A tornado watch has been issued for merrillville indiana and much of the surrounding area, with the alert set to expire at 2 a.m. on Friday as severe storms are expected later in the day. The main concern is the overnight period, when damaging winds could arrive with the strongest storms.
The best window for those storms is expected to run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the main hazard is damaging straight-line winds of 60 to 80 mph. An isolated tornado and large hail are also possible, making this a night for people in the watch area to stay alert as the weather turns.
The risk is tied to a cold front moving in, which will also bring down the humidity and the heat after the storms pass. Even so, the broader warning picture is complicated by the fact that a tornado has already been confirmed in southern LaPorte County, a reminder that the threat can sharpen quickly even when the most likely danger is still being described as isolated.
That leaves the next few hours as the most important stretch for anyone in the watch area. The alert expires at 2 a.m. Friday, but the weather threat is expected to peak before then, during the evening and early overnight hours when storms are most likely to organize.
