McCoy: Severe weather possible today

Van Wert independent/EMA information

There is the possibility of a severe weather outbreak today and Van Wert County could be in the middle of it, said Rick McCoy, director of the Van Wert County office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a large severe outbreak stretching from Alabama to Michigan that could be more significant than the deadly outbreak on Tuesday of this week in Missouri and Illinois.

According to McCoy, abundant moisture will be transported into the Ohio Valley from the Gulf of Mexico and a warm front bringing temperatures once again into the middle 60s, along with a strong jet stream, an approaching cold front and a dynamic low pressure system, will be the ingredient for a number of states seeing thunderstorms with damaging winds and tornadoes.

The EMA director added that the biggest threat for super cell storms with large, long lived tornadoes will likely affect southern Indiana, southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. Farther north, looking at the Van Wert area, the threat appears to concentrate more on a damaging wind threat, with the possibility of isolated tornadoes. It appears the outbreak will occur in the Van Wert County area in late afternoon and before sunset.

McCoy said the severe weather threat is starting early during this La Niña year. Last year, Van Wert experienced four spring tornadoes, beginning in April of which was also a La Niña spring. The difference in timing is last year was a hard winter and storms waited until April when warmer weather began. This year was a mild winter and the severe weather season is ramping up early.

McCoy said he feels the mild winter spells trouble going through the month of March because of warmups followed by cold air masses moving in from Canada, which, in turn, causes strong storms to develop. The EMA director went on to say that he looked at historical data from 1965, which was the year of the big Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, and also 1974, when the Ohio town of Xenia was hit with an F-5 tornado. Both of those winters was mild with temperatures above normal.

With these similarities in mind, McCoy said to take Friday’s severe weather prediction seriously, and any future early spring storms that develop. Review weather drills and plans now and have a weather radio available for National Weather Service warnings, along with statements made by local media outlets and the Van Wert Emergency Management frequency at 155.805 on a scanner.

McCoy also reminds the public that, in the event, local siren systems are activated, they will sound for only the portions of the county that are affected by a tornado’s path, and the sirens are not used for an “all clear” signal.