Light to moderate snow will continue into Saturday over the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast. This weekend into next week, a series of atmospheric rivers will bring gusty winds, periods of heavy rain, and mountain snow to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Colder temperatures are in store for the weekend from the Great Lakes to East Coast. Read More >
Overview
There were over a dozen sightings of waterspouts on southern Lake Michigan on Wednesday, September 28. Many of these were observed from the Illinois and Indiana shores. The setup for waterspouts had been well forecast, being noted in NWS marine forecasts and messaging over 36 hours in advance. |
Video:
This waterspout video from September 28, 2016 is courtesy of Randall Stieghorst, looking straight east from the north side of Chicago.
Storm Reports
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 507 PM CDT THU SEP 29 2016 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0830 AM WATER SPOUT 5 NNE LINCOLN PARK 42.00N 87.59W 09/28/2016 LMZ741 IL PUBLIC 0840 AM WATER SPOUT 11 NNW DUNE ACRES 41.79N 87.18W 09/28/2016 LMZ779 IN PUBLIC 0845 AM WATER SPOUT 12 ENE NAVY PIER 41.95N 87.40W 09/28/2016 LMZ779 IL PUBLIC 0912 AM WATER SPOUT 8 E NORTHERLY ISLAND 41.86N 87.46W 09/28/2016 LMZ779 IL STORM CHASER 0920 AM WATER SPOUT 8 NE EAST CHICAGO 41.71N 87.33W 09/28/2016 LMZ743 IN PUBLIC 0922 AM WATER SPOUT 3 E CHICAGO 41.88N 87.58W 09/28/2016 LMZ741 IL PUBLIC 0929 AM WATER SPOUT 4 NW CHICAGO 41.93N 87.68W 09/28/2016 COOK IL PUBLIC 1229 PM WATER SPOUT 15 NNW DUNE ACRES 41.84N 87.21W 09/28/2016 LMZ779 IN PUBLIC 0335 PM WATER SPOUT 4 E WINNETKA 42.11N 87.66W 09/28/2016 LMZ740 IL STORM CHASER 0600 PM WATER SPOUT 2 E WINNETKA 42.11N 87.70W 09/28/2016 LMZ740 IL STORM CHASER 4 SEPARATE WATERSPOUTS. && $$ IZZI
Environment
An 850 mb (~5000 ft) map on midday September 28, 2016. A strong early autumn cold front has ushered chilly air southward, atop lake temperatures that were running near record high temperatures for late September. The near-surface air was warmed by the waters creating instability. | The general science behind waterspouts. |
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