Both a morning round and afternoon round of isolated severe thunderstorms occurred. Two lightning strikes caused fires as well.
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.
Both a morning round and afternoon round of isolated severe thunderstorms occurred. Two lightning strikes caused fires as well. Trees and outbuildings were damaged from severe thunderstorm winds, and semi trucks were blown over.
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 21, 5:39 AM EST, 21 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Northern Indiana 639 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 242 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 A cold front will stall out in the Wabash valley early this morning. This front will spawn showers and thunderstorms this afternoon with lingering showers into this evening. Dry and much cooler weather follows Sunday through Monday. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 242 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 Vigorous upstream pressure rises will allow sfc cold front to advance sewd early this morning in line with most guidance. This should squelch risk of any svr wx to perhaps a Marion to Ottawa line this aftn in proximity to where this feature hangs up. Otherwise lack of a substantial trigger aloft suggests many places may end up with little today outside shallow frontal slope southeast third and have made drastic multi-element cuts to prior grids as elevated frontal slope holds west from ne MO newd into wrn MI. Organizing convective cluster/embedded vort max over nw AR/sw MO about the only small scale feature of note to latch onto near term although elevated clusters over ne IL and ne MO likely to influence near term somewhat through this morning. Potential svr risk likely tied to AR/MO disturbance and bears watching as it lifts up into the area early aftn. Downstream airmass outside any earlier morning convective influences and in proximity to stalling sfc frontal zone will heat rapidly, generally through the Wabash valley and south. Wind profiles are not unduly impressive although some stronger mid level flow noted in point fcst soundings. Good low level moisture expected to present near frontal zone and with heating, yield modest buoyancy to support an isolated hail risk with strongest cells. Enough deep layer shear also present here to promote a better wind risk especially should storms evolve into an organized line segment within the US 24 corridor mid aftn. Tonight, parent upper trough across srn Canada will sharpen across the nrn lakes which should illicit some mass response into swd oriented elevated frontal zone as H85-7 flow backs some through midnight before shifting east out of the area. && .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 242 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 Cool, dry, canadian post frontal ridging builds Sun-Mon before moderating Tue onward in association with renewed deep trough development through the Rockies/plains. Lead wave ejects out in deep sw flow aloft late Tue-Wed followed by primary sw disturbance into the OH valley Thu. Fair spread yet on track of primary wave Thu but some ample rainfall likely with this vigorous system along its nrn/nwrn periphery and in warm advection wing with lead sys Wed. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Sunday Morning) Issued at 635 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 A cold front was moving southeast across northern Indiana this morning. A band of showers and scattered storms have appeared to develop along an approaching gravity wave. Adjusted timing for showers and storms at SBN and also took into account the isolated IFR ceiling there. Mentioned a TEMPO group for showers and storms at SBN. Will keep best chances for showers and storms this afternoon at FWA. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...T SHORT TERM...T LONG TERM...T AVIATION...Skipper 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 436 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>025-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-015- 220900- 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-Berrien-Cass MI-St. Joseph MI-Branch- Hillsdale-Williams-Fulton OH-Defiance-Henry-Paulding- 436 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 /336 AM CDT Sat May 21 2022/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana, southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A few thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. No severe weather is expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Thunderstorms are possible at times from late Tuesday through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. INZ026-027-032>034-OHZ016-024-025-220900- Wells-Adams-Grant-Blackford-Jay-Putnam-Van Wert-Allen OH- 436 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon. An isolated strong to marginally severe storm with hail and gusty winds is possible south of US 24. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Thunderstorms are possible at times from late Tuesday through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. LMZ043-046-220900- New Buffalo MI to St Joseph MI-Michigan City IN to New Buffalo MI- 436 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters of southeastern Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A few thunderstorms are possible this morning. The strongest storms may contain gusty winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Thunderstorms are possible at times from late Tuesday through Thursday.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
316 AM EDT SAT MAY 21 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0314 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 NE SAINT JOSEPH 42.10N 86.48W
05/21/2022 M1.50 INCH BERRIEN MI MESONET
RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 80 MINUTES.
&&
SKIPSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
647 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022
INZ003>005-012>016-020-022-023-MIZ077-078-211145-
Miami IN-La Porte IN-St. Joseph IN-Marshall IN-Starke IN-
Kosciusko IN-Cass IN-White IN-Fulton IN-Elkhart IN-Pulaski IN-
Berrien MI-Cass MI-
647 AM EDT Sat May 21 2022
...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of western Elkhart,
western Kosciusko, Cass, La Porte, central White, St. Joseph,
Pulaski, Fulton, northwestern Miami, Starke, Marshall, Cass and
southeastern Berrien Counties through 745 AM EDT/645 AM CDT/...
At 647 AM EDT/547 AM CDT/, Doppler radar was tracking strong
thunderstorms along a line extending from near Trail Creek to near
Winamac to 10 miles southwest of West Lafayette. Movement was
northeast at 60 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Strong thunderstorms will be near...
Michigan City, La Porte, Winamac and Trail Creek around 655 AM
EDT.
New Carlisle, Three Oaks and Culver around 705 AM EDT.
Other locations in the path of these storms include Plymouth,
Buchanan, Argos, Bourbon, Berrien Springs, Niles, Bremen, Logansport,
Nappanee, Dowagiac, Cassopolis, Wakarusa, Walton, Milford, New Paris
and Goshen.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 65 between mile markers 185 and 186.
Interstate 80 in Indiana between mile markers 39 and 97.
Interstate 94 in Indiana between mile markers 34 and 42.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
&&
LAT...LON 4106 8674 4166 8692 4207 8621 4207 8597
4152 8580 4063 8624 4057 8637 4069 8637
4069 8652 4074 8653 4074 8675 4068 8676
4068 8674 4066 8678 4056 8677 4056 8698
TIME...MOT...LOC 1047Z 236DEG 51KT 4163 8685 4110 8669 4034 8705
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
JBALLThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:59 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous outbuildings were damaged. A farm irrigation was damaged as well as a home over one mile away.
The Fort Wayne ASOS recorded a 54 knot wind gust.
Multiple trees were blown down. A semi truck was blown over.
Three semi trucks were blown over on US Highway 31.
Lightning struck a home, causing a fire.
A lightning strike caused a small house fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2022
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: 1029365, 1029402, 1029366, 1029367, 1029362, 1029363.