Tornado and Hail in Indiana, October 18, 2007

Name: Tornado and Hail in Indiana, October 18, 2007
Start: 2007-10-18T17:56
End: 2007-10-18T19:36
Location: Indiana

October 18, 2007 · NWS LOT · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Severe storms moved across northwest Indiana during the evening hours of October 18th.

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: 0
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Severe storms moved across northwest Indiana during the evening hours of October 18th.

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 Oct 18, 2:06 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 18, 2:06 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 18, 3:00 PM CST, 2 hours 56 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 18, 4:50 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 18, 5:17 PM CST, 39 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 18, 5:31 PM CST, 25 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 18, 5:32 PM CST, 24 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 18, 5:44 PM CST, 12 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 18, 5:49 PM CST, 7 minutes before

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The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jasper

When: October 18, 5:56 PM CST to 5:58 PM CST
Where: Jasper County, 3.5 mi N of Demotte Arpt
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.251, -87.220

Hail, Porter

When: October 18, 5:57 PM CST to 5:59 PM CST
Where: Porter County, Malden
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.380, -87.030

Hail, Newton

When: October 18, 5:59 PM CST to 6:01 PM CST
Where: Newton County, Roselawn
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.150, -87.320

Hail, Porter

When: October 18, 6:23 PM CST to 6:25 PM CST
Where: Porter County, Valparaiso
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.470, -87.050

Quarter size hail was reported at Route 2 and Route 30.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: October 18, 7:25 PM EST
Where: Benton County, Raub
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.730, -87.480

A tree and power lines were blown down.

Tornado, Benton

When: October 18, 7:35 PM EST to 7:36 PM EST
Where: Benton County, 1 mi N of Ambia
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.495, -87.520

A trained spotter observed a funnel cloud for several minutes that eventually touched down briefly in an open field. No damage was reported.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Indiana, 2007 Warnings in Indiana, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 62823, 62824, 62825, 62826, 62827, 62931.