Indiana, 2007

Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 26, 2007

April 26, 2007 · NWS IWX · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

A warm front moving north from central Indiana produced large scale deep ascent on the north side of the front. This led to the development of thunderstorms, some of which became severe across parts of northern Indiana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
1
Property damage
$80,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 IWX wrote it up.

A warm front moving north from central Indiana produced large scale deep ascent on the north side of the front. This led to the development of thunderstorms, some of which became severe across parts of northern Indiana.

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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 26, 2:43 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 2:43 PM CST, 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
443 PM EDT THU APR 26 2007

.SHORT TERM...
THE SURFACE LOW IS CURRENTLY OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND WEST
CENTRAL INDIANA. THE WARM FRONT IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR
CWA AND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWARD. THE LOW IS FCST TO BE
NEAR NRN LOWER MICHIGAN BY 12Z FRIDAY...THEN NEAR CNTRL LAKE
HURON BY 18Z FRIDAY. THE UPR LOW HAS A SFC LOW REFLECTION...ALONG
WITH ATTENDANT WARM AND COLD FRONTS. THE COLD FRONT WILL PASS
THROUGH THE REGION BETWEEN 03Z AND 12Z FRIDAY. THE UPR LVL LOW
AND ITS EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES WILL COMBINE WITH AFOREMENTIONED
FRONTAL SYSTEMS TO BRING ROUNDS OF RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH TONIGHT.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTN/EARLY EVENING. THEN JUST
RAIN SHOWER CHANCES AROUND MIDNIGHT AND AFTER THAT. THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING HOURS THERE IS A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR MOST
OF THE CWA. 100 TO 200 M2/S2 HELECITY...THE WARM FRONT IN THE AREA
AND AROUND 1000 JOULES CAPE ACROSS THE CWA....ARE MAKING THE
ATMOSPHERE CAPABLE OF POSSIBLY PRODUCING SOME SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE.
HOWEVER...ONCE THE SUN SETS AND WE MOVE FURTHER INTO THE
NIGHTTIME...THE ATMOSPHERE SHOULD STABILIZE MORE. THE CURRENT
TORNADO WATCH IS OUT TIL 10PM EDT.

&&

.LONG TERM...
FRIDAY NIGHT IS LOOKING DRY AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PULLS
FURTHER AWAY TO THE EAST. SEEING A SHORTWAVE DROPPING OUT OF SOUTH
CENTRAL CANADA MOVING INTO THE CWA LATE SATURDAY. GFS HAS SOME QPF
WITH THIS AND THE NAM DOES NOT. FOR THE MOMENT GOING TO STAY
CONSISTENT WITH THE THINKING THAT THIS WILL BE WEAK ENOUGH AND NOT
HAVE ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WORK WITH...SO WILL LEAVE SATURDAY DRY.
RIDGE IN PLACE FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. A LOW
WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE NORTH CENTRAL U.S. ON MONDAY WITH A
WARM FRONT TO OUR NORTH THROUGH MICHIGAN. SOME UNCERTAINTY YET IN
THE SHAPE THAT THIS LOW SYSTEM WILL TAKE FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY...SO WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES AT THIS TIME. MONDAY NIGHT
THE GFS DID HAVE THE LOW STRETCHED OUT ACROSS WISCONSIN AND
MICHIGAN BUT IS NOT HAVING ONE SOMEWHAT TIGHTER LOW OVER LAKE
HURON WITH A COLD FRONT DOWN THROUGH SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...EASTERN
IOWA AND EASTERN KANSAS. THEREFORE THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS IS
ALSO FASTER IN BRINGING THAT COLD FRONT THROUGH THE CWA ON
TUESDAY...AND NOW HAS THE FRONT THROUGH BY 12Z WEDNESDAY. ALSO
MODEL CHANGES FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. GFS DID HAVE QPF/CWA
WET...BUT NOW HAS HIGH PRESSURE OVER OUR CWA AND DRY. ALSO STAYING
WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING TIL THAT COLD FRONT COMES THROUGH NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
UPR LVL LOW NEAR NE MISSOURI LATE THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE SLOWLY NE THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. THE LOW IS FCST TO BE NEAR
NRN LOWER MICHIGAN BY 12Z FRIDAY...THEN NEAR CNTRL LAKE HURON BY
18Z FRIDAY. THE UPR LOW HAS A SFC LOW REFLECTION...ALONG WITH
ATTENDANT WARM AND COLD FRONTS. THE SFC LOW OVER NE MISSOURI WILL
MOVE TO A POSITION NEAR GARY IN BY 03Z FRIDAY...THEN SE LOWER
MICHIGAN BY 12Z FRIDAY. AS THE LOW APPROACHES FROM THE
WEST...ASSOCD SFC WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACRS THE TAF SITES
LATE THIS AFTN. THE COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION
BETWEEN 03Z AND 12Z FRIDAY. THE UPR LVL LOW AND ITS EMBEDDED
DISTURBANCES WILL COMBINED WITH AFOREMENTIONED FRONTAL SYSTEMS TO
BRING ROUNDS OF SHOWERS THROUGH TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE THIS AFTN/EARLY EVENING. WILL SEE HOW INSTABILITY
PARAMETERS TREND AND WHAT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS DEVELOPED
BEFORE PLACING PREDOMINANT THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TAFS. ONCE THE
COLD FRONT PASSES LATE TONIGHT...LOW LVL MOISTURE WILL BECOME
TRAPPED UNDER A CAA INVERSION...RESULTING IN LOWERING CIGS AND
SOME DRIZZLE/LIGHT SHOWERS. IFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
LATE AFTN...FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF MVFR CONDITIONS THROUGH EARLY
MORNING...THEN BACK TO IFR CONDITIONS TOWARD FRIDAY MORNING.

&&

.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...NONE.
MI...NONE.
OH...NONE.
LM...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...LOTHAMER
LONG TERM....LOTHAMER
AVIATION...HICKMAN
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 6:42 AM CST, 8 hours 26 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
842 AM EDT THU APR 26 2007

INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-
015-016-024-025-271245-
LA PORTE-ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB-STARKE-
PULASKI-MARSHALL-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN-WHITE-CASS IN-
MIAMI-WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS-GRANT-BLACKFORD-JAY-BERRIEN-
CASS MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE-WILLIAMS-FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-
HENRY-PAULDING-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...SOUTH BEND...
MISHAWAKA...ELKHART...GOSHEN...LAGRANGE...TOPEKA...ANGOLA...
KENDALLVILLE...LIGONIER...AUBURN...GARRETT...KNOX...NORTH JUDSON...
WINAMAC...FRANCESVILLE...PLYMOUTH...BREMEN...ROCHESTER...WARSAW...
WINONA LAKE...COLUMBIA CITY...SOUTH WHITLEY...FORT WAYNE...
MONTICELLO...BROOKSTON...LOGANSPORT...PERU...WABASH...
NORTH MANCHESTER...HUNTINGTON...BLUFFTON...OSSIAN...DECATUR...
BERNE...MARION...HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND...NILES...
BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS...
STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...COLDWATER...HILLSDALE...BRYAN...WAUSEON...
ARCHBOLD...DEFIANCE...NAPOLEON...PAULDING...ANTWERP...OTTAWA...
PANDORA...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...LIMA
842 AM EDT THU APR 26 2007 /742 AM CDT THU APR 26 2007/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO...
NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY...AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE
GREAT LAKES REGION. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS
AFTERNOON IN AREAS MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF LINE FROM
LAPORTE...TO NILES...TO HILLSDALE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF
MONTICELLO...WARSAW...MARION...SOUTH BEND...FORT WAYNE AND LIMA.
THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

&&

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR
CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX

LMZ043-046-061-271245-
NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI-
MICHIGAN CITY IN TO ST JOSEPH MI OUT TO MID LAKE-
842 AM EDT THU APR 26 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN LAKE
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY. HOWEVER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
NOT EXPECTED OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST LAKE MICHIGAN TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

&&

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR
CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX/PROGRAMAREAS/MARINE/INDEX.PHP

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, La Porte

When
April 26, 3:08 PM CST to 3:11 PM CST
Where
La Porte County, 1.91 mi E of Springville to 2.32 mi E of Springville
Rating
EF1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
41.679, -86.693

This tornado was the first of 2 to affect northeastern Laporte county. Touchdown occurred just east of Range Road and north of US 20 in the Rangewood subdivision. A barn was destroyed with several trees snapped or uprooted in the area. Two homes sustained damage, mainly from falling trees or tree limbs. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Tornado, La Porte

When
April 26, 3:18 PM CST to 3:21 PM CST
Where
La Porte County, 2.97 mi ENE of Springville to 2.99 mi SW of Hesston
Rating
EF1
Path length
0.31 mi
Path width
450 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
41.701, -86.680

A patrol car was picked up and thrown over a fence approximately 150 feet. The officer seen the tornado, attemped to get out of the car, but winds prevented her from exiting. She suffered cuts and brusies, but no serious injuries. In addition, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off along the path. 2 homes suffered damage in the area as well.

Hail, La Porte

When
April 26, 3:50 PM CST to 3:51 PM CST
Where
La Porte County, 2.14 mi NNW of Monroe Manor
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.610, -86.680

Hail, Noble

When
April 26, 6:42 PM EST to 6:43 PM EST
Where
Noble County, 2.82 mi N of Wolflake Stngland Ar
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
41.360, -85.460

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2007Warnings in Indiana, April 2007

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: 26241, 26242, 26239, 26240.