An upper level disturbance produced moderate shear and a weakly unstable environment for thunderstorms to develop. A few storms grew to sufficient size to produce hail, with the largest being penny size.
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.
An upper level disturbance produced moderate shear and a weakly unstable environment for thunderstorms to develop. A few storms grew to sufficient size to produce hail, with the largest being penny size.
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 Sep 24, 12:16 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 116 PM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 .AVIATION... / 18Z TAFS / SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISO THUNDER CAN BE EXPECTED AT THE TERMINALS THIS AFTERNOON AS A VORT MAX NOW NEAR LAF LIFTS THROUGH THE AREA. EXPECT MVFR AND LOW END VFR CONDITIONS WITH THESE SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON. PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND TIMES OF FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WILL LIKELY PERSIST INTO TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY LATER TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING AS ANOTHER VORT LOBE PINWHEELS THROUGH AROUND AN UPPER LOW THAT WILL RETROGRADE WWD TOWARDS THE QUAD CITIES. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1128 AM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011/ UPDATE... MORNING WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A VORT MAX MOVING THROUGH NRN INDIANA AND ANOTHER MORE PRONOUNCED VORT LOBE ON ITS HEELS IN EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS. WEAK DPVA WITH EACH FEATURE AND INCREASING ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND THETA-E ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS ACROSS MUCH OF INDIANA AND SW LOWER MICHIGAN INTO THIS AFTN. WITH THIS DECIDED TO RAISE POPS INTO THE LIKELY CATEGORY WEST...WITH CHC POPS INTO NW OHIO GIVEN SLIGHTLY WARMER PROFILE ALOFT. EXPANDED THE ISO THUNDER MENTION EWD TO THE INTERSTATE 69 CORRIDOR PER RADAR TRENDS AND THE GENERAL INCREASE IN MOISTURE UNDER THE COLD POCKET ALOFT. OTHERWISE...LOWERED HIGHS 1-3 DEGREES. UPDATED GRIDS/ZFP ARE OUT... PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 800 AM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT FOG CONCERNS EARLY THIS MORNING FOLLOWED BY CONTINUED CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN ITEMS FOR THE SHORT TERM. HAVE ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY EARLY THIS MORNING FOR HILLSDALE COUNTY IN SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN EXTENDING SOUTHWARD ACROSS ALL OF NORTHWEST OHIO COUNTIES. MORE SOLID MID LEVEL DECK ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA WILL TAKE A FEW MORE HOURS TO OVERSPREAD THESE LOCATIONS LEAVING A FEW ADDITIONAL HOURS OF RADIATIONAL COOLING THIS MORNING. SFC OB AND 11-3.9 MICRON SATELLITE TRENDS ARE SUPPORTING AN EXPANDING AREA OF DENSE FOG/STRATUS...MOST PRONOUNCED ACROSS FAR SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE AREA GENERALLY ALONG A KVES TO KAOH LINE. THESE LOCATIONS ACROSS NWRN OHIO HAVE ALSO RECEIVED A DECENT SHOT OF RAIN PAST 24 HOURS. WILL RUN THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY THROUGH 13Z THIS MORNING. NO MAJOR CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST IN THE NEAR TERM. OVERALL VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT IN THE POSITIONING OF UPPER LOW CENTER ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS WITH NEXT VORT MAX POISED TO ROUND THE UPPER LOW INTO EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS MORNING. SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED IN DPVA REGION DOWNSTREAM OF THIS FEATURE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS INTO WEST CENTRAL INDIANA WHICH HAVE BEEN FAIRLY LIGHT IN INTENSITY. MORE VIGOROUS SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REMAINED OVER SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN WHERE MESOLOW TYPE FEATURE SEEMS TO BE PERSISTING ALONG WITH SUBSTANTIAL LAKE INDUCED INSTABILITY AND LAKE/850 HPA DELTA TEMPS OF AROUND 15 TO 17 DEGREES CELSIUS. THERMALLY INDUCED MESOLOW/TROUGH TYPE FEATURE SHOULD TEND TO DRIFT WESTWARD TODAY AS LARGER SCALE TROUGH BEGINS TO RETROGRADE SLIGHTLY. THIS MAY EVENTUALLY TAKE GREATER CONCENTRATION OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS TOWARD THE WESTERN SHORE. AS THIS OCCURS HOWEVER...SOME STRENGTHENING SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL RESULT...AND HAVE ALREADY NOTED SOME SLIGHT BACKING OF LOW LEVEL WINDS TO SOUTHWEST IN WOLCOTT PROFILER OVERNIGHT. INCREASING POSITIVE LOW/MID LEVEL THETAE ADVECTION TODAY COMBINED WITH INCREASING FORCING FROM STRONGER VORT MAX PER WV INSPECTION ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS SHOULD SET THE STAGE FOR INCREASING SCATTERED SHOWER POTENTIAL FROM LATE MORNING AND ESPECIALLY INTO THIS AFTERNOON. DESPITE COOLER MID LEVEL PROFILES BEGINNING TO SHIFT WESTWARD WITH RETROGRADING UPPER LOW...INCREASED LOW/MID LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD ALLOW SOME UPSWING IN INSTABILITY WITH 00Z NAM SFC BASED CAPES INCREASING INTO THE 200-400 J/KG RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND HAVE MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER MENTION. PREVIOUS WX GRIDS FOR TONIGHT STILL SEEM TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE WITH HIGHEST POPS ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. LOW LEVEL THETA-E RIDGE SHOULD STILL BE PARKED IN THIS VICINITY WITH STRONGER ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE...ALONG WITH BETTER PROXIMITY TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC CURVATURE. STRONGER LOW LEVEL WIND PROFILES SHOULD TEND TO DISCOURAGE SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN CONVERGENCE/MESOLOW FEATURE FROM THE PREVIOUS FEW NIGHTS...BUT LAKE INDUCED INSTABILITY PROGS STILL REMAIN RATHER BULLISH AND DID GO AHEAD AND EXTEND SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER/WATERSPOUT MENTION INTO TONIGHT FOR SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. SPREAD IN DETERMINISTIC/ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS STILL QUITE LOW IN CONTINUED RETROGRESSION OF UPPER LOW INTO SUNDAY...WITH STRONGER UPPER FLOW EVENTUALLY ROUNDING THIS LOW AND NOSING INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES ON SUNDAY. A STRONGER ASSOCIATED VORT LOBE ACROSS THE UPPER MS VALLEY SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA SUNDAY. GIVEN GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT/RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY WITH MORE ORGANIZED PERIOD OF RAIN WORKING FROM WEST TO EAST SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT...HAVE CONTINUED UPWARD POP TREND TO LIKELY DURING THIS PERIOD. DESPITE WARMER MID LEVEL PROFILES...MORE SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE ADVECTION AND BETTER DYNAMICS SUNDAY SHOULD POSE SOME THUNDER THREAT AND HAVE ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE TSRA ON SUNDAY. GIVEN INCREASING CONFIDENCE IN THIS SCENARIO...DID ALSO NUDGE HIGHS UP FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF FORECAST AREA WHERE SOUTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL ADVECT LOW LEVEL THERMAL RIDGE BACK WESTWARD. LONG TERM... /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT AT THE START OF THE PERIOD OF DEEP UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER WESTERN ILLINOIS AND DRY SLOT WORKING NORTH AROUND THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE LOW. CHALLENGE LIES IN ABUNDANT LL MSTR WILL STILL REMAIN FROM 850 MB TO THE SFC AND DECENT LIFT WILL STILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA...ESPECIALLY EASTERN HALF. WHAT WOULD NORMALLY END UP A DRIZZLE SETUP MAY TURN OUT TO BE A CONTINUATION OF SHOWER DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH K INDICES IN THE MID AND UPPER 30S SUGGESTING POTENTIAL FOR HEAVIER SHOWERS AND MAYBE A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER. CONCERN FOR THUNDER WOULD INCREASE...AS WOULD STRONGER STORMS IF POCKETS OF CLEARING OCCUR. NAM12 SUGGESTS SFC BASED LI'S GOING SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE AND FAVORABLE WET BULB ZERO TO PROMOTE SOME SMALL HAIL PRODUCTION. GFS LEANS AGAINST THIS SCENARIO. AT THIS POINT...FEEL BEST OPTION IS TO LEAVE HIGH END CHC POPS INTACT FOR MONDAY. UPPER LOW WILL TAKE MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK TO EJECT AS ADDITIONAL ENERGY MOVE IN FROM THE NW. MODELS VARY ON EXACTLY HOW FAST THIS TAKES PLACE ECMWF SLOWEST STILL LINGERING A CLOSED LOW OVER ONTARIO. ECMWF ALSO AGGRESSIVELY DEVELOPING A DEEPER UPPER LOW FROM THE ENERGY TO THE NW. DESPITE WHICH SOLUTION COMES TRUE...RETURN TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS LOOKS IN THE OFFING FOR THURS AND FRIDAY. PRECIP CHANCES MAY RETURN BY FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY WITH STRONGER EURO SOLUTION. HOWEVER...WITH CONCERNS OF RETURN OF LL MSTR AND BEST DYNAMICS...WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT TERM...MARSILI LONG TERM...FISHER AVIATION...STEINWEDEL UPDATE...STEINWEDEL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 533 AM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-250945- 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 533 AM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 /433 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF DENSE FOG WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY MORNING...MAINLY FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...MAINLY FOR NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-250945- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 533 AM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF WATERSPOUTS ACROSS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
132 PM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011
INZ025-241800-
HUNTINGTON IN-
132 PM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011
...THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS HUNTINGTON COUNTY...
AT 129 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF HUNTINGTON...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
HUNTINGTON AND BOWERSTOWN...
MAHON...GOBLESVILLE AND ROANOKE...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES.
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED.
LAT...LON 4100 8564 4101 8563 4101 8561 4100 8536
4076 8536 4074 8554
TIME...MOT...LOC 1732Z 171DEG 12KT 4079 8548
NGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 220 PM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 INZ017-018-025-241845- ALLEN IN-HUNTINGTON IN-WHITLEY IN- 220 PM EDT SAT SEP 24 2011 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEASTERN HUNTINGTON...MOVING TOWARD SOUTHEASTERN WHITLEY AND WESTERN ALLEN COUNTIES... AT 216 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHEASTERN HUNTINGTON COUNTY...OR 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF HUNTINGTON...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH. UP TO DIME SIZE HAIL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... LAUD... RABER...DUNFEE AND COESSE... STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. LAT...LON 4115 8551 4113 8525 4091 8538 4091 8547 TIME...MOT...LOC 1820Z 187DEG 15KT 4097 8540
The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:20 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Amateur radio operators reported hail up to the size of dimes fell for roughly four minutes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, September 2011
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: 340123.