO
LAKE HURON
LAKE MICHIGAN
* EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1120 AM UNTIL
800 PM EST.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
SEVERAL INTENSE TORNADOES LIKELY
NUMEROUS DAMAGING WIND GUSTS LIKELY WITH SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT
GUSTS TO 80 MPH POSSIBLE
SEVERAL LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER LIKELY
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 90 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BLOOMINGTON INDIANA TO 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAGINAW MICHIGAN.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).
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.
All of Indiana, plus parts of Michigan and Ohio, including all 37 counties served by the northern Indiana National Weather Service (NWS) office, are at high risk of severe weather between 9 a.m. EST today and 8 a.m. EST tomorrow, according to the Day 1 Convective Outlook that the NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued at 7:59 a.m. today.
High risk areas in a convective outlook are not unusual in Oklahoma but it’s very unusual for the SPC to indicate a high risk in Indiana.
The outlook gives the following probabilities for the high-risk area:
What do these percentages really mean? Read this excellent explanation on the SPC website.
A Public Severe Weather Outlook that the SPC issued at 3:49 a.m. EST captures the situation well in layman’s terms. You can read it below. I’m off to worship after I write this post but I’ll try to add additional information to this blog as time permits. Meanwhile, stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, and/or your favorite local broadcast station for any watches or warning. Also, the northern Indiana NWS office is putting out a constant stream of information on its Facebook page and Twitter feed.
PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0249 AM CST SUN NOV 17 2013
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF THE MID-MISSISSIPPI
AND OHIO VALLEYS INTO MICHIGAN TODAY THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT...
The NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma is forecasting
the development of a few strong, long-track tornadoes over parts of
the Mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys into Michigan today through
early tonight.
The areas most likely to experience this activity include:
Illinois
Indiana
Northern and Western Kentucky
Lower Michigan
Ohio
Southeast Wisconsin
Surrounding this greatest risk region, severe thunderstorms will
also be possible from parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas,
Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee northeastward across much of the
Appalachians to the lower Great Lakes.
A potent jet stream disturbance with wind speeds in excess of 120
knots will sweep east across the central Plains today and across the
Ohio Valley and northern half of the Appalachians tonight. As this
occurs, a surface low now over the mid-Mississippi Valley will
rapidly intensify and accelerate northeastward, reaching northern
Michigan early tonight and western Quebec Monday morning.
East of the low, increasingly warm and humid air at the surface will
spread north across the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, contributing to
very unstable conditions over a large part of the east central
United States. Coupled with daytime heating and ascent provided the
jet stream impulse, the environment will become very favorable for
severe thunderstorms --- especially along and ahead of fast-moving
cold front trailing southward from the low into the mid-Mississippi
and Ohio Valleys.
Given the degree of thermodynamic instability, and the strength and
character of the winds through the depth of the atmosphere, many of
the storms will become supercells. Some of these will be capable of
producing strong tornadoes --- in addition to large hail and swaths
of damaging surface winds.
The storms are expected to consolidate into one or two extensive
lines later today into tonight --- extending the threat for damaging
winds and isolated tornadoes eastward into the Appalachians by early
Monday.
State and local emergency managers are monitoring this potentially
very dangerous situation. Those in the threatened area are urged to
review severe weather safety rules and to listen to radio,
television, and NOAA Weather Radio for possible watches, warnings,
and statements later today.
