Summertime Heat!

This past Memorial Day was the first day this season in which we officially touched on 90 degrees at Toledo Express Airport. Ready for and encore? More hot and sticky weather will be around for today with highs in the lower 90s. While this is some intense heat for late May, it is expected to remain below record high levels.

Fulton County Funnel

Some weak funnel clouds were reported in thunderstorms in Fulton county this afternoon around 3:30 pm.  These did not touch down and become tornadoes.  The storms today are much different than Wednesday's, so these were not as violent.  Some sirens did go off in Fulton county between 3 and 4 pm.  No tornado warning was issued since it did not touch down, and since doppler radar did not show any intense rotation.

This picture was taken from the Fulton county storm by Dylan Ehlers as he traveled westward along the turnpike.

Severe Storms & Flooding

Severe storms rocked the area on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, May 25th. Several tornado warnings were accompanied with dozens of reports of very large hail across several counties. Locations like Findlay, Fostoria, Clyde, Green Springs and Bellevue reported hail ranging from quarter size all the way up to tennis (2.5") and baseball size (2.75")!

Thankfully no reports of significant tornadoes, but the aftermath of the thunderstorms and heavy rains have now elevated the flooding concern for many areas. Here is doppler radar estimated rainfall totals of 2-4" or more across most of the area:


Two rivers in particular could see Moderate/Major flooding. The Blanchard River may crest just below 13.0' early Friday morning which is the mark for major flooding:



The Maumee river at Defiance, Waterville and Grand Rapids are expected to see Moderate flooding. Grand Rapids may see the worst, cresting at 18.5' which is 3.5' above flood stage. If this stage is reached, it would equal the 100 year flood level impacting several of the buildings in the downtown area.


Other cities and rivers expected to see some degree of flooding:


CLICK HERE for River levels east of I-75

CHICK HERE for river levels west of I-75

CLICK HERE for river levels in Michigan

Joplin, MO Tornado...Another EF5

The latest storm survey from the local NWS office in Springfield, MO has rated the Joplin tornado an EF5 with winds in excess of 200 mph. The death toll continues to climb, and at last report Tuesday evening 122 lives were claimed by this tornado. The Joplin tornado is the deadliest since modern recordkeeping began in 1950 and is ranked 8th among the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.

Radar Image at time of tornado:


Storm Relative Velocity a time of tornado:



For complete information on this tornado and the storm survey CLICK HERE.

Rain Stats

NASA satellite shows tornado tracks

NASA has released satellite pictures that clearly show the tracks of the Alabama tornadoes in late April.  The pictures show lines of scarred earth in the damage paths.

You can see the pictures here:  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/harvest_tornado.html

Pollen Levels Dropping

One good thing about the frequent rain this weekend is that the pollen count is dropping.  After staying at high levels much of this past week, occasional showers will lower it into the moderate range today.  A cooler, wetter pattern for Sunday will allow the pollen levels to drop into the low category.

As things dry out a bit during the coming week, the pollen levels will begin to climb again.