Unstable conditions were in place along the edge of strong ridging across the region. Steep lapse rates and moderate shear allowed thunderstorms to develop on lake breeze boundaries.
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.
Unstable conditions were in place along the edge of strong ridging across the region. Steep lapse rates and moderate shear allowed thunderstorms to develop on lake breeze boundaries.
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 Jun 8, 10:48 PM EST, 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 1148 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011 .NEAR TERM... CURRENTLY MONITORING RADAR TRENDS OVER SOUTHERN LAKE MI. INITIAL SURGE SOUTHEAST TOWARDS BERRIEN COUNTY HAS CALMED DOWN AND SEEMS TO BE TRANSLATING MORE EASTWARD. OF CONCERN FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR 2 IS A FAST MOVING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT IS PREPARING TO MOVE ONSHORE. SPC MESOANALYSIS SHOWS MARINE LAYER IS INLAND ABOUT A COUNTY OR SO BUT INSTABILITY DOES INCREASE AS YOU WORK FURHTER IN. WHILE CONFIDENCE IS LIMITED...SOME CONCERN THAT CONVECTION COULD QUICKLY FIRE AS THE OUTFLOW ENCOUNTERS THIS MORE UNSTABLE AIR DESPITE WHAT LOOKS LIKE INCREASING CIN IN PLACE. 1Z HRRR SEEMS TO HAVE A HANDLE ON WHAT IS UNFOLDING...BRINGING THE OUTFLOW THROUGH AND TRYING TO DEVELOP SOME CONVECTION BUT DISSIPATING WITH TIME AND THEN REFOCUSING TO THE WEST ACROSS ILLINOIS WITH WHAT MAY BE A DECAYING AREA OF STORMS AFTER 10Z. FORECAST IS FINE FOR NOW WITH SCT WORDING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 805 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011/ AVIATION /00 UTC TAFS/... TIMING OF OUTFLOW FROM UPSTREAM CONVECTION IN CONJUNCTION WITH 3KM HIGH-RES RAPID REFRESH MODELING SUGGESTS MODEST CONVECTIVE DVLPMENT WITH MLCAPE AROUND 2000 J/KG AFTER MIDNIGHT ACRS NWRN IN. THEN AS STABILITY/MLCIN INCRS TOWARD DAYBREAK ALONG WITH SERN EXTENT DECLINE IN DEEP LYR SHEAR...ANTICIPATED TSRA DECAY WITH TSRA POTNL AT KFWA SIGNIFICANTLY LESS AND TOO LOW FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN CB/PROB30 MENTION. WL REASSESS LATER THIS EVENING FOR EITHER REMOVAL OF TSRA MENTION THERE OR THE LESS LKLY TEMPO TSRA MENTION. AS FNT STALLS OUT ACRS CNTL INDIANA THU...CHANCES FOR CONVECTION RMN RELATIVELY HIGH WITH PSBL MULTIPLE TSRA EVENTS AT KFWA. DEPTH OF COOLER POST-FNTL AIRMASS WITH EXTREME STABILITY PROVIDED BY MARINE LYR PRECLUDES ANYTHING MORE THAN VCSH MENTION THU AT KSBN. SHORT TERM... TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. VERY WARM AFTERNOON AS EXPECTED WITH ENTIRE AREA IN LOW TO MID 90S. DEWPOINTS HAVE ONCE AGAIN MIXED WITH DRIER AIR ALOFT AND DROPPED INTO MID 60S. THIS HAS HELPED KEEP HEAT INDICES IN MID TO UPPER 90S. WILL CONTINUE HEAT ADVISORY INTO THIS EVENING SIMPLY DUE TO TEMPERATURES WELL INTO 90S AT THIS POINT AND NO REASON TO CANCEL WITH HEAT EXHAUSTION STILL A POSSIBILITY. CU FIELD HAS ALSO INCREASED THIS AFTERNOON WITH INCREASING MOISTURE ALOFT. ATMOSPHERE INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH MUCAPES AROUND 3000 J/KG. COLD FRONT AND PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH STILL WELL WEST OF THE AREA SO FORCING FOR LATE AFTERNOON CONVECTION IS LACKING. NAM12 SOUNDINGS INDICATE WARM 10C AT 700MB THIS AFTERNOON BUT SOME COOLING AHEAD OF APPROACHING TROUGH BY 00Z. THIS MAY BE ENOUGH WITH HEATING TO FORCE A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BUT APPEARS THIS WOULD BE A SLIM POSSIBILITY WITH LITTLE SUPPORT OF ANY GUIDANCE SO WILL KEEP POPS OUT OF REMAINDER OF AFTERNOON. COLD FRONT APPROACHES THIS EVENING. TSRA HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THETA E RIDGE AND TROUGH FROM UPPER MICHIGAN THROUGH WISCONSIN AND IOWA. EXPECT THIS AREA TO FILL IN LATER THIS EVENING WITH ADDITIONAL COOLING ALOFT AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. 00Z SPC WRF RUN SHOWED THIS WELL AND BRINGS CONVECTION INTO NORTHWEST AREAS BETWEEN 01 AND 04Z AND ACROSS NORTHERN HALF OF AREA THROUGH THE NIGHT. GFS SEEMS TO BE INDICATING THIS SCENARIO AS WELL BUT NAM12 SHOWING LITTLE IF ANY CONVECTION INTO OUR AREA...LIKELY DUE TO CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK...SPLITTING FLOW AND OUTFLOW DOMINATED SOLUTION. HAVE OPTED TO DO WITH SPC WRF RUN BLENDED WITH GFS. NOT CONFIDENT IN DEGREE OF AREAL COVERAGE TO WARRANT LIKELY OR HIGHER POPS BUT DO FEEL SOME CONVECTION WILL MOVE THROUGH SO CURRENT SCATTERED WORDING WITH 40 TO 50 PERCENT LOOKS REASONABLE. ISOLATED SEVERE IS POSSIBLE WITH DEGREE OF INSTABILITY. FRONT SAGS SOUTH ON THURSDAY WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES...ESPECIALLY NORTH. LOCATION OF BOUNDARY IN AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTH WARRANTS HIGHER POPS THERE AND TEMPERATURES STILL IN THE 80S. ANOTHER WAVE LOOKS TO DEVELOP ALONG BOUNDARY THURSDAY NIGHT AND MOVE TOWARDS US. KEPT POPS IN BUT TRIED NOT TO ADD TOO MUCH DETAIL AT THIS TIME WITH CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS AND BOUNDARIES BEFORE THEN LIKELY LEADING TO FURTHER CHANGES IN MODEL SOLUTIONS. LONG TERM... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE FLOW OVER THE AREA WILL HAVE BECOME MORE HIGH ZONAL AS ENERGY IN THE FORM OF SHORT WAVES MOVES OVER THE FLATTENED UPPER RIDGE. FOR THIS PACKAGE...FAVOR A BLEND OF THE GFS AND ECMWF OPERATIONAL RUNS. THIS BLEND KEEPS A HIGH ZONAL FLOW WITH A GOOD CHANCE FOR SHORT WAVES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA AND HAS GOOD SUPPORT FROM THE CANADIAN AND GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. THE CHALLENGES WITH THIS PATTERN INCLUDE THE TIMING OF INDIVIDUAL SHORT WAVES AND ACCOMPANYING TIMING OF SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. FOR FRIDAY...KEPT A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS AS ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT AN ISOLATED STORM MAY BECOME SEVERE AS AFTERNOON CAPES RISE TO BETWEEN 1500 AND 2000 J/KG. LACK OF FAVORABLE BULK SHEAR VALUES FOR SEVERE STORMS SHOULD LIMIT SEVERE POTENTIAL. A COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY. HAVE REDUCED CHANCES FOR STORMS OVER WESTERN AREAS DURING THE AFTERNOON AS COOLER AND DRIER AIR SPREADS INTO THE AREA. RELATIVELY COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY. FAVORED THE GFS MEX MEAN ENSEMBLE FOR FORECAST HIGHS AND LOWS. THE ECMWF AND GFS HAVE TRENDED A LITTLE STRONGER WITH THE SHORT WAVE THAT SHOULD ARRIVE DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK BRINGING A CHANCE FOR STORMS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LASHLEY LONG TERM...SKIPPER AVIATION...MURPHY NEAR TERM...FISHER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 714 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011 INZ004>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ078>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-092315- 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-CASS MI- ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE-WILLIAMS-FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-HENRY- PAULDING-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...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...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS... STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...COLDWATER...HILLSDALE...BRYAN...WAUSEON... ARCHBOLD...DEFIANCE...NAPOLEON...PAULDING...ANTWERP...OTTAWA... PANDORA...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...LIMA 714 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011 /614 PM CDT WED JUN 8 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST LATER TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A KNOX INDIANA TO DEFIANCE OHIO LINE. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT AS WELL AS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-092315- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 714 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT WINDS GUSTS APPROACHING 25 KNOTS WILL POSE A THREAT TO SMALL CRAFT INTO THIS EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY HIGH WINDS AND WAVES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS A HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE THURSDAY...AND A MODERATE RISK THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. DANGEROUS SURF WITH LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS ARE EXPECTED. CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT WILL RETURN THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES...AND LOCALLY HIGH WINDS AND WAVES ARE POSSIBLE. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX/?N=MARINE INZ003-MIZ077-092315- LA PORTE-BERRIEN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...NILES... BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN 714 PM EDT WED JUN 8 2011 /614 PM CDT WED JUN 8 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST LATER TONIGHT. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS A HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE THURSDAY...AND A MODERATE RISK THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. DANGEROUS SURF WITH LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS ARE EXPECTED. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT AS WELL AS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1156 PM EDT WED JUN 08 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1150 PM TSTM WND GST 2 WNW BENTON HEIGHTS 42.14N 86.44W
06/08/2011 M40 MPH BERRIEN MI ASOS
BENTON HARBOR ASOS RECORDED A 35 KNOT WIND GUST AS
OUTFLOW CAME ONSHORE.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101023
FISHERThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:57 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and power lines reported down in and around Coloma.
Local law enforcement reported scattered trees and power lines down across the county.
Local law enforcement reported a tree down onto power lines at the intersection of U.S. 12 and Gumwood Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, June 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: 322391, 322393, 322392.