Adam J. White - Storm Spotting and Photography

06/18/2025

Keeping an eye on an area of increasingly tightening rotation on the storms approaching Lake County. Stay weather aware!

06/18/2025

Quick Weather Update for this afternoon! Tornado(EF-0 to EF-1, though a stronger tornado is not impossible) threat increasing. Stay tuned to local meteorologists today! **As of posting, a tornado watch has been issued**

05/15/2025

Important Weather Update for May 15, 2025!
Severe Weather is likely this evening, with all modes of severe weather (tornadoes, destructive hail, and damaging winds) possible. Stay weather aware!

03/20/2025

2 tornado warnings, quarter mile from an “observed” tornado, a few close calls with flying branches, and a piece of Mazda plastic lost to highway speeds. Fun and successful chase day, and I am glad it was not worse than it was. I’ve attached a compilation of some of my favorite clips from the day caught on my dashcam.

No fancy camera setups for this impromptu enhanced, 10% hatched tornado risk day chase. Just 1 meteorology major, 1 geography/meteorology major, and 1 geogra...

03/19/2025

**A Level 3 of 5 Risk Remains for Central IL**

No significant changes to my original forecast. A 10% Significant tornado risk has been added by the National Weather Service for the Enhanced area as it has been clear that a rare (for Illinois) dryline will be producing the lift for this. Everything is incredibly conditional; things have to be perfect for any significantly damaging supercells to form. However, I will be driving out to Peoria to start a chase and will be following this dryline to the east. Stay weather aware!

03/19/2025

**A Low-Level Risk for Severe Weather Exists Wednesday, March 19**

First and foremost, this is not a particularly concerning risk of severe weather, however there are a few oddities that make tomorrow interesting.

To have a "successful" thunderstorm develop, you need wind shear, lift, instability, and moisture. Tomorrow, lift and wind shear are impressive enough to warrant this post, but instability and moisture are modest at best. As new model guidance comes out about this system, an updated post will likely be necessary.

Storms are possible in central to north central Illinois by 2 PM CDT. A few of these storms, due to the impressive shear, have the potential to become supercellular. Due to the lack of moisture, though, these are not expected to get very high into the atmosphere which limits the likelihood of tornadoes as well as hail.

By around 6, the storm should form into a line as it progresses eastward. Some aspects of this are very similar to what happened early Saturday morning which is why my personal forecast includes a very low-end tornado risk extending into Indiana.

Because of all of this, it is in my best interest as a forecaster to suggest that all types of severe weather are possible tomorrow, but are not particularly likely. Nearly everyone in NWI will receive a thunderstorm, but the largest risk for all is strong-severe winds. Make sure you have a reliable way to receive warnings.

Note: I am currently in my third year of school for meteorology, but I am not (yet) in name or profession a meteorologist. I certainly know what I am talking about, but it is always wise to follow storm outlooks and forecasts from the best of the best at www.spc.noaa.gov or www.weather.gov/lot . Please do not buy into the "hype" pages that post colorful and often exaggerated graphics to boost engagement!

I will try and get out to central Illinois to do some storm spotting and will update as necessary!

*Maps provided by ESRI, forecast is my own using numerical weather prediction*

03/18/2025

Expect a discussion post by the evening regarding severe risk for Wednesday, March 19.

03/18/2025

Early morning Saturday March 15, a line of thunderstorms (known as a quasi-linear convective system) caused straight-line wind damage and two brief tornadoes. EF-1 damage occurred in Cedar Lake, EF-0 damage occurred in Schererville and Merrillville, and there were numerous reports of damage due to non-tornadic wind up to 75 miles per hour. A summary of these damages and paths of the tornadoes can be found below courtesy of the National Weather Service Chicago office.

08/05/2024

A quick time lapse of the storm and shelf cloud that rolled through the NWI region this morning, taken by my Wyze camera on Valpo’s campus.

05/24/2024

Nickel to Quarter sized hail in Crete, IL today, associated with a severe thunderstorm.

05/07/2024

Stay weather aware today as conditions are favorable for supercellular development over most of Indiana! Make sure you have a way to receive warnings.

02/28/2024

The severe weather threat is now over for Northwest Indiana, however we have not escaped unscathed. Extreme Northern Lake County was impacted by a fairly substantial tornado, and will be surveyed for damage later. It’s possible in remained very nearshore to Lake Michigan. Very glad that it stayed north, as it would’ve been a disastrous situation if it hit any further south.

Numerous areas in Illinois were also hit by tornadoes.