WARSAW — A microburst storm that hit Whispering Pines, Chapman Lake and other nearby areas on Friday afternoon produced winds upward of 80 mph — but no injuries.

While it normally takes more than a day to determine if storm damage was caused by a tornado, meteorologists at the weather station in North Webster were able to quickly determine it was a microburst in part because of the pattern of tree damage, 

Meteorologist Lonnie Fisher said Sunday they were able to tour the area near Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park shortly after the storm.

"The magnitude of trees that came down also made it quite easy to determine what it was,
Fisher said.

The storm struck shortly before 4 p.m. with high winds, rain, and dime-size hail.

"The area up by Whispering Pines was easily probably about 70-80 (MPH) and then Chapman Lake ... was pushing toward the 80s," Fisher said.

"We're lucky with the amount of wind that there was, there were no injuries," he said.

Possibly the worst damage was on the east end of the mobile home park where a home was crushed in half while a family was away.

The storm caused sporadic power outages and there was significant tree damage throughout the area.

A series of downed trees made Levi Lee Road impassable for several hours.

Part of SR 13 was closed until 4:30 a.m. because of a downed power line.

Fisher said the storm developed so quickly that there was not enough time to issue a warning. By the time NWS received damage reports, much of the storm had moved to Whitley County, he said.

The weather service station is also just a few miles away and two of the meteorologists live nearby, Fisher said.

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WARSAW — NIPSCO continues to work to restore power in several areas in Kosciusko County and across northern Indiana after Tuesday morning's storm.

In Kosciusko County, NIPSCO said North Webster has about 700 customers without power,  Warsaw has 272, Winona Lake has 46 and Plymouth has 50.

Overall, NIPSCO reports about 26,000 customers as of 5:30 a.m. were still without power across northern Indiana.

For updates, check out the NIPSCO website.

Some of the hardest-hit areas across northern Indiana include Lake County, Valparaiso, La Porte, Plymouth and Goshen.

The storm killed at least one person in Indiana. A 44-year-old woman died in Cedar Lake, southeast of Chicago, after a tree fell on her house, the Associated Press reported.

The exact cause of death was unknown.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is looking into whether the storms spawned two tornadoes.

Surveyors from the National Weather Service are checking for tornado damage in La Porte and Elkhart Counties.

The post 700 in North Webster still without power appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — A strong line of storms caused power outages throughout parts of northern Indiana overnight, including an area stretching from north of North Webster and as far south as Pierceton, according to the National Weather Service in North Webster.

According to NIPSCO, upward of 2,000 customers in Kosciusko County were without power as of 4:45 p.m. Click here for an update from NIPSCO.

Here is an updated map for Kosciusko REMC.

Power was also out in part of downtown Warsaw and affected Kensington Digital Media Radio stations for a few hours.

Willie 103.5 is back on the air, but as of 4:50 a.m., News Now Warsaw and 107.3 WRSW were still off the air.

The storms, which coincided with a tornado warning for the area, brought heavy rains and wind gusts of up to 70 mph.

The post Storm causes sporadic electric outages appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Friday’s weather in Kosciusko County, which included a mix of rain, sleet and heavy wet snow, is being replaced by a blast of arctic air on Saturday that is stretching  across the central part of the country.

Meanwhile, conditions north of Kosciusko County, including South Bend and Niles, Mich., are considerably worse, and the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning in that region until 7 p.m. Saturday.

The snow and slush that made for difficult driving conditions across the region Friday has now turned to icy conditions across the region.

[caption id="attachment_88179" align="alignright" width="240"] This map posted by the National Weather Service Friday night highlights winter weather advisories in purple and winter storm warnings in red.[/caption]

The National Weather Service has a winter weather advisory in place in Kosciusko County until 7 p.m. Saturday and warns motorists should plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches, the weather service said.

Winds on Saturday will remain gusty and could exceed 45 mph at times.

Windy conditions have been resulting in some sporadic power outages. As of 6 a.m., NIPSCO was reporting about 293 outages across north central Indiana, including 19 in Pierceton and 14 in Nappanee.

A wind chill advisory is in effect from midnight Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Overnight temperatures were in the mid-20s and Meteorologist Matt Rudkin predicts temps will slowly fall all day long and will be near zero by 7 a.m. Sunday.

Wind chills by nightfall are expected to be around 25 below zero.

Light snow is possible through the morning hours, according to Rudkin.

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