A convective complex developed across central Illinois late in the afternoon of May 31st, and grew slightly upscale into northwest Indiana late in the evening, producing isolated severe weather and some flooding issues. The initial complex weakened and produced an outflow boundary across southern third of the area from the late evening hours of the 21st into the morning hours of June 1st.
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 convective complex developed across central Illinois late in the afternoon of May 31st, and grew slightly upscale into northwest Indiana late in the evening, producing isolated severe weather and some flooding issues. The initial complex weakened and produced an outflow boundary across southern third of the area from the late evening hours of the 21st into the morning hours of June 1st. Convection continued to regenerate north of this outflow boundary in west to east fashion beginning to set the stage for flash flooding concerns in portions of northern Indiana. Events and further details will also be listed in the June 2013 Storm Data.
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, 5:42 PM EST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 642 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 1230 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. THE BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN WILL BE IN THE EVENING AND AGAIN OVERNIGHT. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL ARRIVE BY EARLY EVENING NEAR 80 DEGREES. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL EXIST ONCE AGAIN ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE THIS SYSTEM EXITS THE AREA BY SUNDAY LEADING TO DRY CONDITIONS AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 319 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 UNSETTLED/WET PATTERN WILL PERSIST THIS PERIOD WITH WARM MOIST CONVEYOR BELT REMAINING IN PLACE WITHIN CYCLONICALLY CURVED DEEP SOUTHWEST FLOW FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS NORTHEAST INTO THE MID MS VALLEY AND GREAT LAKES. CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED/INDUCED SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN THIS SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWERS/ISO STORMS INTO TOMORROW. BATCH OF SHOWERS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 69 (AS OF 19Z) WITH A WEAKER DISTURBANCE WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST OF THIS AREA BTW 21-23Z...WHILE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL WAVE OVER IA/MO LIFTS NORTHEAST BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS/STORMS INTO THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT. HEIGHT FALLS, INCREASING RIGHT ENTRANCE UPPER JET SUPPORT, ABUNDANT MOISTURE, AND EXPECTED LOW LEVEL JET RAMP UP SUPPORT GOING LIKELY POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF AN INCH NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION GIVEN AMPLE MOISTURE (PWATS IN EXCESS OF 1.5 INCHES AND 850 MB DEWPOINTS 11-13C). CONTINUED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS LOCALIZED FLOODING CONCERN (STREAMS/CREEKS) IN THE HWO (HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK). SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED INTO THIS EVENING GIVEN THE LACK OF INSOLATION AND DESTABILIZATION SEEN ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. VERTICALLY STACKED CLOSED LOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL OPEN EASTWARD TOWARD THE UPPER MIDWEST AND WESTERN GREAT LAKES LATER TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY...WITH ATTENDANT SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT REACHING NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY 21-00Z. SUFFICIENT LIFT/MOISTURE IN ADVANCE OF THIS FEATURE WARRANTS CONTINUING WITH LIKELY POPS FOR OCCASIONAL SHOWERS INTO TOMORROW...WITH LEFTOVER MORNING MCV POSSIBLY KEEPING SHOWERS/ISO THUNDER GOING THROUGH THE MORNING. PRIMARY COMPOSITE OUTFLOW WILL LIKELY FORCE DEEPER MOISTURE SOUTH OF THE AREA BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...WITH THIS LIKELY PROVIDING THE FOCUS FOR DEEP MOIST (POTENTIALLY SEVERE) CONVECTION ACROSS THE OH VALLEY. SIMILAR TO TODAY...EXPECT THAT THE LOCAL AREA MAY BE WORKED OVER BY CLOUDS/SHOWERS TO HELP REDUCE THE SEVERE RISK. && .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 342 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 DEEP LYRD TROUGH OVR THE DAKOTAS WILL OPEN AND EJECT EWD ACRS THE LAKES SHRT TERM W/ATTENDANT CDFNT CROSSING THE LOCAL AREA SAT EVENING. TWEAKED POPS LWR ESP WRN AREAS IN REFLECTION OF FASTER EWD PROGRESSING 12Z MODEL CONSENSUS. OTRWS VIGOROUS CAA AND DRYING XPCD TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA ON SUNDAY IN WAKE OF PASSING UPR TROUGH THROUGH MI. WILL HOLD W/LOW CHC POP MENTION SUNDAY FOR THE TIME BEING BUT GIVEN EXTENT OF DRYING SPRINKLES THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME IF AT ALL. BROAD SFC RIDGING WILL BLD EWD FM THE PLAINS THROUGH TUE W/A SLOW EWD PROGRESSION INTO NEW ENGLAND BY LT PD RESULTING IN A GRADUAL MODERATION BACK TWD NORMAL TEMPS. UPSTREAM KICKER COMING THROUGH THE NEPAC THIS AFTN XPCD TO DEAMPLIFY AS IT SHIFTS EWD INTO LK SP BY THU. WK RTN FLW EXTENDING THROUGH THE LWR MS VALLEY WITHIN LARGELY NEUTRAL TO SLIGHT HGT RISES ALOFT SHLD PROVE HOSTILE FOR ANY CONV DVLPMNT UNTIL PERHAPS THU AFTN IN RESPONSE TO MORE SIG SECONDARY UPSTREAM NRN STREAM SW TROUGH EJECTING OUT OF THE NRN ROCKIES. AS SUCH WILL GENERALLY DISMISS POP RICH ALLBLEND GUIDANCE AND HOLD W/SGT CHC MENTION THU. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 628 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 REMNANT CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED VORT MAX TRACKING ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS MOVE INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA THIS EVENING. AN UPSWING IN CONVECTION NOTED PAST HOUR ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. INSTABILITY WILL BE A MORE MARGINAL ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA AS THIS CONVECTION APPROACHES AFTER 00Z. SOME POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR THIS CONVECTION TO GROW UPSCALE INTO BOWING SEGMENT...BEFORE DIMINISHING TREND LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA ...ALTHOUGH GREATEST IMPACTS APPEAR TO BE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF KSBN. WILL MOVE TS MENTION UP A FEW HOURS AT 01Z AT KSBN...OTHERWISE NO MAJOR CHAGNES TO PREVIOUS FORECAST. CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION OF LOW CONFIDENCE FOR SATURDAY WITH POSSIBILITY OF OVERNIGHT MCS LAYING OUT EFFECTIVE BOUNDARY SOUTH OF TERMINALS. LARGE SCALE UPPER SUPPORT WILL BE ON THE INCREASE HOWEVER...SO WILL INCLUDE VCTS MENTION AFTER 18Z. SOUTH WINDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR LMZ043-046. && SYNOPSIS...BENTLEY SHORT TERM...STEINWEDEL LONG TERM...T AVIATION...MARSILI VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX (ALL LOWER CASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.NORTHERNIN.GOV WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSIWX WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSNORTHERNINDIANA
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 326 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-011930- 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 326 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 /226 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. THIS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREET AND STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ADDITIONAL RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND STREAMS SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-011930- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 326 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. WIND GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY... WITH SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX/?N=MARINE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
851 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013
INZ005-008-014>017-010115-
ELKHART IN-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-MARSHALL IN-NOBLE IN-WHITLEY IN-
851 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013
...LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD WESTERN
WHITLEY...KOSCIUSKO...SOUTHEASTERN MARSHALL...WESTERN
NOBLE...SOUTHEASTERN ELKHART AND NORTHEASTERN FULTON COUNTIES...
AT 847 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8 MILES WEST OF
MILFORD TO BOURBON TO 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MENTONE...MOVING EAST AT
50 MPH.
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER 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...
WARSAW AND SYRACUSE...
LIGONIER AND WINONA LAKE...
MILFORD...
NORTH WEBSTER...
PIERCETON...
SEVASTOPOL AND LEESBURG...
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.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT
SATURDAY MORNING FOR NORTHERN INDIANA.
LAT...LON 4149 8545 4128 8550 4109 8571 4108 8633
4123 8620 4144 8604
TIME...MOT...LOC 0051Z 264DEG 44KT 4142 8595 4124 8607
4109 8620
FISHERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
930 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013
INZ015-016-022>024-010215-
CASS IN-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-MIAMI IN-WABASH IN-
930 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2013
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD NORTHERN CASS...NORTHERN
MIAMI...NORTHWESTERN WABASH...SOUTHWESTERN KOSCIUSKO AND EASTERN
FULTON COUNTIES...
AT 926 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM ROCHESTER TO 9 MILES
SOUTH OF ROCHESTER TO 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCHESTER...MOVING EAST
AT 30 MPH.
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
AKRON...
METEA AND NYENA LAKE...
ATHENS...
MACY...
TWELVE MILE AND SEVASTOPOL...
BEAVER DAM...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL BRANCHES TO BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOOSE
OBJECTS TO BLOW AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS
TREES.
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT
SATURDAY MORNING FOR NORTHERN INDIANA.
LAT...LON 4092 8634 4110 8626 4116 8585 4097 8590
4085 8598 4076 8658 4077 8658
TIME...MOT...LOC 0130Z 256DEG 21KT 4111 8617 4095 8622
4084 8640The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 18 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:30 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter reported a six to eight inch diameter, 20 foot long tree branch down across County Road 350 South, near State Route 13.
Emergency management officials reported three to 6 inches of water on many roads between State Routes 16 and 17, north of County Road 400 North in the Royal Center area. Local rain gauges indicates upwards of 3 inches of rain fell during the evening hours. Heavy rain persisted into June 1st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2013
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: 455006, 455003.