Deep low pressure moved across the northern Great Lakes, with a strong cold front trailing well south into Arkansas. A 50 to 60 knot low level jet aided in advecting in dewpoints greater than 60 degrees.
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.
Deep low pressure moved across the northern Great Lakes, with a strong cold front trailing well south into Arkansas. A 50 to 60 knot low level jet aided in advecting in dewpoints greater than 60 degrees. 0-1km storm relative helicity values of 400 to 600 m2/s2 setup the perfect environment for individual thunderstorms to rapidly rotate with the lower values into far southern Lower Michigan. While favorable conditions existed, the area was just far enough north of the best conditions to keep the most severe weather away. However, isolated wind damage and one tornado was reported.
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 Nov 17, 2:34 PM EST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
234 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
.SYNOPSIS...
ISSUED AT 650 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST FROM IOWA
THIS MORNING ACROSS THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL SWEEP ACROSS OUR AREA AND CAUSE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TODAY
AND TONIGHT... WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. IT WILL TURN MUCH COLDER TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE FOR LAKE
EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS MONDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY)
ISSUED AT 228 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
...SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED THIS AFTN/EARLY EVE...
A STRONGLY FORCED LINE OF CONVECTION IN THE ACT OF CONGEALING INTO A
LEWP/QLCS (AS OF 19Z) NEAR THE INDIANA/ILLINOIS BORDER WILL CONTINUE
EAST AND IMPACT THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE
EARLY EVENING. PDS TORNADO WATCH WARRANTED GIVEN INCREDIBLE
SHEAR/FLOW (0-1 KM SHEAR TO 45 KNOTS AND DEEP LAYER EFFECTIVE SHEAR
TO 70 KNOTS) AND ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO SUPPORT A HIGH RISK FOR
WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WITH THIS LINE.
SOME MLCIN EXISTS THANKS TO PERSISTENT LOW STRATUS AND SHOWERS SO
FAR TODAY. HOWEVER...NARROW CORRIDOR OF LOW 60S SFC DEWPOINTS ON
EASTERN FRINGE OF COLD POCKET ALOFT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO REDUCE MLCIN
AND INCREASE MLCAPE TO BTW 400-800 J/KG JUST AHEAD OF THIS LINE.
SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DANGEROUS WX IS EXTREMELY DYNAMIC WITH
NEGATIVE TILT TO DEEP PV ANOMALY (NOW NEAR THE IL/IA BORDER) AND
IMPRESSIVE 120 KT MID LVL JET UNDERCUTTING INTO THE OH VALLEY.
THIS, STRONG MID LVL DCVA, UPPER LVL DVRG, AND DEEP MOISTURE WITH
WAVE WILL ALLOW A 992 MB SFC LOW ACROSS SRN WI (AS OF 19Z) TO
DEEPEN NORTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES TONIGHT. ASSOCIATED
STRONG ISALLOBARIC GRADIENT / RISE FALL COUPLET / SHOULD SUPPORT
A FEW GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH JUST BEHIND THE SFC COLD FRONT
LATER THIS AFTN AND EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE OVERNIGHT
INTO MONDAY AS SYSTEM LIFTS OUT AND LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE/DRYING
OVERSPREADS THE LOWER LAKES AND OH VALLEY. CANNOT RULE OUT A FEW
LAKE EFFECT SPRINKLES/FLURRIES IN LOW LEVEL CAA REGIME AND WNW
BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW TRAJECTORIES...ALTHOUGH DRY AIR SHOULD WIN OUT
WITH MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED. LINGERING MODEST SFC PRESSURE
GRADIENT IN WAKE OF SYSTEM WILL KEEP WINDS UP A BIT TOMORROW WITH
GUST 25-30 MPH POSSIBLE.
&&
.LONG TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)
ISSUED AT 409 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
MUCH QUIETER LONG TERM PERIOD COMPARED TO CURRENT SHORT TERM AS MUCH
LESS AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL FLOW ESTABLISHES ACROSS THE AREA UNTIL
TOWARDS THE WEEKEND.
SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD WITH
WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW MID-LATE WEEK. HAVE
CONTINUED WITH SLGT CHC/CHC POPS WEDS-FRI BUT NOT EXPANDED ANY
FURTHER IN TIME AS MODELS STRUGGLE WITH EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THESE
FEATURES AND INTERACTION WITH SFC RIDGE OFF THE EAST COAST.
&&
.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1220 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
MVFR CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THIS AFTERNOON IN MOIST/STRONG
SSW FLOW IN WARM SECTOR OF DYNAMIC SYSTEM APPROACHING THE GREAT
LAKES REGION. CONVECTION BLOSSOMING IN UNCAPPED WARM SECTOR ACROSS
ILLINOIS WILL EVENTUALLY WORK THROUGH SBN AROUND 20-22Z AND FWA
22-23Z IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. HIGH SHEAR ENVIRONMENT
COMBINED WITH INCREASING INSTABILITY PER COOLING ALOFT IN ADVANCE
OF FRONT WILL SUPPORT AN AIRMASS RIPE FOR SEVERE STORMS (WIND
GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND ISOLATED TORNADOES). ISO/SCT PRE-
FRONTAL CONVECTION IS ALSO A CONCERN WITH SHRA/VCTS MENTION
RETAINED BEFORE MAIN BATCH OF CONVECTION. STRONG ISOLLABARIC
GRADIENT AND DEEP MIXING/STEEP LAPSE RATES IN WAKE OF FRONT LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY SUPPORT A PERIOD OF STRONG SYNOPTIC
WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 KNOTS. VFR WITH DIMINISHING WINDS
BEYOND THIS EVENING.
&&
.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM EST /MIDNIGHT CST/ MONDAY FOR
INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034.
MI...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY FOR MIZ077>081.
OH...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY FOR OHZ001-002-004-005-
015-016-024-025.
LM...STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM EST MONDAY FOR LMZ043-046.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 3 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR LMZ043-046.
&&
SYNOPSIS...JT
SHORT TERM...STEINWEDEL
LONG TERM...FISHER
AVIATION...STEINWEDEL
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/NWSNORTHERNINDIANAHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 525 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-181030- 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 525 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013 /425 AM CST SUN NOV 17 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES... ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON... THEN TRANSITION TO A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS WITH WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES AS THEY MOVE ACROSS OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 50 TO 60 MPH. IN ADDITION... IT WILL BE VERY WINDY TODAY AND TONIGHT... EVEN OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY... ESPECIALLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING WHEN WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-181030- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 525 AM EST SUN NOV 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. A STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. IN ADDITION... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS OVER 50 KNOTS AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT WILL LINGER INTO MONDAY NIGHT. && 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
1220 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
INZ013>016-020-022>024-171745-
CASS IN-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO IN-MARSHALL IN-MIAMI IN-PULASKI IN-WABASH
IN-WHITE IN-
1220 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD EXTREME NORTHEASTERN WHITE...
CASS...MIAMI...WABASH...SOUTHERN PULASKI...SOUTHWESTERN KOSCIUSKO...
SOUTHERN MARSHALL AND FULTON COUNTIES...
AT 1215 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
WINAMAC TO ROYAL CENTER TO WALTON...MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
PERU...
WABASH AND ROCHESTER...
BUNKER HILL...
MEXICO...
AKRON...
LAWTON...VANMETER PARK AND FLETCHER...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EST SUNDAY EVENING/700
PM CST SUNDAY EVENING/ FOR NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND
NORTHWESTERN OHIO.
LAT...LON 4100 8684 4120 8631 4100 8568 4076 8564
4058 8630 4081 8648
TIME...MOT...LOC 1720Z 252DEG 52KT 4098 8660 4085 8633
4068 8621
PBMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
125 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 PM TSTM WND DMG S PIERCETON 41.20N 85.71W
11/17/2013 KOSCIUSKO IN 911 CALL CENTER
TREE DOWN SOUTH OF PIERCETON
&&
KGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
137 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
INZ006>009-MIZ080-081-OHZ001-002-171915-
BRANCH MI-DE KALB IN-FULTON OH-HILLSDALE MI-LAGRANGE IN-NOBLE
IN-STEUBEN IN-WILLIAMS OH-
137 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD EXTREME NORTHWESTERN FULTON...
WILLIAMS...SOUTHEASTERN BRANCH...SOUTHERN HILLSDALE...EXTREME
NORTHERN ALLEN...DE KALB...NORTHEASTERN NOBLE...STEUBEN AND
SOUTHEASTERN LAGRANGE COUNTIES...
AT 137 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF ANGOLA TO WATERLOO TO 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BUTLER...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 65 MPH.
UP TO DIME SIZE HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
ANGOLA AND BUTLER...
MONTPELIER...
HAMILTON...
FREMONT...EDON AND EDGERTON...
READING...WEST UNITY AND PIONEER...
SILVER LAKE AND CROOKED LAKE...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW
AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES.
SEEK SHELTER INDOORS UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EST SUNDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWESTERN OHIO.
LAT...LON 4194 8459 4177 8441 4162 8435 4142 8471
4143 8480 4137 8480 4127 8499 4140 8515
4157 8534
TIME...MOT...LOC 1838Z 236DEG 56KT 4156 8514 4146 8503
4137 8492
MARSILIThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:55 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported multiple trees were blown down on Red Arrow Highway. A tree was also down onto a local residence.
A trained spotter found tree limbs down. Damage to a building was reported by the spotter, but no details were given on the amount of damage.
A survey of damage in the Cassopolis area by a NWS Survey team revealed that a EF1 tornado produced damage along a roughly four tenths of a mile path. Touchdown occurred on the southern outskirts of Cassopolis at a farm where a older two story barn was severely damaged with the entire second story of the barn being destroyed with damage thrown upward of 200 yards downstream (DI: SBO DOD 8). The tornado continued quickly northeast, passing across the northwestern part of the Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School property and impacting a detached two car garage, causing its total destruction (DI: SBO DOD: 6). Debris was thrown up to 500 yards northeast from the point of impact onto the Park Shore Golf Course, where several trees were snapped or uprooted. Maximum wind speeds with the tornado are estimated at 110 mph.
A trained spotter reported seven power poles were snapped. Other damage included the roof torn off a small shed and several center pivots being damaged. A snowmobile trailer was lifted and then tossed 100 yards.
The public reported trees and power lines down throughout the entire county.
The public reported several trees down near Union Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 2013Warnings in Michigan, November 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: 479235, 479236, 479234, 479237, 479238, 479239.