Riecker Chiropractic
Live News Blog: Severe Weather This Afternoon
By: David Shepherd, Director of News & Public Information / Forecaster
THE LATEST:
8:45 PM -- The next round of strong storms to come through is still out in eastern Illinois. Unless something spins up, we will see a break until that next round arrives.
-----
8:40 PM -- While we've seen some hefty storms roll through so far, the police, fire and EMS scanners are very quiet. More storms coming through.
-----
7:40 PM -- The Tornado Watch has been extended through 1 AM.
-----
7:00 PM -- Storms in advance of the cold front are prompting severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings to our west. Most of the tornado warnings have been to the north and south of our immediate path. That will likely change as these storms push into our unstable air mass. Remember, we've had sunshine, then heavy rain and sunshine again. That creates fuel for these storms and they can gain strength very quickly. Our threat continues.
Please remember, the tornado siren in the the Holy Family neighborhood is not working. You must have a weather radio with fresh batteries to ensure you get immediate notification of impending danger.
-----
6:10 PM -- Here is the latest from the National Weather Service on tonight's threat....
A Moderate risk exists through late this evening as a line of severe storms pushes through the region. Damaging winds in excess of 60 mph will be possible as the squall line passes. A few tornadoes may occur as well. Listen for possible severe weather warnings for your area. Be Aware - Be Prepared - Have a Plan.
-----
3:15 PM -- The NWS is giving us a better look at the timing of the second, more severe, round of storms. Our danger window is now from 7:00 PM - 11:30 PM. The Tornado Watch until 8 PM may need to be extended, but I think we will be on the earlier end of that window. Stay tuned for the latest information. Remember, we are now under a moderate risk for severe weather and a 10% chance of a tornado (which is significant by tornado forecasting standards)
-----
3:08 PM -- The Storm Prediction Center has upgraded our severe threat to Moderate for this afternoon and evening. Significant, widespread damaging winds and tornadoes will be possible. The area at greatest risk for tornadoes will be southern Indiana and western Kentucky, according to WFIE.
In addition, our tornado risk has been elevated to greater than 10%. The black diagonal lines on the map below show areas where significant tornadoes (EF2 or stronger) may develop with supercell thunderstorms that fire ahead of the main squall line.
-----
3:00 PM -- This round of heavy rain and storms is not our main event. This is coming in advance of the cold front. Our tornado threat will increase through the afternoon.
Also, all outdoor sporting events in Dubois County have been cancelled.
-----
11:00 AM -- The tornado siren in the Holy Family area is not working, according to the Jasper Police Department. With the potential for severe weather today, JPD is urging Holy Family area residents to make sure you have fresh batteries in your weather radio so you can be notified if a warning is issued. JPD is asking all Jasper residents to do the same as the tornado sirens are only supposed to be a backup notification system.
Sirens are not meant to wake you or be heard inside.
-----
10:45 AM -- New data runs are pushing our threat window a bit later now. While strong to severe storms will be possible later this afternoon, at this time the primary threat period is expected between the 7 PM and 12 AM, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service.
NWS meteorologists are also suggesting your have fresh batteries in your emergency weather radios for this one. We are getting plenty of sunshine and that will only add "fuel to the fire."
Bottom line, the forecast can change and we will be updating you here on our live blog through the day, as well as on-air and social media.
-----
10:00 AM -- We are activating our Live News Blog for today's expected severe weather. A warm front came through during the overnight hours bringing gulf moisture and warmer temperatures to the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures will soar into the 70’s with winds gusting into the 30 to 40 mph range. Should adequate sunshine occur isolated severe storms will be possible during the late afternoon and early evening. So far in Dubois County we are getting plenty of sun. That is not good news as that further destabilizes the atmosphere and provides fuel for the strong to severe storms.
The threat window for our region begins at 3:00 p.m. but, since we are on the far eastern portion of that "region," we can expect storms to develop ahead of a cold front a tad bit later. We will have to see how the squall line forms through the afternoon.
The primary threat will be damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes, and brief torrential rainfall. Temperatures are expected to plummet into the mid 30’s by Wednesday morning.
Check back often. We will update the blog as developments warrant. To be notified when we add an update, be sure to follow our Live Updates post on Facebook.