Fort Wayne, IN – A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for much of northern Indiana, where forecasters say conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and large hail through 8 p.m. EDT Saturday.
According to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 493 includes 29 counties across northern Indiana, stretching from the Illinois state line east to Ohio.
The watch includes the counties of Adams, Allen, Benton, Blackford, Cass, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White, and Whitley.
Major cities under the watch include Fort Wayne, South Bend, Elkhart, Gary, Hammond, Michigan City, La Porte, Warsaw, Goshen, Logansport, Marion, Huntington, Plymouth, Rochester, Kendallville, Auburn, Decatur, Peru, Valparaiso, and Crown Point.
Forecasters say storms that develop this afternoon and evening may produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, frequent cloud-to-ground lightning, torrential rainfall, and isolated power outages. Heavy downpours may also create hazardous travel conditions on area roadways.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe storms to develop but does not mean severe weather is occurring everywhere within the watch area. Residents should closely monitor forecasts and be prepared to seek sturdy shelter if a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued.
The watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. EDT, unless canceled earlier by the National Weather Service.
