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.
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.
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
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.
Barkley Road, near S.R. 101 (south of Monroeville). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN
Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN
Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN
Hessen Cassel Road, near U.S. 27 (just south of Fort Wayne). Photo by Jay Farlow (W9LW), IMO SKYWARN
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.
