Indiana, 2002

High Wind in Indiana, March 9, 2002

March 9, 2002 · NWS LOT · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Strong low pressure moved across the upper midwest on Saturday, March 9th. Winds were sustained between 40 and 50 mph during most of the afternoon and evening hours, with wind gusts to 60 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 low pressure moved across the upper midwest on Saturday, March 9th. Winds were sustained between 40 and 50 mph during most of the afternoon and evening hours, with wind gusts to 60 mph. Trees, branches, utility poles, and wires were blown down across all of northwest Indiana. Several semi trucks and tractor trailers were blown over on interstates in northwest Indiana, though no injuries were reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 9, 11:25 AM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 11:25 AM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1125 AM CST SAT MAR 9 2002

THE WIND ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW IS SEEN ON THE
DAVENPORT WSR88D RADAR. THE PROFILER DATA AND WATER VAPOR LOOPS
SHOW THE UPPER WAVE OVER NORTHEAST IOWA. THE WAVE WILL PASS OVER
NORTHERN ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL USE THE MESOETA
MODEL. SNOW SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THIS EVENING.
WILL LOWER THE TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD AIR IS MOVING
INTO THE REGION VERY QUICKLY AND FASTER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECASTED.

.CHI...WIND ADVISORY FOR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA
       THIS AFTERNOON
       STORM WARNING FOR ALL OF LAKE MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON AND
       TONIGHT.

WHW

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 9, 12:28 PM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
ILZ003>005-006-008-010>014-019>023-032>033-039-INZ001>002-010>011-019
-101100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1220 PM CST/120 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002

THE WIND ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH EARLY THIS EVENING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL ALSO
MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON. THE LOW WILL MOVE INTO QUEBEC BY SUNDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE SOUTH FROM THE GREAT PLAINS TO MISSOURI
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.

WHW

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Lake

When
March 9, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jasper

When
March 9, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Jasper forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.023, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Newton

When
March 9, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Newton forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.956, -87.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Benton

When
March 9, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Benton forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.606, -87.311 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Porter

When
March 9, 3:18 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Porter forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
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

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, March 2002

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: 5287400, 5287401, 5287402, 5287403, 5287399.