Several lines of strong to locally severe thunderstorms affected portions of Illinois during the evening hours of May 13th and moved east into western Indiana into the early morning hours of the 14th. While instability was marginal, very strong wind fields were in place with a few of the strongest storms able to bring the strong winds to the surface.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS IWX wrote it up.
Several lines of strong to locally severe thunderstorms affected portions of Illinois during the evening hours of May 13th and moved east into western Indiana into the early morning hours of the 14th. While instability was marginal, very strong wind fields were in place with a few of the strongest storms able to bring the strong winds to the surface.
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 May 13, 6:10 PM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 810 PM EDT WED MAY 13 2009 .AVIATION... DIFFICULT TAF FCST WRT TIMING OF CONVECTION INTO NRN IN. OVERALL MESOSCALE PATTERN POINTING TOWARD A LATER/OVERNIGHT-DAYBREAK TIMING...BUT WITH TSRA GAPS CLOSING IN AROUND NRN IN CONFIDENCE ON THIS CONSERVATIVE FCST RATHER LOW. FIRST TSRA COMPLEX ACRS CNTL IN TRACKING NEWD W/ASSOCD MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE VORTEX SHOULD REMAIN ALONG/S OF KMIE-KAOH LINE...BYPASSING KFWA AIRFIELD WELL TO SE. CONVECTION ONGOING ACROSS NRN IL WHERE WARM SECTOR HAS DESTABILIZED NICELY WITH SBCAPES TO 2000 J/KG IN INCRSD LLVL FLOW TO 50KTS AT 8H PER KLOT/KILX VWP. THIS CONVECTION SHOULD DCRS IN INTENSITY/BECOME ELEVATED AS IT MOVES EWD INTO MORE STABLE/HIGH CINH ENVIRON ACRS NRN IN. BOTTOMLINE IS GRTST RISK AND BEST TIMING FOR TSRA TO WAIT UNTIL COLD FNTL FORCED TSRA/SQUALL LINE ARRIVES IN EARLY THU AM HRS...TIMED 05-09 UTC AT KSBN AND COUPLE HRS LATER AT KFWA...LATER ISSUANCES MAY BE ABLE TO TIME CONVECTION MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH BRIEF IFR CONDS PSBL IN HEAVY SHOWERS. INCRSD SRLY FLOW THIS TAF ISSNCE AS APPROACHING SYSTEM CONTS TO BECOME MORE ORGANIZED. RAPID CLRNG IN WAKE OF FNTL PASSAGE MID-LT THU AM. && .SHORT TERM... THE FIRST 12 HOURS OF THE SHORT TERM PRESENT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE. ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING. OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS WHERE SOME CLEARING HAS OCCURRED...CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN REACHED AND TS HAVE DEVELOPED. THESE SHOWERS WILL PUSH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE EARLY EVENING...AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY SEVERE STORMS WITH THE CONVECTION...HOWEVER WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE...THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN IS A CONCERN AND WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE GRIDS/FORECAST. FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL BE ALONG THE IN/IL BORDER SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. LOW LEVEL JET WILL KICK IN AND MOISTURE POOLING ALONG THE FRONT WILL BRING THE NEXT ROUND OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS. INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...AND WITH THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE FRONT DO NOT ANTICIPATE WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS. ENVIRONMENTAL MIXING ALONG THE FRONT COULD PRODUCE SOME NEAR SEVERE WIND GUSTS WITH THE STORMS. ISOLATED HAIL...UNDER 1 INCH IN DIAMETER ALSO POSSIBLE ALONG AND WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE. AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY...SKIES SHOULD CLEAR AND MAY SEE SOME CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT ON THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES AT OR NEAR NORMAL TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A REX BLOCK OVER THE CENTRAL PACIFIC WILL EVOLVE INTO A HIGH AMPLITUDE WAVE TRAIN THROUGH LATE THIS WEEK...WITH RIDGE BUILDING ALONG THE WESTERN COAST OF NOAM AND SUBSEQUENT TROUGHING OVER THE EAST. A LEAD SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH A POTENT COLD FRONT THAT WILL USHER IN A DRY AND COOL NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE WEST COAST RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO PROPAGATE EAST AS WE HEAD TO THE END OF THE LONG RANGE PERIOD WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES. THE OPERATIONAL AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE IS IN QUITE GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND...BUT DIVERGE AS WE HEAD INTO THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THE MAIN DIFFERENCES LIE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE DEVELOPING EASTERN US TROUGH...WITH THE GFS/GEFS CLOSING OFF A LOW OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN US AND THE ECMWF BEING MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THE TROUGH AND QUICKLY CARRYING IT EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC. THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE FOR US WILL BE THE RAPIDITY IN WHICH WE WARM ALOFT EARLY NEXT WEEK. ALTHOUGH THE GFS IS LESS PROGRESSIVE WITH THE EASTERN TROUGH...IT WARMS US UP MORE RAPIDLY AS WARMER AIR ALOFT IS ABLE TO QUICKLY STREAM EAST NORTH OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US CUTOFF...SOUTH OF PRETTY POTENT WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT ALONG THE US/CANADIAN BOARDER. HOWEVER...EVEN IN THIS REGARD BOTH MODEL CAMPS SUGGEST SOME WARMUP. HPC/S PREFERENCE FOR A SOLUTION MORE LIKE THE GFS/GEFS AND YESTERDAY/S ECMWF LOOK REASONABLE AND WILL BLEND CURRENT THINKING WITH THEIR GUIDANCE FOR THIS PACKAGE. PRIMARY WEATHER MAKER FOR THE PERIOD WILL COME RIGHT OFF THE BAT AS COLD FRONT THAT WILL PUSH THROUGH OUR REGION TONIGHT WILL RETURN AS A WARM FRONT ON FRIDAY. WE GET A DECENT PUSH OF LLEVEL POSITIVE THETAE ADVECTION ON FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY IN THEN AFTERNOON WITH RAW MODEL OUTPUT FROM BOTH THE GFS AND NAM SHOWING DEWPOINTS RISING INTO THE LOWER 60S LATE IN THE DAY. FORCING WILL BE SOMEWHAT LACKING AS HEIGHTS ALOFT BUILD AHEAD OF THE NEXT SHORTWAVE...AND WITH GOOD ISENTROPIC LIFT HOLDING OFF UNTIL EVENING. THE GFS ALSO SHOWS A GOOD DEAL OF CAPPING WITH A RELATIVELY WARM 800-700 HPA LAYER. CAN/T RULE OUT A POP UP SHRA/TSRA ALONG THE ADVANCING SURFACE THETAE BOUNDARY...BUT WILL KEEP POPS IN THE LOW CHANCE CATEGORY. INSTABILITY...AS WELL AS THE FLOW ALOFT ARE NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE...BUT COULD NOT RULE OUT A PULSE SEVERE STORM GIVEN SURFACE BASED CAPES AROUND 500 J/KG...IF WE CAN BREAK ANY CAPPING IN PLACE. GIVEN WHAT APPEARS TO BE SOME GOOD MORNING SUN IN THE RETREATING DRY AIRMASS AT T850 AROUND +11C...BUMPED UP HIGHS TOWARDS THE MID 70S...AND THESE HIGHS COULD BE A LITTLE UNDERDONE IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY DRY. GUIDANCE IS ALSO CONVERGING ON FRONTAL ARRIVAL DURING THE OVERNIGHT FRIDAY. THE GFS IS A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE NAM/ECMWF...BUT THESE DIFFERENCES ARE MINOR ENOUGH TO WARRANT RAISING POPS TO LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT IN NORTHWESTERN AREAS...WITH LIKELIES LINGERING INTO THE MORNING OVER SOUTHEASTERN AREAS. PWATS INCREASE TO NEAR 1.75 INCHES ALONG THE BOUNDARY...AND FAIRLY UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW SUGGESTS SOME BACKBUILDING CELLS WITH HEAVY RAIN RATES ARE POSSIBLE. AS FOR THE SEVERE POTENTIAL...IT APPEARS LIMITED GIVEN FRONTAL TIMING...WITH THE FRONT EXITING DURING THE MORNING HOURS SATURDAY. HOWEVER...IF THE FRONT WERE TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE MORE...WE COULD SEE THINGS REFIRE OVER SOUTHEASTERN AREAS IN THE AFTERNOON. AT THIS POINT...NO MORE THAN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. WE CLEAR AND DRY OUT SATURDAY NIGHT WITH TEMPS FALLING INTO THE 40S AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE NOSES INTO THE REGION. THE SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PERIOD LOOKS DRY UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THAT GRADUALLY BECOMES MORE ZONAL. TEMPS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL TO START THE PERIOD AS T850 WILL SLOWLY RISE FROM NEAR 2C ON SUNDAY TO AROUND 5C ON MONDAY. THIS WILL YIELD HIGHS IN THE LOWER 60S SUNDAY MODERATING TO THE MID 60S BY MONDAY. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT LOOK CHILLY AND THIS NIGHT MAY HAVE THE BEST FROST POTENTIAL WITH THE SURFACE HIGH DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. FOR TUESDAY...TEMPS ALOFT QUICKLY WARM WITH T850 BACK TOWARDS +10C WITH FURTHER WARMING LIKELY FOR WEDNESDAY. WILL BRING TEMPS TO NEAR CLIMO /LOWER 70S/ FOR TUESDAY AND A LITTLE ABOVE CLIMO /MID 70S/ FOR THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR LMZ043-046. && SHORT TERM...LEWIS LONG TERM...ARNOTT AVIATION...MURPHY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 946 PM EDT WED MAY 13 2009 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-150200- 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 946 PM EDT WED MAY 13 2009 /846 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS LATER TONIGHT... AN ORGANIZED SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO PASS INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA AROUND MIDNIGHT. AS IT MOVES EAST THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE THE PRIMARY RISK...THOUGH ISOLATED HAIL TO ONE INCH DIAMETER IS ALSO POSSIBLE. AN OVERALL WEAKENING TREND TO THE STORMS IS EXPECTED AS THE STORMS CONTINUE EAST INTO NORTHEAST INDIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME MINOR AND ISOLATED FLOODING OF ROADS AND LOW-LYING AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO THURSDAY MORNING OVER NORTHEAST INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS ONCE AGAIN FOR BOTH HEAVY RAINFALL AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS APPEARS TO BE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY EVENING. ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE LIKELY OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY EVENING. && LMZ043-046-150200- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 946 PM EDT WED MAY 13 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS WIND GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS AROUND MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. THE STORMS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY WIND GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS. &&
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1250 AM EDT THU MAY 14 2009
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1225 AM MARINE TSTM WIND 2 NNW MICHIGAN CITY 41.73N 86.91W
05/14/2009 M41 MPH LMZ046 IN C-MAN STATION
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX0902582
LMKThe Chicago radar (KLOT), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:00 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement officials reported several trees down in both Michigan City and Long Beach, along US 12.
Law enforcement officials report a few large tree limbs down.
Emergency management officials reported two livestock barns, containing chickens, suffered damage. One building suffered severe damage with roughly 200,000 chickens having to be relocated. Debris from the barns was thrown up to a half mile northeast of the location, with a barn on 900 West south of 100 North suffering some damage. Damage by the business owners is estimated in excess of five million dollars due to structural damage, costs to move the chickens to other facilities and other expenses.
An off duty NWS employee reported large tree branches being blown down on the southeast side of Warsaw.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2009
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: 159081, 159082, 159084, 159086.