Cold front/pre-frontal trough entered the area during the late afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms developed with isolated reports of wind damage with the strongest storms.
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.
Cold front/pre-frontal trough entered the area during the late afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms developed with isolated reports of wind damage with the strongest storms.
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 18, 3:11 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Northern Indiana 411 PM EDT Thu May 18 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 410 PM EDT Thu May 18 2017 Some scattered showers and isolated storms are expected this evening, primarily along and south of Route 24. Noticeably cooler air will then filter in overnight behind a cold front. Highs on Friday will run about 15 to 20 degrees colder than today. Rain chances return for the weekend as the frontal band lifts back northward, with the best chances Saturday afternoon into Saturday night. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Friday) Issued at 356 PM EDT Thu May 18 2017 Corridor of 1000-1500 j/kg along with effective deep layer shear of 30 knots with convection starting to fire amid prior robust roll/cu streets. Lack of significant severe parameters, low level forcing stabilizing boundary layer beyond 00 UTC and overall mid level height rises. Upstream cold front attendant to dampening yoop mid level vortex to bring substantially cooler albeit shallow boundary layer south of cwa by daybreak Friday. Ensuing shower chances on flank of return/elevated warm air advection wing/especially southwest third to half cwa but not expected to be widespread/robust until much later in weekend. && .LONG TERM...(Friday Night through Thursday) Issued at 356 PM EDT Thu May 18 2017 As greater mid/upper level support lifts out of central Rockies and into Upper Midwest/Mississippi Valley expect more fervor to moisture return/destabilization for greater coverage of shra/tsra Sat afternoon into Sat night. Drier/cooler behind second cold frontal passage to start early next week followed by a strong northern stream wave to redig cyclone farther south over southern portions of Upper Great Lakes into Lower Ohio Valley. A bit more selective with thunder chances, relegated to lesser slight chances Tuesday afternoon with lesser low level lapse rates thereafter in deeply cool/stacked system. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday Afternoon) Issued at 118 PM EDT Thu May 18 2017 Well mixed air mass in place. Winds continue through 02Z as the trof and surface front continue to make way through the region. Limited low level moisture and expect that convection will be limited to right along the frontal/trof axis between 21-01Z. Isold tsra with wind gusts the greatest threat East and South of a TOL-FWA-GUS line. Have introduced VCTS for FWA TAF only. LLWS along and immediately northward of the trof axis through 02Z and the most favored areas being in MI/NRN Tier counties of IN. Winds decrease quickly and continue to back after 03Z. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...Wind Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for MIZ077>081. OH...NONE. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 11 AM EDT Friday for LMZ043-046. && SYNOPSIS...Murphy SHORT TERM...Murphy LONG TERM...Murphy AVIATION...Lewis Visit us at www.weather.gov/iwx Follow us on Facebook...Twitter...and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSNorthernIndiana www.twitter.com/nwsiwx www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndiana
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Northern Indiana 417 AM EDT Thu May 18 2017 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-190830- 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- 417 AM EDT Thu May 18 2017 /317 AM CDT Thu May 18 2017/ This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southwest Michigan...northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Southwest winds will gust in the 30 to 40 mph range for most locations this afternoon with a few gusts up to 45 mph across Michigan. Thunderstorms are possible this evening. A few of these storms could produce isolated damaging wind gusts...mainly along and south of highway 24. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Thunderstorms are possible again Saturday into Sunday. Severe weather is not anticipated at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this evening. && Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for further details or updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/iwx LMZ043-046-190830- New Buffalo MI to St Joseph MI-Michigan City IN to New Buffalo MI- 417 AM EDT Thu May 18 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of The Nearshore Waters of Southeastern Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Hazardous conditions for small craft will continue through tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Hazardous conditions for small craft will persist through Friday. Thunderstorms are possible Saturday into early Sunday. && Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for further details or updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/iwx
The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:33 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management officials reported healthy trees were blown down on State Route 19 as well as on Macy-Gilead Rd. Trees averaged one to two feet in diameter, with one nearly three feet.
Local officials reported a tree was blown down on South County Road 675 West, between Beaver Dam and Silver Lake.
Emergency management officials reported a few trees onto homes near the intersection of County Road 150 North and 450 East. Numerous trees were also reported down in a nearby wooded area.
Emergency management officials reported healthy limbs up to 3 inches downed at State Route 9 and County Road 900 North.
Emergency management officials reported several trees down around the Peru area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2017
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: 702144, 702145, 702146, 702148, 702149.