Tornado watch extends to 2 a.m. near Merrillville Indiana

merrillville indiana was under a tornado watch as strong to severe storms with damaging winds were expected later in the day. The watch was set to expire at 2 a.m. on Friday, with the main concern focused on storms later tonight.

Forecasters said the best time for storms was 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Damaging straight-line winds of 60 to 80 mph were the main threat, with an isolated tornado and large hail also possible.

Cold Front Timing

A cold front coming in was driving the severe weather threat. As it moved through, humidity and heat were expected to drop, but the storm window remained centered on the evening and overnight hours.

Southern LaPorte County

A tornado had already been confirmed in southern LaPorte County, adding urgency to the later forecast for the region. That left residents facing two separate concerns in the same period: an active tornado threat and the possibility of damaging wind gusts reaching 60 to 80 mph.

Friday Deadline

The watch expiration at 2 a.m. on Friday gave households a clear cutoff for the overnight threat. People in the warned area had to treat the 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. window as the period most likely to bring the strongest storms.