Rain, Rain, Wonderful Rain...

The rain is doing its part to end the moderate drought in the area. Since last Friday, about 2 1/2" of rain has fallen. The good news is it has been over the course of several days so there has been no flooding at all.

Some storms have occurred over the past few days but nothing has been severe other than heavy rain and brief moderate winds at 30 to 40 MPH. A couple of trees did fall across some roads tonight which caused some work by law enforcement, EMA, and county highway.

Tomorrow looks to be the last day of rain and possible t'showers but no early predictions of widespread severe weather from the NWS which usually means smaller isolated storms much like we have had the past few days.

The weekend should be beautiful and good luck to all teams playing in the Howard County Little League Championship.

Isolated Shower Hits Howard County

An isolated shower rolled through Howard County and target only the western half just before 10 PM. It dropped 1/2" of rain in 20 minutes. More showers are possible through Thursday of this week.

Weekend Storm Threat Diminishes

The threat of severe weather this weekend has diminished as the 2nd and 3rd wave of the storms have moved south of the area. Above is a photo taken west of Kokomo as the early morning storms arrived. (Yes, I got up very early to take the photo.)

Slow Moving Storms Arrive

We are seeing some rain from the storm system which has arrived. The first drops on the west side came around 4:10 AM. Already 1/10" has fallen. I am predicting a 1/2" or less will fall with the first wave which will last thru the morning drive to work.

Storms on Radar

The storms which should cross much of Indiana are now showing up on the Indianapolis radar. They are still in Illinois and are 2 to 3 hours from our general vicinity.

Overnight Severe Weather Possible

The SPC has updated their outlook which include greater possibilites of severe weather overnight. The storms have been solid wind and hail producers all day and have spawned a few tornados. It will be after midnight before anything begins to approach the area and the activity could still continue into the morning hours. I suggest checking your weather radio so you can be alerted while you sleep.

No Storms (or Rain) Yet

The morning storms west of Chicago this morning didn't hold up to the midday sun. It looks like our chance will come after midnight now. A better chance of rain for Friday.

Possible T'Storms Thursday, Friday, Saturday

It looks like all three days has an equal chance to produce thunderstorms in the area. While damaging storms will not be welcome, any rain will be greatly appreciated. The bad thing is thunderstorms produce spots of heavy rainfall with other areas remaining nearly dry. (Tuesday was an example where we had .15" at my house and Logansport had flash flood warnings.)

The storms that will make their way here are already producing severe weather in South Dakota including tornadoes. Please keep abreast of the ever changing conditions. Storms are due west of Chicago and show a low SE/E track bring them near here late afternoon.

[FIXED] Weather Data Stale/Computer Stuck

I apologize that I didn't realize the weather data became stuck about 36 hours ago. I am usually always checking the site but with conditions being calm and my being busy, I didn't. Sorry about that.

The now data is current and the graphs will be updated at their regular intervals so it will take a few hours for all of them to be current. Again, sorry about the stale data.

Forecast: Warm and Dry

The forecast isn't promising any significant change to the dry conditions. Some rainfall has been scattered about and tomorrow morning looks to be a good chance for rain but it won't be a good soaking that we really need. June 3rd was last time there was more than a 1/2" of rain in a single 24 hour period.

The grass is turning brown and the watermellon and sweet corn crops will suffer if the rain doesn't come soon. That is one of the best things of summer.

The storms that will bring some rain this week should not be severe. It is not expected that spotters will be active during this time.

Dry Weather Ahead

This week looks to be a dry week with minimal if any rainfall. I guess lawn watering will be necessary to avoid the brown grass look.

Storms Are Past - Perfect Weekend Awaits

The storms went through rather quickly a little after noon. It didn't leave much rain (.05") in its wake. There were some reports of power outages however the largest one effecting the northside of Kokomo was the result of a traffic accident. (I got back to work after lunch and was without power until 2:50 in the afternoon.)

The weekend looks perfect for any outdoor activities including semi-state baseball featuring Kokomo, Western, & Northwestern. Good luck to all 3 teams.

Storm Approaching Lafayette Moving W/NW

11:10 AM - In the last 30 minutes a storm line has formed in a line from Winamac to Danville, IL. It looks on a track to pass through Howard County in 1 to 2 hours. (It is moving ever so slowly.) No warning have been issued on this storm as of this post time (11:10 AM).

NWS Radar Link

12:10 AM - Line of storms now in Logansport down to Crawfordsville. Some sport showers north of Kokomo. Possible small hail 1/2" or less in the next 60 minutes.

Unpredictable Weather

No storms materialized in Indiana overnight and the morning storms are still slowly making their way across Illinois. Wednesday looked to be a big day for tornadoes over much us the upper plain states and Wisconsin and eastern Iowa/western Illinois looked to have a tornado outbreak for the record books. The conditions were very favorable and storm chasers came from all over the US and even foreign countries for this possible big event.

Of course looking at the models there would occasionally be something telling you the event was going to bust. There would be a little activity but nothing on the scale everyone was anticipating. A few chasers would mention the bust potential but the optimistic wouldn't listen. Who could blame them. Imagine being a storm chaser and sitting out one of the biggest days ever and likely the biggest days and biggest consecutive days in 2007. You just are not going to take that chance.

Well yesterday had 15 total tornado reports with the warm cap in the atmosphere never breaking. The best sets of storms seemed to come after 10 PM in northern Illinois but by then the energy was gone to really get the storms breaking out.

The anticipated weather for Indiana came up way short. The cold front pushing this way is moving terribly slow. Some storms are active in Illinois and there is a slight chance for severe weather in Indiana through 4 PM today. But if you look at things, I could see the Kokomo area getting no severe weather and even no rainfall. (See - I said it so now we will get hit with storms and a good drenching. Even mother nature falls for reverse psychology.)

The only good news (for me) is I didn't drive 1700 miles over the past 2 days chasing storms and bust with nothing to show but a huge gas bill.

The Winds Have Subsided/Storms After 2 AM

The winds have diminished with the sunset. The overnight storms are slow movers and should arrive after 2 AM. I do however think they will be less severe than earlier thought. That is good news and storms will be gone by noon making way for a wonderful weekend.

Strong Winds & Fast Moving Overnight Storms

Today is already seeing strong winds and I encountered several places during in the country where dust blowing over the road was causing poor visibility. Winds will continue to increase over the afternoon.

The larger concern will be strong overnight storms that will move very fast across Indiana ahead of the cold front. Overnight temperatures will remain in the lower 70's which will continue to provide energy for storms. These storms will likely be linear in nature and move at remarkable speed of 50+ MPH.

It is the fast approach and darkness and potential for people to be asleep which could make this a dangerous situation. Moderate sized hail also is a very real possibility. Additional information as it becomes available.

SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL HIGH FOR THURSDAY

With official forecasts all over the road all week, it should not surprise anyone that today looks to be a significant weather event after all. The SPC puts today at High Risk for Wisconsin which is very unusual. All of Indiana is under risk today for severe weather. The northwest portion of the state is a moderate risk with the rest being slight risk.

The main concern for everyone is wind. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 MPH will be common after the lunch hour with gusts to 50 MPH a very real possibility. Batten down the hatches and watch the roads for blowing hazards such as trash cans and lawn chairs.

Later in the day will being some storms with strong potential after dusk with storms moving through overnight and into Friday morning. Keep alert for further developments.

Monitor Local Skywarn Spotters: On our sister website (Scan Kokomo), you can monitor local public safety agencies including the Skyward Spotters for Howard and surrounding counties - http://www.scankokomo.com/

Forecasters are Hinting...

The forecasters are hinting at things being a little more severe now for Thursday late afternoon through the early morning of Friday. The SPC has pushed the 15% severe line a couple of counties southeast with the mid day forecast. That places it almost here in Howard County.

The next SPC Outlook will be a 2 AM when we will be getting Day 1 Outlooks. The heat and moisture will be big factors for tomorrow. Well, that and some shear and cape values. :)

Stay tuned...

A Little Storm Action...

That is about it; a little storm action will be here Thursday late afternoon and evening and into Friday. Forecasters are not predicting anything severe for Friday and what comes late on Thursday will be the weakened remnants from the Wednesday and Thursday storms across the Plain States and Midwest.

The greatest potential will be Thursday night during the darkness. The daytime heating to 90 will keep the action going well into the night. Please keep alert with your weather radios and television and radio.

The weekend will be nice after the storms move out on Friday. Enoy!

Thursday Forecast Calms Down

One day closer to Thursday shows the forecast calming way down in the probability for widespread severe weather. In fact, the local hazardous weather forecast from the KIND (National Weather Service/Indianapolis) thinks it will be Saturday before any chance of severe weather arrives. (I think even then the chances will be slim.)

So I guess we are just going to see rain with a few mixed in thunderstorms but nothing to be overly concerned about. However, there always exists the possibility for a severe weather. Yesterday was a good example. There were two (2) tornadoes in Clay County in Indiana. They were weak and short lived but it just serves as a reminder than anywhere at anytime severe weather can happen. The weather doesn't bother to read our forecasts or even care what the computer models at the Storm Prediction Center think might happen.

Stay safe...

Barometric Pressure

The barometer has had an ominous fall for the past week. I wonder is this will play out in the severe weather forecast for Thursday and beyond. Only time will tell.

A Stormy Week Ahead

It looks like this week will bring a number of days with severe thunderstorms possible. Wednesday looks to be the only clear day with no chance for rain or thunderstorms.

Thursday & Thursday evening now look to be the big day for severe weather. Wednesday will bring significant severe weather across the plain states with a strong low pressure (970mb). That storm will move our way and will drape a frontal boundary over Indiana as it passes to the north on Thursday.

Spotter anticipation is likely later in the week.

Looking Ahead...

Some scattered storms will be with us for the first weekend in June but next Friday, Saturday, & Sunday could potentially be a rough weekend. It is too early for any specific forecasting but this week will keep us watching.

THE GFS IS MORE BULLISH FOR SEVERE WEATHER DAYS 7 AND 8...AS IT
BRINGS A MUCH STRONGER TROUGH EWD INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS THAN THE
ECMWF. EITHER WAY...BOTH MODELS SPREAD STRONG MID-LEVEL SWLYS
ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS AND INTO THE MIDWEST AHEAD OF THE
TROUGH...WHICH SHOULD SUPPORT A CONTINUED THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD.