Waterspouts were reported on Lake Michigan offshore of Indiana Dunes State Park.
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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 LOT wrote it up.
Waterspouts were reported on Lake Michigan offshore of Indiana Dunes State Park.
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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 6, 10:04 AM CST, 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL 1104 AM CDT SAT AUG 6 2016 .UPDATE... 1101 AM CDT Diurnal cumulus field has begun to develop along the adjacent Lake Michigan counties, and expected to spread inland by midday/early afternoon. Onshore flow has also developed, and should keep temperatures down a few degrees for areas adjacent to the lake in the upper 70s. Elsewhere highs should slowly warm to around 80 and perhaps the lower 80s. Dewpoints will continue to be pleasant in the upper 50s to around 60 degrees as high pressure influences the region today. Beachler && .SHORT TERM... 327 AM CDT Through tonight... Today through Monday night... Mild and dry conditions are expected through the weekend and into Monday, with an upper pattern that initially features a trough over eastern Canada and the northeastern states, and a ridge just downstream of the Rocky mountains. A few minor amplitude sheared mid-level ripples are indicated traversing west-northwest flow aloft across the upper Midwest through Sunday night, before the ridge shifts overhead Monday. While some guidance does suggest a little more mid/high cloud cover Sunday afternoon downstream of decaying Plains convection trying to move east, generally only a few periods of patchy high cloud cover are anticipated along with a diurnal cu field. Forecast soundings do indicate the potential for a little lake-induced cu both this morning and again Sunday morning for areas near the lake, in addition to a diurnal cu field each afternoon. Some of the convection-allowing model (CAM) guidance does generate some weak reflectivity from the cu field, especially along the lake breeze boundary, though a fairly strong cap in the 700-600 mb layer per forecast soundings should preclude any precip through the period. At the surface, high pressure stretching from the Canadian prairies to the central Plains will slide southeast through the period, reaching the upper Mississippi Valley by early Sunday, and the western Great Lakes Sunday night into Monday. This will support north-northeast synoptic winds and lake breezes both today and Sunday, and a more east-southeast synoptic flow and lake breeze setup for Monday. Temperature wise, 925 mb T is progged from +18 to +21 across the area over the weekend, warming to +22/23 Monday. This supports generally lower 80s (with a few 84's south today), warming to the 84-88 range Monday. Onshore lake breeze winds should hold readings at the shore to about 78-80. A blend of MOS guidance, with a lean toward the generally warmer NAM MET numbers appears reasonable. Ratzer && .LONG TERM... 327 AM CDT Sunday through Friday... Tuesday through Friday... A broad upper ridge is progged to be across the south-southeastern CONUS to begin the period, strengthening briefly through mid-week before eventually flattening Thursday night and Friday as a deep upper trough over the western U.S. eventually moves out across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Increasing thickness/warming of the column looks to bring a return of very warm and muggy weather to the area during the week, with the potential for a few rounds of thunderstorms. The first of these may come Tuesday into Tuesday evening as guidance is in relatively good agreement in depicting a weak short wave moving across the area, though lower-mid level tropospheric flow is fairly weak. This wave appears to phase somewhat within the southern periphery of a deeper upper trough over Manitoba and Ontario. The surface low with this deeper mid- level feature tracks north of the Great Lakes region, and trails a weak cold front across the upper Midwest Tuesday night. The latest medium-range model runs stall this front just to our north Wednesday and Wednesday night, before the main western upper trough eventually moves out across the upper Midwest Thursday night into Friday. The resulting surface low tracks along the stalled front and provides stronger low-mid level forcing which would likely support more-organized storms with greater coverage during the late Thursday-Friday period. With some uncertainty in storm initiation/coverage at this distance, have generally limited pops to slight chance during the Tuesday-Wednesday period, increasing to better 40-50 percent coverage Thursday- Friday. As for temperatures, ECMWF and GFS increase 850 mb temps from +17/18 C Tuesday, to +19/20 C Wednesday into Friday. 925 mb temps increase to +25 to +27 C in the ECMWF by that time as well, suggesting highs into the low-mid 90s. GFS is cooler, perhaps too cool. Prefer a blend towards the warmer ECMWF at this point, though confidence does lower later in the period given the potential for clouds/storms/convective outflow to mess up the low level thermal fields. Ratzer && .AVIATION... For the 12Z TAFs... The main forecast issue for today will be the timing of lake breeze development and inland progression this afternoon. Latest guidance suggests that the late breeze should push inland late this afternoon, shifting winds to the ely-enely at ORD and MDW and nnely-nly at GYY. Winds should remain generally light nwly at RFD/DPA, though there is a chance that the lake breeze could reach as far inland as DPA. No operationally significant cloud cover is expected through the period with just some ci and few/sct cu possible likely. Dry weather is expected through the period. && .MARINE... 300 AM CDT Deep low pressure in northern Quebec combined with high pressure building out of the Canadian prairies and into the northern plains has set up modest nwly flow over Lake Michigan. Winds will briefly veer to northerly today as the high spread across the upper Mississippi Valley, but will then become light and variable by Saturday night and into early next week as the center of the high slides across the Great Lakes region. By Monday night, the high will push east of the Great Lakes as low pressure develops over the northern plains. This will set up generally southerly flow by Tuesday with winds maintaining a southerly component. The low is expected to track to northern Quebec by Wednesday and drag a cold front across the northern portions of Lake Michigan. The front is expected to stall out over the mid section of the lake as a new low develops over the western plains. The front will eventually move back north as a warm front by late next week while the low tracks across the northern plains. && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LM...NONE. && VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 414 AM CDT SAT AUG 6 2016 ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019- 070915- WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE ILLINOIS-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE- DUPAGE-COOK-LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON- IROQUOIS-FORD-LAKE INDIANA-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON- 414 AM CDT SAT AUG 6 2016 /514 AM EDT SAT AUG 6 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS... NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... LIMITED THUNDERSTORM RISK. LIMITED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NECESSARY THROUGH TONIGHT. && LMZ740>745-070915- WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR- WILMETTE HARBOR TO NORTHERLY ISLAND- NORTHERLY ISLAND TO CALUMET HARBOR-CALUMET HARBOR TO GARY- GARY TO BURNS HARBOR-BURNS HARBOR TO MICHIGAN CITY- 414 AM CDT SAT AUG 6 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE INDIANA NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF A FEW PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. && LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868- 870-872-874-876-878-070915- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM MICHIGAN CITY IN TO ST. JOSEPH MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO THE MACKINAC BRIDGE AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CHARLEVOIX MI TO SOUTH FOX ISLAND 5 NM OFFSHORE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM CHARLEVOIX TO POINT BETSIE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM POINT BETSIE TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE TO STURGEON BAY WI- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM STURGEON BAY TO TWO RIVERS WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM TWO RIVERS TO SHEBOYGAN WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR IL 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WILMETTE HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ST. JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE- 414 AM CDT SAT AUG 6 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE WILL BE PERIODIC CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. && RATZER VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:30 UTC.
1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
Another funnel cloud approximately 2 miles offshore had already dissipated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Lake Michigan in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather history
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: 659020.