WARSAW — Another air quality alert is in effect for today across much of the region as a result of distant wildfires, but conditions are not expected to be as extreme as it was late last week.

[caption id="attachment_133650" align="alignright" width="300"] Above is an air quality rating for Warsaw posted shortly before 6 a.m. Monday by airnow.gov.[/caption]

Smoke from the wildfires will likely be be more patchy with the greatest concentrations happening this morning, the National Weather Service said.

Otherwise, Kosciusko County will see mostly sunny skies and a high near 82.

Showers and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast for tonight.

Experts say Health effects can be immediately felt by sensitive groups as a result of fine particulate matter.

Healthy individuals may experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation with prolonged exposure. Those folks are advised to limit outdoor activity.

The weather service alert will remain in effect until midnight.

The post Smokey conditions won’t be extreme today and could fade after this morning appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Wildfire smoke that moved across the Midwest Thursday, causing significant health concerns, is expected to begin dissipating in north central Indiana by late Friday morning. 

An air quality alert issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect across northern Indiana until midnight.

The National Weather Service predicts smoke will begin to dissipate by around 10 a.m.

Overnight, airnow.gov, which tracks air quality by zip code, listed the air quality in Warsaw as very unhealthy. 

The smoke darkened skies Thursday from the Great Lakes to the East Coast, reducing visibility and prompting warnings that breathing the air outside could be dangerous. 

Officials in many cities urged residents to remain inside or wear masks outside as air quality reached unhealthy and hazardous levels.

The post Smoke from wildfires expected to begin dissipating late this morning across northern Indiana appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

News Release

NORTH WEBSTER — A heat advisory is in effect beginning at noon Tuesday until 8 p.m for northern Indiana, southern Michigan and northwest Ohio.

Heat index values are expected to be around 100 on Tueseday with a high temperature near 93.

The National Weather Service reminds the public that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.

Wednesday’s high temperature is expected to be 94.

The post Heat advisory issued for Tuesday across the region appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Warsaw and Winona Lake have both opened cooling centers as an extensive heat wave is expected to arrive today and stick around into the Fourth of July weekend.

The National Weather Service announced a hot weather warning will begin at 2 p.m. today and continue for several days across northern Indiana, much of Michigan and Ohio.

Temperatures in Warsaw are predicted to be in the low 90s for much of the week, with heat values climbing well above 100 degrees.

Due to the current warning, Fellowship Mission will open two cooling center locations from Monday, June 29 through Thursday, the city of Warsaw said in a news release.

Fellowship Mission
1520 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw
• Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m.
• Check-out is at 6:00 p.m.

Gathering Place
123 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw
• Open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

For questions or additional information, please call 574-268-9555.

Meanwhile, the town of Winona Lake has opened a cooling center at the Winona Lake Community Center at 1590 Park Avenue that will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The public is invited to stop by and enjoy air conditioning and the opportunity to cool off.

The post Three cooling centers now open in Warsaw, Winona Lake appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

NORTH WEBSTER — The National Weather Service has documented and recapped five tornadoes that tore through parts of northern Indiana Thursday night, including ones in Bristol, Wabash and Plymouth.

No deaths were reported, but the recap says three people sustained injuries.

All of the tornadoes were rated between EF0 and EF2.

Most of the damage occurred shortly after 10 p.m. and was part of a strong line of storms that passed through the northern part of the state.

Below is a recap of the fire tornadoes:

• An EF1 touched down in Wabash, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph. Areas near Glendale Drive, McKibben Street, and Barkley Drive sustained some damage to homes, and a fifth-wheel camper was tipped over. Further to the northeast, near West Waterworks Road, an outbuilding was destroyed when a south-facing door appeared to have blown in, causing the walls to collapse. Two injuries were reported at the home. Nearby, a manufactured home was shifted several feet off its foundation.
• An EF2 tornado touched down in Bristol with an estimated wind speed of 115 mph. The tornado passed through open fields before reaching Hyde Park Drive and Stanford Drive, where additional trees were uprooted. A residential garage on Hyde Park Drive was destroyed, and one injury was reported.
• An EF1 touched down in Plymouth and had an estimated peak wind speed of 90 mph. It spun up south of 8A on King Road, damaging multiple trees and a barn.
• An EF1 tornado touched down near Adamsboro, which is east of Logansport in Cass County. It had an estimated peak wind of 90 mph. Drone footage provided by Cass County Emergency Management confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down across northeast Cass County. Damage included the destruction of a 40-foot pole barn on County Road 375N.
• In Balbec, east of Marion, an EF0 was documented with an estimated peak wind of  80 mph. A barn and house sustained damage.

The National Weather Service also confirmed an EF3 tornado in Kouts in Porter County and Wanatah in Porter County, but had not yet completed a preliminary investigation.

The post NWS recaps five tornadoes, including ones in Plymouth, Bristol and Wabash appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — More rain on Wednesday afternoon further saturated Kosciusko County, but conditions in parts of Fulton and Marshall counties appeared to worsen.

The National Weather Service received more reports of flooding in the northern parts of those two counties, and a flood warning was in effect until 8 a.m. Thursday, said Meteorologist Chris Roller.

[caption id="attachment_129845" align="alignright" width="375"] While a flood warning was set to expire in parts of Fulton and Marshall counties, small pockets (light green areas) across the region remained under a flood warning Thursday morning. Map provided by the National Weather Service.[/caption]

But that status could change again with more rain in the forecast.

Roller said some additional rain is likely on Thursday. While a short dry period is expected on Friday, more showers could arrive on Saturday

"I think having the dryer Friday is going to help, but the ground is soggy, and there's only so much runoff that can occur," Roller said.

Low-lying areas have seen flooding that began about ten days ago across parts of the county.

Water levels along part of Sunset Drive near Anchorage Road and west of Little Pike Lake in Warsaw remain high. 

“We're starting to see the impacts occur as a result,” Roller said.

He said rain totals in Warsaw from Wednesday to Saturday could total two inches.

Thursday's high is expected to reach 73, but a significant cooldown will arrive over the weekend.

The post More rain in the forecast on Thursday, Saturday across Kosciusko County appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

NORTH WEBSTER — The National Weather Service in North Webster is predicting more rain is likely through Saturday across much of northern Indiana that could result in fresh flooding.

Much of northern Indiana is under a flood watch beginning Tuesday night, with storms, heavy rain, and hail possible overnight, the National Weather Service said this afternoon.

A flood watch is in effect from 8 p.m. Tuesday until Wednesday night, the weather service said.

Recent rains caused flooding in low-level areas ten days ago and the area has not fully recovered.

Although water levels continue to fall in many areas, soils are saturated with areas of standing water still existing, the weather service said.

Chances for heavy rain increase tonight into Wednesday to bring the threat or renewed flooding to the watch area, the weather service said.

High temps for the next few days will remain the low 70s.

The post Rain expected through Saturday; Storms and hail possible tonight appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

NORTH WEBSTER — Floodwaters on the Tippecanoe River in Oswego appear to have crested, the National Weather Service said Tuesday late morning after reaching a major flood level.

Water levels reached 8.97 feet, just shy of the threshold of nine feet, representing a major flood and four inches short of the record, the weather service reported

Rainfall began nearly a week ago and dumped 4-5 inches of rain that caused flooding over the weekend across many low-lying areas, including parts of the Tippeanoe River.

Floodwaters appeared to reach several homes on Kuhn Lake, and at least two homes were surrounded by water along Sunset Drive on the north side of Warsaw.

Meteorologist Lonnie Fisher said more rain is expected on Thursday night, but it does look as if it will worsen the situation.

If anything, additional rain, expected to be one quarter of an inche to half an inch, would likely slow down the rate as water levels recede.

The weather service reports 2.34 inches of rain fell on Tuesday, followed by an additional 2.39 inches from Wednesday through Saturday.

The post Floodwaters on Tippecanoe River in Oswego appear to have crested appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

NORTH WEBSTER — If you thought March was especially stormy, you would be correct.

The National Weather Service’s Northern Indiana Office reports that March 2026 was the busiest March for severe weather on record.

In March 2026, the office issued 57 total severe thunderstorm warnings, covering nearly the entire forecast area.

The previous record was just 28, which was set just last year.

Three parts of the area saw a particularly high concentration of severe thunderstorm warnings. One included LaPorte, Starke, and Marshall Counties. Another concentration was seen on a line from Warsaw to Fort Wayne.

The office also issued 18 tornado warnings in March — nearly three times the record of seven set in 2023. The average number of tornado warnings issued in March for the Northern Indiana Office is just one.

The office's forecast area includes northern Indiana as well as southern portions of Michigan and northwest Ohio.

The post Weather Service says March saw a record number of warnings across the region appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Recent heavy rains, combined with a 100 percent chance of precipitation Saturday across northern Indiana, have led to a flood watch until 5 p.m. for Kosciusko County.

A flood warning is in effect northwest of Kosciusko County, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The forecast for Warsaw predicts rainfall totals between a quarter inch and a half inch on Saturday.

Today's high is expected to be around 68.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 47.

The post Flood watch in effect until 5 p.m. with more rain expected appeared first on News Now Warsaw.