Thunderstorm Wind — Whitley, Indiana

2022-06-13 · near Tri Lakes, Whitley, Indiana

Event narrative

A survey of damage by emergency management officials and NWS personnel indicated numerous trees and power lines were blown down in the Tri Lakes area, especially between State Routes 9 and 109. All roads at one point were impassable due to the amount of damage. The swath of damage continued southeast through Columbia City and towards the Allen county line. A semi was reported blown off the road on US-30. Spotter estimated and measured wind speeds of 70 to 80 mph were noted in some spots, both in the Tri Lakes area as well as approaching Allen county.

Wider weather episode

A volatile environment of over 4000 J/KG of SBCAPE, combined with 45 to 60 knots of effective shear set the stage for multiple rounds of thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening hours of June 13th. Initial storms remained poorly organized, but did produce sporadic wind damage or hail. More substantial thunderstorm development evolved during the evening hours in northwestern Indiana and southwestern Lower Michigan and progressed east, eventually producing several swaths of wind damage. The most intense cluster of storms evolved in Berrien county Michigan and dropped rapidly southeast impacting locations extending from South Bend to Fort Wayne. Southwestern portions of Fort Wayne suffered the greatest impacts with widespread tree and structure damage from 80 to nearly 100 mph winds.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.2651, -85.4966)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1041849. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.