INDIANA — A conditional tornado risk is in place Wednesday afternoon into the early evening across parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Shallow thunderstorms are expected to develop near the Illinois and Indiana border between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. before pushing east with a cold front. The overall threat is small, but an isolated damaging wind gust of up to 60 mph or a brief, weak tornado cannot be ruled out between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tornado Risk Covers Indianapolis to Nashville
The Storm Prediction Center’s tornado outlook highlights a corridor stretching from Lafayette and Indianapolis south through Bloomington, Vincennes, Jasper, and Evansville. The zone continues into Kentucky, covering Louisville, Elizabethtown, Leitchfield, Madisonville, and Bowling Green.
In Tennessee, the risk area includes Nashville, Springfield, Waverly, and areas near Columbia. Communities near the edges of the zone, such as Scottsburg, Cadiz, and Lafayette, Tennessee, should also keep an eye on the sky.
Storms Develop Along the Cold Front Into Weak Instability
An area of low pressure near Charleston, Illinois, will drag a cold front east across the region during the afternoon. Storms will form along and just ahead of this front as it moves into Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Atmospheric instability is expected to remain very weak, which will limit how strong storms can become. Even so, it only takes one storm moving into the right environment at the right time to produce a brief tornado.
Damaging Wind Gusts Up to 60 MPH Also a Hazard
Severe wind gusts of up to 60 mph are also possible with the strongest storms. Winds this strong could bring down tree limbs, knock out power, and blow around loose outdoor items…