Fort Wayne, IN – A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. CDT) Saturday for portions of Indiana, Ohio, and southern Michigan, where forecasters say conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds and large hail.
According to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, the watch includes 24 counties in Indiana, eight counties in northwest Ohio, and three counties in southwest Michigan.
The watch covers many communities across northern Indiana, including Fort Wayne, South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw, Logansport, Huntington, Marion, Michigan City, La Porte, Goshen, Kendallville, Auburn, Decatur, Plymouth, Wabash, Peru, Rochester, Columbia City, and Bluffton.
In northwest Ohio, the watch includes Lima, Defiance, Van Wert, Wauseon, Bryan, Napoleon, Paulding, and surrounding communities. In southwest Michigan, the watch includes Coldwater, Hillsdale, Sturgis, Three Rivers, White Pigeon, Bronson, and Jonesville.
Residents should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions this afternoon and evening. Severe thunderstorms may produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, frequent lightning, and torrential rainfall, with isolated power outages and hazardous travel possible where the strongest storms develop.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means atmospheric conditions are favorable for severe storms to form. It does not mean severe weather is occurring everywhere in the watch area. Residents are encouraged to monitor weather updates closely and be ready to take shelter if a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for their location.
The watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. CDT) unless canceled earlier by the National Weather Service.
