Bow echo complex moved from Illinois and Wisconsin into northwestern Ohio. Strong instability and a continued feed of moisture fed the line as it raced east at speeds of up to 60 mph.
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.
Bow echo complex moved from Illinois and Wisconsin into northwestern Ohio. Strong instability and a continued feed of moisture fed the line as it raced east at speeds of up to 60 mph.
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 Jul 11, 3:06 AM EST, 8 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
406 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
.SHORT TERM...
MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...
ONGOING CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES WILL LIMIT UTILITY OF MODEL GUIDANCE IN
THE NEAR TERM. IMPRESSIVE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE GRADIENT OVER THE
REGION WITH 850MB THETAE RIDGE OVER ILLINOIS ALONG WITH DEWPOINTS IN
THE MID 70S...WHILE STILL IN THE L60S OVER OUR EASTERN CWA. LATEST
SPC MESOANALYSIS SHOWING ML CAPES IN EXCESS OF 4000 J/KG OVER
WESTERN ILLINOIS ALONG WITH MODEST BULK SHEAR SO EXPECT MCS ACTIVITY
TO CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS TOWARD OUR AREA THIS MORNING...AND HAVE
INCREASED POPS TO HIGH CHANCE IN WESTERN CWA TO REFLECT THESE
TRENDS. PRECIP CHANCES IN REMAINING PERIODS OF THE SHORT TERM
SUBJECT TO EVENTUAL PLACEMENT OF FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO MOVE
TOWARD INTO THE AREA TONIGHT. CURRENT MCS ACTIVITY WILL GO A LONG
WAY IN DETERMINING PROGRESS AND PLACEMENT OF FRONTAL BOUNDARY SO NOT
INCLINED TO MAKE MANY CHANGES TO CURRENT GRIDS AS DAY SHIFT WILL
HAVE BETTER HANDLE ON THIS ONCE MORNING CONVECTION RUNS ITS COURSE.
LOW LEVEL THERMAL RIDGE EXPANDING INTO THE AREA WILL BE TEMPERED
SOMEWHAT BY CLOUDS FROM MCS...BUT STILL EXPECT HIGHS AOA 90F OVER
THE ENTIRE CWA. MOISTURE AXIS EXPECTED TO SPREAD EASTWARD INTO OUR
CWA TODAY AND RESULT IN HEAT INDICES AOA 100 OVER A GOOD PORTION OF
THE SW CWA THIS AFTERNOON SO WILL BE ISSUING AN ADVISORY TO COVER
THIS. FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY
NIGHT AND BRING A MUCH WELCOMED BREAK TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY BY
GOING INTO THE LONG TERM PERIOD.
&&
.LONG TERM...
WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
WESTERN CONUS TROUGHING WITH NEGATIVE HEIGHT TENDENCIES OVER THE
NE CONUS INTO EASTERN CANADA ARE EXPECTED. MASSIVE CENTRAL CONUS
RIDGE WILL REMAIN FIXED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS...WITH VERY WARM
TEMPS EXPECTED THERE. LOCALLY...THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL REMAIN
ON THE EDGE OF THE UPPER RIDGE AND ASSOCIATED PERIPHERY FAST FLOW.
SEVERAL SUBTLE DISTURBANCES ARE PROGGED IN W/NW FLOW EMANATING FROM
THE EASTERN PAC LONG WAVE TROUGH...AND ARE EXPECTED TO INTERACTED
WITH DEEP MOISTURE IN PLACE ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE TO SUPPORT
CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. STRONG NEGATIVE HEIGHT ANOMALY WILL SETTLE
INTO THE NE CONUS...SUPPORTING A RATHER STRONG NEGATIVE THETA-E
INTRUSION INTO THE REGION MID WEEK PER NE LL FLOW. DRY E/NE FLOW
WILL LINGER INTO THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH ANOTHER IMPULSE
SUPPORTING INCREASING CHANCES FOR A LL THETA-E UNDULATION FRI...WITH
LOW CHANCES FOR RAIN. FORECAST MODELS REMAIN ON THE SAME PAGE WRT
LARGE SCALE FLOW FORECAST DETAILS THROUGH THE PERIOD. CONTINUED TO
SIDE HEAVY WITH THE ECMWF GIVEN PREFERENCE OF CENTRAL CONUS RIDGE
DETAILS AND RESULTING LOCAL EFFECTS. PREFERENCE IS TOWARD THE GREAT
LAKES REMAINING ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE LONG WAVE RIDGE WITH
POSSIBLE ROSSBY LIKE WAVE RETROGRESSION.
WED-THUR...UNDULATING LL BAROCLINIC BOUNDARY SEPARATING DEEP
MOIST AIR TO THE SOUTH AND DRY FLOW TO THE NORTH WILL SETTLE WELL
SOUTH OF THE REGION WITH ASSOCIATED MCS ACTIVITY TRENDING WELL SOUTH
OF THE REGION AS WELL. PREFERRED TO SIDE ABOVE MODEL/MOS CONSENSUS
NUMBERS...MORE IN LINE WITH A PERSISTENCE FORECAST THROUGH THUR.
LACK OF SIG RAINFALL IN THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS WILL SUPPORT AN
INCREASING LIKELIHOOD FOR NEAR SFC SUPERADIABATS WITH DEEP MIXING TO
NEAR H85. COOL NIGHTS STILL ON TRACK WITH CLEAR SKIES/LIGHT
WINDS/AND DRY LL FIELDS IN PLACE.
FRI-SUN...EASTERN PAC TROUGH WILL SUPPORT THE EJECTION OF A STRONGER
MID LEVEL IMPULSE...WHICH WILL BECOME CONVECTIVELY MODIFIED OVER THE
NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS WAVE WILL SUPPORT LOCAL REFLECTED SW
FLOW...ADVECTING WARM MOIST AIR BACK INTO THE REGION. INCREASED
LARGE SCALE ASCENT IN A WAA REGIME WILL SUPPORT INCREASED PRECIP
CHANCES...WHICH ATTM REMAIN LOW GIVEN THE DIFFICULTY IN PROGNOSING A
CONVECTIVELY MODIFIED PATTERN 5-7 DAYS OUT. DID RETAIN LOW CHANCE
POPS FRI/FRI NIGHT. CURRENT GFS/GEM/UKMET/ECMWF MEAN H5 HEIGHT
PATTERN WOULD SUGGEST THE REGION WILL BE ON THE PERIPHERY OF FAST
DISTURBED FLOW...OR A RING OF FIRE SCENARIO THE REMAINDER OF THE
PERIOD. HOWEVER...THE DETAILS OF RIDGE INTENSITY AND LL
THERMAL/MOISTURE FIELDS ARE FAR FROM BEING RESOLVED...WITH ADDED
UNCERTAINTY PER POORLY SAMPLED NORTHERN STREAM DOMINANT FLOW.
HENCE...HAVE OPTED FOR NO POP/WX MENTION ATTM. DID TREND TEMPS UP
GIVEN PROGGED THERMAL FIELDS/DRYING SOIL CONDITIONS/AND A TREND
TOWARD PERSISTENCE.
&&
.AVIATION...
06Z TAFS...
WILL KEEP WITH GOING VFR FCST TO HOLD FOR THIS TAF CYCLE. LATEST IR
SATELLITE AND LIGHTNING DATA SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAKENING IN
CONVECTIVE COMPLEX MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN MINNESOTA ATTM. FRONTAL
BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON BUT LOW CONFIDENCE ON
CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND AREAL COVERAGE SUGGESTS NOT MENTIONING IN
TAFS ATTM. SOUTHWEST WINDS EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO AROUND 10KTS THIS
AFTERNOON.
&&
.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM EDT /NOON CDT/ THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM
EDT /7 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING FOR INZ012>018-020-022>027-
032>034.
MI...NONE.
OH...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING
FOR OHZ024-025.
LM...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...JAL
LONG TERM...JC
AVIATION...JALHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 818 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011 INZ003>009-012>018-LMZ043-046-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-015- 121000- LA PORTE-ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB-STARKE- PULASKI-MARSHALL-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN- 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- 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...NILES... BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS... STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...COLDWATER...HILLSDALE...BRYAN... MONTPELIER...WAUSEON...ARCHBOLD...DEFIANCE...NAPOLEON...PAULDING... ANTWERP 818 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011 /718 AM CDT MON JUL 11 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHERN INDIANA AND THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY FROM MID MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM WINIMAC TO OTTAWA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX INZ020-022>027-032>034-OHZ016-024-025-121000- WHITE-CASS IN-MIAMI-WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS-GRANT-BLACKFORD- JAY-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTICELLO...BROOKSTON...LOGANSPORT... PERU...WABASH...NORTH MANCHESTER...HUNTINGTON...BLUFFTON...OSSIAN... DECATUR...BERNE...MARION...HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND... OTTAWA...PANDORA...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...LIMA 818 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. A HOT AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL BE IN PLACE TODAY. AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX READINGS OF 100 TO 105 ARE EXPECTED. A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. && 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
1145 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1142 AM TSTM WND DMG COLUMBIA CITY 41.16N 85.49W
07/11/2011 WHITLEY IN EMERGENCY MNGR
3 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101155
NGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1146 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1133 AM TSTM WND DMG COLUMBIA CITY 41.16N 85.49W
07/11/2011 WHITLEY IN EMERGENCY MNGR
3 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN. CORRECTED EVENT TIME.
&&
CORRECTED EVENT TIME...REMARKS
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101155
NGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1154 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1108 AM TSTM WND DMG COLON 41.96N 85.32W
07/11/2011 ST. JOSEPH MI FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
MULTIPLE TREES AND LINES DOWN AT CUSTER AND DECKER
ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101156
NGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1159 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1135 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 SSW FREMONT 41.71N 84.94W
07/11/2011 STEUBEN IN AMATEUR RADIO
5 INCH DIAMETER TOP HALF OF TREE DOWN BLOCKING THE
ROAD...NEAR SR 827 AND 300 E. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101157
NGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1202 PM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1133 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 N AUBURN 41.38N 85.06W
07/11/2011 DE KALB IN STATE POLICE
SEMI TRAILER BLOWN OVER ON INTERSTATE 69 AT MILE MARKER
129.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101158
NGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1204 PM EDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1131 AM TSTM WND DMG ASHLEY 41.53N 85.07W
07/11/2011 DEKALB IN STATE POLICE
SEMI TRAILER BLOWN OVER ON INTERSTATE 69 NEAR MILE
MARKER 139. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
EVENT NUMBER IWX1101159
NGThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:06 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management officials recorded a 71 mph wind gust at the Paulding County Emergency Management office.
Emergency management officials reported a tree fell onto a house at the intersection of River and Madison Streets. Numerous other trees and tree limbs were reported down in and around Antwerp.
Trained spotters estimated wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph.
Law enforcement officials reported a power pole blown down in Fort Jennings.
Law enforcement officials reported a few larger branches down as well as one tree in Columbus Grove.
The Lima ASOS recorded a 62 mph wind gust as the line of storms moved through.
Amateur radio operators reported several tree branches down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, July 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: 331134, 331130, 331135, 331132, 331133, 331136, 331137.