High Wind, Lake
- When
- March 20, 3:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Indiana, March 20, 1996
Strong north winds blowing down the entire fetch of Lake Michigan caused beach erosion and damaging winds along the south shore of the lake. Winds gusted up to 45 to 50 mph at Gary.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
Strong north winds blowing down the entire fetch of Lake Michigan caused beach erosion and damaging winds along the south shore of the lake. Winds gusted up to 45 to 50 mph at Gary. Winds peaked at 63 mph at Meigs Field in Chicago. Waves were estimated at 12 to 20 feet high. Winds brought down tree limbs and power lines. A large spruce tree was uprooted in Gary.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Porter
- When
- March 20, 3:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Porter forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.509, -87.073 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Wisconsin, March 20, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Georgia, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 20, 1996
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 20 to 23, 1996
- Cold in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Illinois, March 20, 1996
- High Wind in Michigan, March 20, 1996
More
Every storm in Indiana in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5541729, 5541730.