Weather

If you’re new to Michiana, or if you just never learned, lake effect snow is what happens when cold air meets a warmer Lake Michigan.

“Generally we get some really cold air that flows over the open waters that are a lot warmer," said Megan Dodson with the National Weather Service. "It can cause some instability and that can generate some snow bands in the form of lake effect.”

Early Winter weather conditions like snow and cold temperatures don’t mean the effects of climate change have stopped. 

When most people think of global warming, they think of extremely hot temperatures - but harsh winter weather can also be a sign of climate change.

The storms that went through Elkhart around midnight Wednesday night were not a tornado. The National Weather Service says heavy tree damage and power outages was likely caused by straight line winds. 

An NWS Meteorologist says soil saturated by above-average rainfall this spring may have contributed to the trees that were uprooted by the storms. 

Steve Hart was working to clear branches out of his driveway and yard. But his big problem was an uprooted hundred-year-old walnut tree in his backyard. 

 Tuesday’s storm left more than 28 thousand people without power, but this time of year in Michiana, snow and ice storms happen pretty regularly.

Geoffrey Heidelberger is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana.

Temperatures this weekend into Tuesday topped 90. Some storms Tuesday night and into Wednesday are expected to cool Michiana down.

It’s not usually this warm in late May.

Megan Dodson is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. She said the recent heat wave is out of the ordinary.

As Michiana starts to prepare for winter weather, road crews have been working to get plows, salt and drivers ready to roll.

Hiring, ordering salt and plow repairs are just a few things that local highway departments do to get ready for snow and winter weather.

Jeff Taylor is the manager of the Elkhart County Highway Department. He said one of the challenges this year was low unemployment in the county.