As Friday night slipped into the early hours of Saturday, a fresh round of nerves moved in with the storms. The Storm Prediction Center and local National Weather Service offices slapped a tornado watch over much of west-central Indiana, including counties west and northwest of Indianapolis, as a line of intense thunderstorms barreled in from central Illinois. The watch was expected to last into the early morning, with forecasters warning of damaging straight-line winds and isolated tornadoes. Local officials urged anyone in the watch area to double-check shelter plans and stay plugged in to alerts.
Watch details
The Storm Prediction Center issued Tornado Watch 133, and local forecasters said it would remain in effect until 3 a.m. EDT Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the watch includes more than two dozen Indiana counties, among them Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Elkhart, Kosciusko, La Porte, Tippecanoe, Vigo and White.
Where the storms came from
Forecasters said the line of storms raced east out of central Illinois, where cells had already been busy, spinning up embedded tornadoes and producing very high wind gusts as they crossed the region. As WISH-TV reported, dozens of tornado warnings were issued across central Illinois and neighboring states before the system even reached the Indiana state line.
Earlier watches and timing
An earlier tornado watch covered northwest Indiana counties, including Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter, as well as the city of Gary. That watch had been in effect until midnight EDT Friday, according to local watch bulletins. The Storm Prediction Center coordinated multiple watches across Illinois and Indiana as the storms advanced, warning that additional tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds could continue into the overnight hours. AccuWeather noted that forecasters were tracking the potential for locally destructive wind gusts in central Illinois ahead of the squall line.
How to stay safe
If you are inside the watch area, know exactly where you will go if things escalate. Identify the nearest safe room, such as a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor, and keep phones charged and ready to receive alerts. The American Red Cross recommends having a family emergency kit ready and making sure you have multiple ways to get warnings overnight. If a tornado warning is issued, residents should move to shelter immediately and follow instructions from local authorities until the threat passes.
