Humidity and temperature levels will drop significantly this week.  Highs Tuesday through Thursday will be in the 70s with overnight lows in the low/mid 50s (some areas north and west of Toledo may dip into the upper 40s).  This will be the coolest stretch since June 6-8.

Warm weather will return by next weekend.

Severe storms are now south of the area.  Leftover showers/isolated thunder possible the next few hours.

Storm & damage reports will be posted soon.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of the area this evening.  A line of severe storms is tracking towards the area.  The storms have been producing widespread wind damage with gusts exceeding 60 mph.

Isolated tornadoes have occurred in a few of the storms.

Some storms will skim our northern counties in Michigan the next few hours.  The main line of storms will cross the viewing area between 10:30 pm and 1:30 am.

Another wave of storms will approach the area late this afternoon into this evening.  Storms will be quite widespread mid/late evening into the overnight (8 pm onward).   There will be a lot of lightning — make sure you have proper shelter as the storms approach.  [There are severe weather safety tips on the main weather page.]

We have a MODERATE risk of severe weather.  The primary threat will be damaging winds.  However, some large hail is also possible.  A few isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out.

With the extremely muggy air in place, storms will unleash torrential downpours.  Areas that see repeated thunderstorms will accumulate a few inches of rain in short amount of time.

You can purchase a severe weather radio at Kroger for a discounted price.  More details can be found here:  http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=12681658

We will be in a very unsettled pattern the next few days.  Complexes of thunderstorms will continue to develop in the Plains and Midwest, and track into the area.  These occasional complexes will continue off & on through Wednesday night.

The clusters of storms will have the potential to create powerful wind gusts.  So, we continue with a slight risk for severe storms until about Thursday morning.

One other aspect that we will be watching will be heavy rainfall.  With the higher levels of humidity the next few days, the storms that do develop will be able to produce torrential downpours.  Locations that see repeated storms could see hefty rain totals until the pattern breaks.

Comments emerged on our Facebook page asking why we were not reporting tornadoes that other outlets were reporting.
One “tornado” report came from a location that was not experiencing a storm at the time of the call (storms were one county to the west).

Other reports were based on wind damage.  Straight line winds can reach over 80 mph, similar speeds to that of tornadoes, but they go in a line versus a twist pattern (tornado).  Sometimes, straight line winds can produce damage worse and much more widespread than weak tornadoes.

All indications on the radar showed wind damage being produced, but no tornadoes.  That is why there were many severe t-storm warnings–for the winds.

We will not report every call about tornadoes since many are false or misidentified.  We have received viewer photos of “tornadoes in their neighborhood” when in fact they are sending in pictures obtained on the web.  Last summer, a viewer sent in a (very famous) picture taken in Florida in the 1990s claiming it was a local tornado.

The tornadoes from the other weekend showed up very well on radar, and we had multiple eyewitness accounts from trained spotters.  That was a completely different situation than tonight.

The threat for thunderstorms will continue through Tuesday night until a storm system passes the area Wednesday morning.  It will stay humid, thereby allowing heavy downpours.

We will dry out Wednesday, and it will turn less humid Wednesday into Thursday.  Heat builds by the end of week with highs near 90° and the chance of storms.  Sunday looks dry.

Another system will move into the area Wednesday.  Storms turn more likely in the afternoon, and some of those storms could be severe with large hail and strong winds.  With the humidity levels jumping back up during the day, the storms will have a lot of moisture to work with.  This means torrential downpours are possible again, and we will have to keep an eye out for flooding.

The majority of the holiday weekend will be dry.  A cold front should spark a few thunderstorms on Memorial Day.  Highs will stay in the mid to upper 80s.  Humidity levels will rise Sunday into Monday.

National Safety Boating week runs into the upcoming holiday weekend.  Click here for a website all about boating safety.

We always have the updated marine forecasts and advisories on our weather page–just click on the boating icon below the 7-day forecast.