A weak upper level system moved across the region with abundant moisture in place. While CAPE was sufficient for thunderstorms development, shear was somewhat lacking resulting in storms more of a pulse nature.
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 weak upper level system moved across the region with abundant moisture in place. While CAPE was sufficient for thunderstorms development, shear was somewhat lacking resulting in storms more of a pulse nature. Storms attempted to organize somewhat courtesy of several outflow boundary interactions. Isolated wind and hail reports were noted.
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 20, 5:58 PM CST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 758 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 343 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY SLIP SOUTH INTO THE REGION OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWESTERN OHIO WITH SEVERE WEATHER A POSSIBILITY. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS TONIGHT WILL DROP INTO THE 60S WITH HIGHS WEDNESDAY GENERALLY IN THE LOWER 80S...WITH LOCALLY COOLER CONDITIONS ALONG THE LAKE. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 750 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 CONVECTION HAS RAPIDLY DEVELOPED THIS EVENING ACROSS IN VICINITY OF LOW LEVEL TROUGH AXIS FROM EASTERN IOWA INTO FAR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. A SECONDARY AREA OF WEAK PREFRONTAL CONVERGENCE HAS ALSO LED TO A SECONDARY BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS. MODERATE INSTABILITY DEPICTED PER 23Z RAP ANALYSIS FROM NORTHERN ILLINOIS INTO FAR NORTHERN INDIANA/SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN WITH 100 HPA MLCAPES ON THE ORDER OF 1500-2000 J/KG. AS OF 23Z...STRONGEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR RESIDES NORTH AND WEST OF LOCAL AREA...BUT POCKET OF STRONGER UPPER LEVEL WESTERLIES SHOULD OVERSPREAD SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES REGION OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...INCREASING EFFECTIVE SHEAR ACROSS AT LEAST NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA. PER SPC MESODISCUSSIONS AND CONVECTIVE OUTLOOKS...UPSCALE GROWTH STILL OF SOMEWHAT LOW CONFIDENCE GIVEN LACK OF STRONG MID/UPPER LEVEL FORCING. HOWEVER...COMBINATION OF MODERATE INSTABILITY AND INCREASING DEEP LAYER EFFECTIVE SHEAR SHOULD AT LEAST SUPPORT ISOLD SEVERE RISK INTO NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING CONSIDERING ADDITIONAL OUTFLOW INTERACTIONS WITH UPSTREAM CONVECTION. HAVE NOT MADE MANY CHANGES TO PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH ONLY TWEAK TO SHAVE OFF POPS SOME ACROSS SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA OVER NEXT FEW HOURS. DID NOT MAKE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO POPS AFTER 03Z WITH SOME CONCERN THAT IF UPSTREAM CONVECTION CAN CONGEAL...EASTWARD PROPAGATION WILL ACCELERATE LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS EAST/SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 ...THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING...POSSIBLY INTO OVERNIGHT HOURS... MAIN FOCUS RESIDES ON COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM CNTRL LK MI INTO IOWA WHICH WILL BECOME THE TRIGGER POINT FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. CONCERNS LOOM IN EXACTLY HOW THESE STORMS WILL EVOLVE AND DROP SE TOWARDS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. SPC MESOANALYSIS SHOWS SFC BASED CAPES 2000 TO 3000 J/KG WERE POOLING ALONG THE FRONT WITH STEEPENING LAPSE RATES AND INCREASING SHEAR. CU FIELD HAVE BEEN RATHER SUBDUED THUS FAR ALONG THE FRONT. HOWEVER ALL HIGH RES MODELS SEEM TO POINT TOWARDS RAPID FORMATION OF STORMS IN THE 21 TO 23Z TIME FRAME. INITIAL STORM MODE SHOULD BE MULTICELL CLUSTERS/SOME SUPERCELLS WHICH WILL PRODUCE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...ALONG WITH SOME TORNADO THREAT. COLD POOL SHOULD BEGIN TO ESTABLISH WITH CORFIDI VECTORS INDICATED A RAPID FORWARD PROPAGATION INTO NW PARTS OF THE AREA AFTER 00Z AND OVERSPREADING AT LEAST NORTHERN HALF THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING. TIMING OF DAY WILL PLAY SOMEWHAT AGAINST SEVERE POTENTIAL AS WILL FACT THAT ACTUAL COLD FRONT WILL RESIDE WELL NW OF THE AREA UNTIL LATER TONIGHT. HOWEVER...ALL SIGNS CONTINUE TO POINT TOWARDS INCREASING SEVERE THREAT THIS EVENING...WARRANTING INCREASE IN POPS AND ADDITION OF SVR WORDING. SOUTHERN EXTENT VERY QUESTIONABLE AS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES EVENTUALLY RACE AHEAD OF THE LINE AND ALLOW FOR POTENTIAL FOR THE LINE TO STALL OUT WITH HRRR INDICATING SOME POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS ILLINOIS/IOWA MOVING IN LATER THIS EVENING. HAVE NOT ADDED MENTION OF HVY RAIN...BUT TRAINING OF CELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH INHERENT THREAT FOR FLOODING. WILL DEFER TO EVE SHIFT TO MONITOR TRENDS. NO CHANGES TO FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY WITH RESIDUAL BOUNDARY FROM OVERNIGHT CONVECTION BEING KEY IN CONVECTIVE CHANCES AS ACTUAL COLD FRONT MOVES IN. NEW DAY2 OUTLOOK HAS SHOVED SLGT RISK A BIT FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS MAINLY SE THIRD OF THE AREA WHICH IS REASONABLE AT THIS STAGE. WILL DEFER TO OVERNIGHT SHIFT TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. && .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 CDFNT SHOULD BE MOVG THROUGH S-SE PORTION OF CWA AT START OF THE PERIOD WED EVE. CONVECTION WILL PRBLY HAVE MOVED OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT BY 00Z AND BE LOCATED S-SE OF THE CWA, BUT THERE IS A SMALL CHC OF ACTIVITY CONTG TO DEVELOP ALONG IT, SO MAINTAINED A LOW POP THROUGH WED EVE. COOLER/DRIER AIRMASS WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE CDFNT BY THURSDAY. SHRTWV MOVG THROUGH THE UPR GRTLKS TONIGHT/WED EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO A CUT-OFF LOW OVER NERN U.S./SE CANADA BY THU WITH ANOTHER CUT-OFF LOW LINGERING OVER THE SWRN CONUS WHILE IN BETWEEN RIDGE OVER CENTRAL U.S. WILL PROVIDE OUR AREA WITH FAIR WX LATE THIS WEEK. THESE SYSTEMS EXPECTED TO MAKE SLOW E-NE PROGRESS OVER THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK, LIKELY CONTG THE DRY SPELL ACROSS OUR CWA. TEMPS THU SHOULD BE A BIT BLO NORMAL, MODIFYING TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AS THE UPR RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. RETURN FLOW WILL RESULT IN INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND SOME DEVELOPING INSTABILITY AS SFC HIGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA BY MONDAY, BUT PROXIMITY OF UPR LEVEL RIDGE SUGGESTS ANY CONVECTION IN OUR AREA WILL BE ISOLATED AT BEST, SO FOR NOW HELD OFF ADDING TO FCST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 750 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 CONVECTION HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS IN VICINITY OF LOW LEVEL FRONT ACROSS EASTERN IOWA AND FAR NORTHERN ILLINOIS. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG WEAK PREFRONTAL CONVERGENCE FEATURE TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONT. WHILE MID/UPPER LEVEL FORCING IS RELATIVELY WEAK...EXPECTING ADDITIONAL SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...POSSIBLY AFFECTING KSBN AS EARLY AS 0130-0200Z. HAVE INCLUDED GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO 35 KNOTS WITH THE TSRA AT KSBN GIVEN FAVORABLE THERMODYNAMIC PROFILES AND UNIDIRECTIONAL NATURE TO FLOW. WILL HOLD OFF ON HIGHER WIND INCLUSION AT KFWA WITH SOME UNCERTAINTIES PERSISTING INTO HOW WELL ORGANIZED CONVECTION MAINTAINS ITSELF INTO FAR NORTHEAST INDIANA LATE EVENING/EARLY OVERNIGHT. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND WEAK GRADIENT MAY SUPPORT SOME MVFR CONDS EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH TRANSITION BACK TO VFR CONDITIONS BY MID MORNING. SLOW MOVING NATURE OF FRONT MAY POSE ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE RISK WEDNESDAY...PARTICULARLY AT KFWA. HOWEVER WITH UNCERTAINTIES AS TO HOW CONVECTION TONIGHT WILL IMPACT THE EFFECTIVE FRONTAL POSITION...WILL HOLD OFF ON ADDITIONAL TS INCLUSION FOR WEDNESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && UPDATE...MARSILI SYNOPSIS...MURPHY/FISHER SHORT TERM...FISHER LONG TERM...JT 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...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 425 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-212030- 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 425 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 /325 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA...THE GREATEST THREAT EXISTS ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM KNOX TO GOSHEN TO COLDWATER. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY. SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE ALONG AND SOUTH OF ROUTE 24. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-212030- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 425 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE STORMS WILL CONTAIN DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS... ALONG WITH LOCALLY HIGH WAVES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY MORNING. && 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 953 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014 INZ003-004-210215- LA PORTE IN-ST. JOSEPH IN- 853 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2014 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD NORTHERN LA PORTE AND WESTERN ST. JOSEPH COUNTIES... AT 848 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM NEAR LA PORTE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... NORTH LIBERTY... BYRON...STILLWELL AND ROLLING PRARIE... FISH LAKE... THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 80 90 IN INDIANA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 41 AND 55. 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 THIS STORM HAS PASSED. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM CDT WEDNESDAY MORNING/500 AM EDT WEDNESDAY MORNING/ FOR NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWESTERN OHIO. LAT...LON 4170 8641 4151 8643 4157 8688 4170 8687 TIME...MOT...LOC 0152Z 275DEG 31KT 4162 8677 MARSILI
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1039 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1027 PM HAIL 1 NW LA PORTE 41.62N 86.74W
05/20/2014 E0.88 INCH LA PORTE IN PUBLIC
DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL NEAR PINE LAKE
&&
NGThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:21 UTC.
9 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
State police reported a tree was blown down onto County Road 1000 South.
Local media reported a tree was blown down onto a residence on Baker Street.
The public reported hail was covering the ground with sizes ranging from pea to half dollar.
Broadcast media reported hail damaged a vehicle, as well as siding and window screens on a home. Damage is estimated at $20,000.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2014
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: 520640, 520641, 520653, 520652, 520649, 520650, 520648, 520647, 520645, 520644, 520642.