Thursday Oct 18th’s Severe Weather Outbreak (Update 10/20)
A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occurred Thursday afternoon and night, with severe weather reported from the Guf Coast northward to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! In our area, the majority of the severe weather was confined to areas along and southeast of I-55...with reports of up to golf ball size hail and at least one brief tornado touchdown in Benton county Indiana. A complete listing of severe weather reports from the NWS Chicago can be found here.
In all on Thursday, there were 43 preliminary reports of tornadoes, nearly 100 reports of large hail and around 250 reports of wind damage across the country. The full scope of the severe weather outbreak can be seen in this map from the Storm Prediction Center with all of the preliminary severe weather reports plotted.
There were several strong tornadoes that occurred in Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky Thursday afternoon and evening. These tornadoes were responsible for several fatalities and many injuries as they destroyed many homes and businesses across the region. More detailed information on the tornadoes, including pictures of the damage and track maps of the tornadoes can be found on the various National Weather Service webpages here...
National Weather Service Gaylord, MI
National Weather Service Detroit, MI
National Weather Service Grand Rapids, MI
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
National Weather Service Louisville, KY
National Weather Service Paducah, KY
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