Power Outage in Hammond, IN

This tornado touched down north of U.S. Route 30 near Grant St. in Merrillville and then tracked eastward for roughly 3.3 miles before lifting over the far south side of Hobart along E 73rd Ave just east of Colorado St. The tornado blew out windows and tore sections of roofs off of multiple homes where its winds were able to compromise the residences' garage doors. The tornado also caused damage to power lines and several trees along its path.

Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Lake Station. Several homes were damaged. A man was pinned to his couch and trapped when a large tree fell on his home in Lake Station. Other people in the house were able to exit. The man was later taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Damage to power lines was reported along Michigan Street, west of Cline Avenue.

Damage to power lines was reported near Purdue University Calumet.

Trees and power lines were reported blown down in Gary.

Trees and power lines were reported blown down in Gary.

A swath of wind damage occurred starting near 77th Avenue and St. John and ending nearing 85th and Austin Avenues. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down and 77th Avenue was closed due to a power line on the road. Fences were blown down in the Eagle Ridge Subdivision. A metal flagpole was snapped near 77th Avenue and St. John.

A swath of wind damage occurred starting near 77th Avenue and St. John and ending nearing 85th and Austin Avenues. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down and 77th Avenue was closed due to a power line on the road. Fences were blown down in the Eagle Ridge Subdivision. A metal flagpole was snapped near 77th Avenue and St. John.

At Gary Airport at 345 pm CST, winds at the AWOS gusted to 62 mph. At 800 pm CST, heavy snow and blowing snow reduced visibility to near zero. State of Emergency was declared for Lake County. Numerous motorists were stranded and needed rescue. There were also numerous power outages across the county. Some of the highest snowfall totals were 15.5 inches 1 mile NNW of Hobart, 14.5 inches 2 miles WSW of Crown Point, and 13.3 inches in Lowell.

Evidence of significant straight line winds up to 90 mph included seven snapped power poles and an approximately mile wide swath of corn crop that was completely flattened and trees snapped. In Lowell, a trained spotter measured 63 mph wind gusts while a mesonet site measured 86 mph wind gusts.

This strong tornado touched down near the intersection of Clark St and Belshaw Rd and ended slightly east of Harrison St. Outbuildings as well as two large grain bins were destroyed, and numerous large high-tension wood power poles were snapped. There was also numerous trees snapped and uprooted along with crop damage. Maximum winds were estimated to 115 mph.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Power lines were blown down near Interstate 65 and Route 2.

Large sections of roof were blown off of two apartment buildings at 57th Avenue and Hayes Street. Roof debris damaged at least six vehicles in the parking lot. Trees were also damaged. Several trees were uprooted and power lines blown down near the intersection of 57th Avenue and Grant Street.

A microburst with estimated maximum wind speeds of 85 to 90 mph occurred in portions of unincorporated Gary. The damage path had a width of approximately a third of a mile and was confined to areas between 41st Avenue and 45th Avenue near Cleveland Street. Severe damage to a strip mall occurred with windows shattered and the cinder block walls completely collapsing on the south end of the building. A nearby tent was blown into power lines. Numerous trees in the area were snapped or uprooted, with some subsequently falling onto homes and cars causing damage.

Tree limbs and power lines were blown down in many areas from Merrillville to Crown Point.

Many trees and power lines were blown down across southern Lake County.

Many trees and power lines were blown down across southern Lake County.

Pine trees, utility poles and power lines were blown down along US 30. A roof was blown off of a storage facility on Joliet Street.

Widespread wind damage occurred in a three to five mile wide path from East Chicago and Gary in northeast Lake County through much of central Lake County to near Winfield and the Lake Porter County line. Numerous large trees uprooted and blown over, some falling onto buildings and cars, causing damage to roofs, siding and windows. Numerous power lines blown down. Trees were blown down on the Indiana Toll Road near milemarker 5 and on Interstate 94 near Broadway. A semi-trailer was blown over at US 30 and Indiana 51. Another semi-trailer was blown over at US 30 and Interstate 65. A large indoor horse riding arena was completed destroyed, but no horses were injured. A Merrillville police car was heavily damaged by hail. A homeless shelter in Gary suffered significant roof damage. The most intense damage was consistent with winds in excess of 100 mph.

A cluster of thunderstorms brought severe hail and damaging winds to parts of far northwestern Indiana during the afternoon of the 26th. The majority of the wind damage was to trees and power poles with some damage to shingles and siding also reported.

During the late morning through the afternoon of Monday August 10th, a line of intense thunderstorms known as a derecho brought widespread severe wind damage across Iowa, northern Illinois and northern Indiana.||In northwest Indiana alone, the winds downed hundreds of trees, as well as caused damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. There were two injuries reported in northwest Indiana within the NWS Chicago/Romeoville County Warning Area (CWA) due to falling trees. It was estimated that over 200,000 customers lost power at the height of the derecho across all of northern Indiana. While much of the damage was due to straight line winds, there was also one tornado documented in northwest Indiana.||The combination of high moisture, explosive instability and very strong atmospheric wind flow for mid-summer had developed quickly over the Corn Belt region on the morning of August 10th. This resulted in a progressive, well-organized complex of storms for hundreds of miles and at times traveling nearly 70 mph. After bringing extensive damage from extreme wind speeds in Iowa that morning, the damage transitioned across northern Illinois from widespread wind damage to narrow, brief and intense swaths associated with compact circulations within the thunderstorm line, some of which were associated with tornadoes.

Very strong and gusty winds developed during the early morning of February 24th and continued into the evening hours. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down. A building collapsed due to the high winds in Fowler. Peak wind gusts included 63 mph at the Gary Airport (GYY); 59 mph at the Valparaiso Airport (VPZ); 58 mph near Dyer and near Lowell.

A major tornado outbreak impacted the Midwest and Ohio Valley on November 17th. A powerful low pressure system across the plains states steered warmth and moisture northward for nearly two days, with dew points rising into the mid 60's. This coupled with temperatures around 70�� resulted in unseasonably strong instability for thunderstorms to develop. High wind shear and a cold front sweeping eastward made up the remaining ingredients of an environment favorable for supercells capable of long-lived significant tornadoes. Within the WFO LOT county warning area, ten tornadoes were confirmed, including three EF-2 tornadoes. As the event evolved, the system became linear with numerous reports of straight line wind damage. Behind the thunderstorms, a wake low developed with wind gusts to around 60 mph.

A powerful line of thunderstorms moved southeast across northwest Indiana during the morning hours of July 24th producing widespread wind damage.

A powerful and enormous winter storm moved across northwest Indiana with blizzard conditions across much of the area which paralayzed the region. Heavy snow began falling during the early afternoon. This snow quickly reduced visibilities to less than a mile and grew heavier by the evening rush hour, when several inches of snow had already accumulated. Winds also steadily increased during the afternoon hours with heavy snow and low visibilities creating blizzard conditions during the evening hours and lasting into the afternoon hours of February 2nd.||Hundreds of motorists and their vehicles became stranded during the evening hours as conditions deteroiated and snow quickly accumulated. Many communities began assisting stranded motorists using plow trucks and many police officers began riding with plow truck drivers to repond to emergency calls because their cars were getting stuck in the snow. Many communities also had plow trucks escort ambulances and fire trucks. Other rescue personel used snowmobiles to repond to emergency calls.||During the height of the storm from the evening of February 1st into the morning of February 2nd, many communities pulled their plow trucks off the roads out of concern for the safety of their drivers. Many communities declared roads closed to traffic with little hope of a rescue for anyone who ventured out into the blizzard and needed help. Whether roads were officially closed or not, most were impassible.||The high winds also blew down tree limbs and power lines causing numerous power outages. The roof of a steel company collasped in Griffith due to the heavy snow. Mail delivery and garbage collection was postponed in many areas on February 2nd.||Some of the highest snowfall totals included 20.8 inches in Highland; 20.4 inches two miles west southwest of Schererville; 19.7 inches one mile southwest of DeMotte; 19.5 inches one mile east southeast of Portage; 19.0 inches two miles west southwest of Crown Point; 18.9 inches four miles northeast of Hebron; 17.0 inches four miles east of Chesterton; 15.3 inches in Lowell; 13.6 inches two miles northwest of Valparaiso and 10.4 inches in Rensselaer.

A strong winter storm moved across northwest Indiana on December 11th and 12th, producing snowfall totals generally in the 2 to 4 inch range. As the storm moved east, very strong winds developed causing whiteout and near blizzard conditions, especially in open areas. Numerous accidents and spin outs were reported across the area. Tree limbs and power lines were blown down with winds frequently gusting between 50 mph and 60 mph with higher gusts along the Lake Michigan shore.||Coastal flooding was also reported along the Lake Michigan shore. One to two hundred feet of beaches at the Indiana Dunes State Park was eroded by waves as high as 20 feet. A fence along the beach was destroyed. Johnson Beach Road was flooded by high waves. Farther inland, the high winds toppled a large outdoor steel screen used to watch movies.||As colder air moved across Lake Michigan, lake effect snow developed affecting mainly Porter County into December 13th. Storm total snowfall amounts in Porter County included 14.0 inches one and a half miles east northeast of Valparaiso; 13.3 inches one mile north northwest of Valparasio; 8.0 inches one and a half miles east northeast of Chesterton and 7.7 inches five miles north northeast of Valparaiso.

Record setting low pressure over Minnesota produced high winds across northern Indiana on October 26, behind a strong cold front which swept across the state during the morning. The high winds blew down tree limbs and power lines across northern Indiana.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved from northern Illinois across northwest Indiana producing widespread wind and tree damage. More than 60,000 customers lost power in northern Indiana.

A winter storm moved across northwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening hours of December 23rd. A mixture of sleet, snow and freezing rain changed to all freezing rain by evening with many locations receiving between one quarter and one half inch of ice accumulation. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines fell down due to the weight of the ice. The precipitation diminished during the morning hours of December 24th.

A strong winter storm moved across northwest Indiana during the late evening hours of December 18th into the morning of December 19th. Ice accumulations of one quarter to one half inch were reported across much of Benton, Newton and Jasper Counties. This ice accumulation caused numerous tree limbs and power lines to break. Power outages were widespread and power wasn't restored for over one week in some locations. A combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain fell across Lake and Porter Counties where ice accumulations were around one quarter of an inch and sleet/snow accumulations ranged between one half and one inch. The snow, ice and sleet caused numerous vehicle accidents and spinouts.

A line of powerful thunderstorms moved across northwest Indiana during the evening hours of August 4th. These storms produced widespread and significant wind damage.

A thin but powerful line of convection moved across northwest Indiana during the early morning hours of December 23rd. Only a few bolts of lightning were reported but winds gusted as high as 70 mph.

Powerful, severe storms moved across northwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening hours of August 23rd.

Powerful storms developed over southern Lake Michigan and moved south across northwest Indiana during the evening hours of August 15th.

A mixed precipitation event developed over northwest Indiana on February 25th. Most areas saw a mix of snow, sleet and rain, though some areas received a quarter inch of ice accumulation. Wind gusts were frequently above 35 mph over much of the area. Numerous accidents were reported as well as downed power lines from ice accumulations and high winds.

During the morning hours of July 21, a cold front extended from northcentral Wisconsin southwestward through northwestern Iowa. Ahead of the cold front, over the upper midwest, a very humid, unstable airmass had set up. By late morning, a small cluster of thunderstorms had developed over northwestern Illinois. These storms tracked into northcental Illinois, reaching their peak intensity over Ogle County, producing wind gusts up to 58 mph and causing isolated incidents of damage to trees. This storm cluster then weakend as it moved eastward.By early afternoon, more thunderstorms began to develop over northeastern Illinois. A small area of strong thunderstorms initially developed over the western Chicago suburbs and rapidly developed into a line of severe storms extending over the rest of the metro area. The line of storms rapidly moved eastward into northwestern Indiana. These storms left a path of wind damage over southern and southeastern portions of the Chicago metro area and into rural sections of northwestern Indiana. Strong wind gusts were also measured by coastal observing stations of Lake Michigan. Numerous incidents of wind damage were observed, with a considerable number of trees knocked down or large limbs torn from trees. Power poles were knocked down over many locations. While the primary threat was strong winds, there were also isolated reports of up to 1 inch diameter hail as well.

Strong wind associated with a deep low pressure system moving across the Great Lakes region produced wind gusts as high as 69 mph at the Gary Indiana airport. There were widespread power outages in the Gary and Hammond areas.

Strong low pressure moved across the upper midwest and the upper great lakes during the afternoon and evening hours of November 13th. A strong cold front from this low moved across northwest Indiana during the early afternoon hours. Winds increased to 40 to 50 mph across northwest Indiana with gusts as high as 60 mph. Trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down across many parts of northwest Indiana. A wind gust to 73 mph was reported at the Amoco Dock in Whiting in Lake county. Large tree limbs were blown down south of Demotte in Jasper county. Utility poles were reported leaning over with loose power lines at the same location. A tree fell onto a house in Chesterton in Porter county causing significant damage.

Thunderstorms formed over far northeast Illinois during the afternoon hours of July 17th and moved southeast into northwest Indiana during the evening hours. Trees, large tree limbs and power lines were blown down across many parts of Lake county, including St. John, Munster and Cedar Lake. Large tree limbs and power lines were blown down in St. John. A tree fell onto a house in Griffith causing significant damage to the building. A large tree also fell onto a house in Hobart causing massive damage to the second floor. An old lumber storage building was blown down near Dyer. Many other areas received large hail. Very heavy rain fell across Lake and Porter counties which caused flooding of some streets and low lying areas. A few roads were impassable because of high water. Rainfall amounts ranged between 1 and 2 inches but the rain fell in a very short period of time. 2.1 inches of rain was reported in just 15 minutes in Munster.

A line of thunderstorms moved from northern Illinois into northwest Indiana during the morning of July 7th. Spotters reported wind gusts to 60 mph at Hammond, Gary, and Lowell in Lake County. Large tree limbs were blown down in DeMotte in Jasper County. Several trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down across Porter county.

After a line of morning thunderstorms moved from northern Illinois into northwest Indiana, a second line of severe thunderstorms moved into northwest Indiana during the late evening hours of July 7th. Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Munster, Crown Point and Merrillville in Lake county. Trees and power lines were damaged in Goodland and Morocco in Newton county. A farm house was damaged and two barns were destroyed in Benton county.

Severe thunderstorms moved across northern Lake and northern Porter counties during the early morning hours of Saturday July 5th. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Minor flooding was also reported across some locations in northwest Indiana.

Strong winds blew down many trees and power lines across northwest Indiana during the morning and afternoon of May 11th. A tree fell on a garage in Hammond in Lake County. The tree pierced the garage roof and crushed the roof of a truck inside the garage. Over 12,000 customers were without power at the peak of the high winds during the afternoon hours. Winds gusted to 48 mph at Gary.

A strong winter storm moved into the Ohio Valley on January 30th. Snow begin falling across Lake and Porter counties in the evening. The snow changed to freezing rain over most areas and produced ice accumulations of one quarter inch. Northwest Lake county received 6 inches of snow before changing to freezing rain, while other areas saw 2 to 5 inches of snow. The ice and snow knocked down utility poles, power lines, trees and tree limbs causing several power outages. Numerous car accidents were also reported.

A squall line moved east into northwest Indiana during the afternoon of October 24th. Winds gusting as high as 65 mph blew trees and power lines down across many areas. Trees and power lines were blown down in Hammond in Lake county. An awning on a business was blown down. Trees were blown down in Kentland and Roselawn in Newton county. The worst damage was in Benton county. Trees and power lines were blown down across the entire county including some utility poles. A tool shed was detroyed about 2 miles north of Oxford. Many crops that had not been harvested were flattened by the strong winds.

A large bow echo moved southeast from Wisconsin, across northeast Illinois and then into far northwest Indiana late on Monday June 11th and early on June 12th. Wind speeds were estimated as high as 70 mph in the city of Valparaiso. Trees and power lines were blown down across all of Porter, Lake and Newton counties. Five trees were blown down in Rensselaer in Jasper county. A first story bedroom was demolished by a four foot diameter tree that was blown down onto the house in Valparaiso in Porter county at 2340 CST. Two parked cars were hit by falling limbs in Valparaiso at 2345 CST, but only received minor damage. A tree was struck by lightning in Chesterton in Porter county at 2350 CST, but caused no damage. Over 10,000 customers were reported to have lost their power across northwest Indiana.

An intense low pressure system brought strong winds to northwest Indiana. Peak wind gusts were around 50 mph. The wind knocked down tree limbs and power lines, causing scattered power outages. Altogether, 9000 NIPSCO customers lost power.

A line of thunderstorms moved through the south suburbs of Chicago and into northwest Indiana. Tree limbs and downed power lines knocked out power along I-80. The ASOS at VPZ recoreded a 76 mph wind gust. Large limbs were blown down, a tree was uprooted and a large heavy swing set was toppled east of Valparaiso.