A cold front moved across the region during the day. Overall instability was limited but wind fields were sufficiently strong to allow for isolated wind damage during storm collapses.
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.
A cold front moved across the region during the day. Overall instability was limited but wind fields were sufficiently strong to allow for isolated wind damage during storm collapses.
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 31, 6:02 AM EST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 702 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010 .AVIATION... SFC WMFNT HAD LIFTED N INTO LWR MI W/MSTR STREAMING RAPIDLY N OUT OF OPENING SRN STREAM SW OVR AL AND LEADING TO SECONDARY AREA OF CONVN ACRS CNTRL/SRN IN ALG EDGE OF MID LVL THETA-E GRADIENT. THIS SHLD HOLD TOGETHER AND CLIP KFWA TERMINAL TWD 14Z ESP IF FURTHER ORGANIZATION TO STORM SCALE COLD POOL OCCURS. OTHERWISE MORE ERSTWHILE DVLPMNT XPCD INVOF OF SFC TROUGH BY THIS AFTN W/NR TERM RELIANCE ON LOCAL WRF MODEL WHICH SEEMS TO CAPTURE PRE-FNTL TROUGH MOVING IN FM IL THE BEST. WILL BACK TEMPO TIMING OF +TSRA/IMPLIED IFR MENTION SLIGHTLY YET LEAVE KSBN AS IS ESP IN LIGHT OF LAKE MODIFICATION THERE THIS AFTN IN POST FNTL VEERED LL FLW. && .SHORT TERM... STORM CLUSTER OVR CHICAGO EARLY THIS MORNING A LIKELY HARBINGER OF THINGS TO COME BY AFTN W/APCH OF SFC FNTL BNDRY EXTENDING SWWD FM POTENT SW TROUGH EJECTING EWD THROUGH SRN CANADA. ALTHOUGH SW PROGGED TO DEAMPLIFY EWD INTO DOWNSTREAM FLATTENING MID LVL RIDGE...IT STILL RETAINS SOME MEASURE OF MID LVL HGT FALLS ACRS NRN IN/SRN MI THIS AFTN AND COMBINE THAT W/LIKELY MOD DESTABILIZATION OFFERS WHAT SHLD BE FAIRLY WIDESPREAD CONVN SE HALF INVOF OF SFC BNDRY THROUGH THE AFTN AND INTO EARLY EVENING. MBE VELOCITIES ARE QUITE SLOW OWING TO WEAKNESS IN MID LVL FLW AND GIVEN DEGREE OF MID LVL MSTR ADVTN OUT OF THE MID MS VALLEY OVERNIGHT SHLD SEE SOME PRETTY HEFTY RAINFALL AMTS FOR SOME. IN ADDN...A LOW END RISK FOR A SVR MULTICELL CLUSTER OR TWO AS EVIDENT W/IMPRESSIVE STORM OVR CHICAGO THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE TEMP GRIDS TDA LOOK IDEAL W/A WARM AND MUGGY DAY FOR MOST. SFC BNDRY WILL WORK CLEAR SERN AREAS BY MID EVENING W/ROBUST DRYING INTO TUE FOLLOWING IN BEHIND SFC RIDGING THAT QUICKLY BLDS EWD OUT OF THE PLAINS. HWVR LTL CHG IN LL THERMAL RIDGE AND GIVEN DEGREE OF INSOLATION XPCD WILL REORIENT TEMPS A BIT SW-NE AND STILL WELL ABV NORMAL. SFC RIDGE SHIFTS EWD OF CWA TUE NIGHT W/STG RTN FLW DVLPG IN RESPONSE TO UPSTREAM SW OVR THE CNTRL ROCKIES THIS AM STEAMING EWD IN PROGRESSIVE MID LVL FLW REGIME. TEMPTED TO ADD A POP MENTION AFT MIDNIGHT PER FVRBL INCREASE IN LL MSTR FLUX/THETA-E ADVTN AHD OF EJECTING SW WELL OUT INTO THE PLAINS BY THAT TIME. HWVR PLACEMENT OF IMPLIED STORMS QUITE UNCERTAIN OWING TO LIKELY UPSCALE MCS DVLPMNT UPSTREAM ANYWHERE FM ERN NE INTO SE MN. GFS BRINGS MCS EWD THROUGH CNTRL LWR MI...LOCAL WRF INTO NE IL/SW MI AND NAM INTO ERN IL/WRN IN. CERTAINLY PER FLAT PATTN ALOFT...QUICKER EWD ARRIVAL OF MCS XPCD AND WILL TAKE A STAB AT IT NOW W/LOW CHC POP INTRODUCTION WRN THIRD LATE. && .LONG TERM... WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY POWERFUL UPPER FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE MASSIVE HEIGHT SINK OVER THE NORTHERN PAC WILL SUPPORT A VERY ACTIVE START TO JUNE. FAST LATITUDINAL FLOW WILL SUPPORT NUMEROUS EJECTING SMALL SCALE DISTURBANCES WITH ONE LARGE MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE EXPECTED BY THE LATTER PORTION OF THE PERIOD. COMPLICATED AND POORLY SAMPLED FLOW OVER THE PAC SOURCE REGION COUPLED WITH POOR HANDLING OF THE EASTERN CANADIAN NEG HEIGHT ANOMALY CONTINUES TO SUPPORT EXTREMELY POOR MODEL PERFORMANCE AND CONTINUITY IN THE PERIOD. THIS IS SUPPORTING WAVERING OF THE LL BAROCLINIC ZONE DEMARKING HIGH THETA-E AIR IN ADDITION TO ADVECTING CONUS MID LEVEL BAROCLINIC WAVE TRACK/SPEED/AND INTENSITY. THE OVERALL TREND THIS SPRING HAS BEEN FOR A NORTHERN BIAS TO THE LL THETA-E GRADIENT...AND WILL CONTINUE TO TREND TO DETERMINISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT FAVOR THIS SCENARIO. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN THE MODEL OF CHOICE FOR SEVERAL FORECAST PERIODS...BUT IT SEEMS IT TOO MAY BE TOO AGGRESSIVE WITH HEIGHT FALLS AND COOLING IN THE GREAT LAKES BY THE END OF THE PERIOD AND BEYOND. NOT TO MENTION GIVEN THE INCREASED LL INSTABILITY AND SEASONAL BIAS TOWARD MCS SYSTEMS...HIRES MODEL SOLUTIONS BEYOND DAY 2 WILL BE UTILIZED VERY CAUTIOUSLY GIVEN CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK ISSUES THAT BECOME PROBLEMATIC. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS CAN BE SEEN IN THE NAM12/S DAY 3 PROGS OVER THE MIDWEST. SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT/S FORECAST...ONLY SMALL CHANGES AND TRENDS IN THE PERIOD...WITH THE ECMWF FAVORED THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE PERIOD...TRENDING TO BIASED MEAN DETERMINISTIC SYNOPTIC FIELDS BY DAY 6-7. WED-THU...THE FIRST IN A POTENTIAL SERIES OF DISTURBANCES IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE REGION IN THIS PERIOD. EXPECTED MCS ACTIVITY FROM INITIAL CENTRAL PLAINS ELEVATED THETA-E ADV WILL LIKELY PUSH QUICKLY EAST INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST WITH A NORTHERN BIAS TO THE TRACK EXPECTED GIVEN A WEAK NEG THETA-E PUSH FROM THE MON-TUE DEPARTING SYSTEM...LIKELY FAVORING NORTHERN IL/WI/SOUTHERN MI/NORTHERN IN AND NW OH. WITH A GOOD SETUP FOR MCS ACTIVITY...WED HAVE RAISED POPS TO 40 ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE THE BEST OVERLAP OF INCREASED MID LEVEL FLOW/POS THETA-E ADV WILL RESIDE GIVEN H85-3 THICKNESS CONTOURS. DO FAVOR THE SLOWER BIASED ECMWF AND UKMET PER UPPER WAVE AND ASSOCIATED SFC REFLECTION...WHICH STILL SUPPORTS INCREASED POPS THROUGH THUR AFTERNOON. SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL BE ELEVATED IN THIS PERIOD GIVEN AMPLE INSTABILITY/STRONG FORCING PER INCREASED UPPER FLOW. DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT GIVEN STORM ENVIRONMENT FAVORING AN OUTFLOW DOMINATE FORWARD PROPAGATING CONVECTIVE SYSTEM. NO CHANGE TO FORECAST TEMPS GIVEN CONCERNS ON CLOUDS AND PRECIP. MODEL THERMAL FIELDS CERTAINLY SUPPORT CURRENT FORECAST NUMBERS ALTHOUGH INSOLATION WILL PLAY A LARGE ROLE IN RESULTANT NUMBERS. FRI-SUN...MUDDLED FORECAST DETAILS IN THIS PERIOD GIVEN POOR MODEL CONFIDENCE. CURRENT FORECAST ENCOMPASSES ALL CONCERNS WITH A BIAS TOWARD CLIMO GIVEN LOOMING UNCERTAINTY. DID ADD POPS TO SAT NIGHT GIVEN A VERY REAL POTENTIAL FOR AN MCS CORRIDOR RESIDING OVER THE REGION. FORECAST MODELS STILL OFFER A SIG NORTHERN STREAM WAVE BY DAY 7-8 AND GIVEN CONCERNS ON A NORTHERN BIAS...CURRENT TEMPS IN THE GRIDDED DATABASE ARE LIKELY TOO LOW. CONCERNS ON FAST FLOW MID LEVEL IMPULSES IN THE PRESENCE OF AMPLE LL HEAT/MOISTURE CERTAINLY SUPPORTS CURRENT FORECAST POP NUMBERS...WITH WAVE TIMING/TRACK/AND ORGANIZATION FAR FROM BEING RESOLVED AT THIS POINT. EXPECT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS IN THE PERIOD WITH ABOVE NORMAL CHANCES FOR PRECIP. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT TERM...T LONG TERM...JC AVIATION...T
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 415 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-LMZ043-046-MIZ077>081-OHZ001- 002-004-005-015-016-024-025-010815- 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- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 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 415 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010 /315 AM CDT MON MAY 31 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SEVERAL ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THIS PERIOD. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...WITH ANOTHER EPISODE OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX JC
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
803 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
INZ014>018-022>027-034-311300-
ADAMS IN-ALLEN IN-CASS IN-FULTON IN-HUNTINGTON IN-JAY IN-KOSCIUSKO
IN-MARSHALL IN-MIAMI IN-WABASH IN-WELLS IN-WHITLEY IN-
803 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
AT 759 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
MONITORING THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM NEAR ROCHESTER TO WABASH TO PORTLAND INDIANA...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF BUT LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 INCH PER HOUR WILL BE COMMON WITH THE
HEAVIER DOWNPOURS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
BLUFFTON...
BERNE...
ROCHESTER...
HUNTINGTON...
WARSAW...
OSSIAN...NORTH MANCHESTER AND DECATUR...
GENEVA...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN
A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 4043 8516 4059 8520 4092 8645 4142 8583
4130 8566 4122 8542 4122 8482 4040 8481
TIME...MOT...LOC 1200Z 247DEG 18KT 4091 8629 4076 8555
4069 8512SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
810 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
INZ003>005-012-014-016-311300-
ELKHART IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-LA PORTE IN-MARSHALL IN-ST. JOSEPH IN-STARKE
IN-
810 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
AT 803 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
MONITORING THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN FROM NEAR KNOX TO
PLYMOUTH TO ARGOS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF BUT LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 INCH PER HOUR WILL BE COMMON WITH THE
HEAVIER DOWNPOURS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
PLYMOUTH...
BREMEN...
NORTH LIBERTY...
LAKEVILLE...
NAPPANEE...
WALKERTON...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN
A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED.
LAT...LON 4176 8641 4176 8627 4165 8606 4146 8579
4117 8615 4130 8677
TIME...MOT...LOC 1207Z 231DEG 25KT 4127 8635SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
852 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
INZ004>006-008-009-014-016>018-311330-
ALLEN IN-DE KALB IN-ELKHART IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-LAGRANGE IN-MARSHALL
IN-NOBLE IN-ST. JOSEPH IN-WHITLEY IN-
852 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
AT 849 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM BREMEN TO BOURBON TO
WINONA LAKE TO CHURUBUSCO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
WINONA LAKE AND WARSAW...
NAPPANEE...
MISHAWAKA...
GARRETT...
SYRACUSE...
CHURUBUSCO...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES.
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 4175 8541 4158 8520 4154 8520 4154 8515
4142 8500 4112 8528 4110 8592 4115 8609
4117 8609 4120 8623 4147 8638 4176 8610
TIME...MOT...LOC 1252Z 209DEG 19KT 4149 8615 4130 8605
4119 8586 4121 8533
ARNOTTSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
926 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
INZ005>009-016-018-MIZ078-079-311415-
ALLEN IN-CASS MI-DE KALB IN-ELKHART IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-LAGRANGE IN-NOBLE
IN-ST. JOSEPH MI-STEUBEN IN-
926 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010
AT 922 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM SIMONTON LAKE TO NEW
PARIS TO ALBION TO GARRETT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
GARRETT...
KENDALLVILLE...
AUBURN...
LAGRANGE AND BUTLER...
BRISTOL...
TOPEKA AND ROME CITY...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW
AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES.
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 4182 8529 4176 8529 4176 8518 4166 8498
4164 8479 4144 8479 4122 8493 4129 8550
4141 8578 4173 8606 4188 8605 4208 8573
TIME...MOT...LOC 1326Z 230DEG 18KT 4181 8599 4153 8581
4141 8537 4129 8508
ARNOTTThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:45 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down at County Road 450 North and 100 West, as well as in the city of Topeka.
Local media reported a tree was uprooted and fell onto a building. Numerous tree limbs were also blown down. No further information was available on the building damage.
An off-duty NWS employee reported a tree branch down onto a power line.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2010
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: 260124, 260126, 260125.