By: Newspaper Staff
The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning on Tuesday afternoon for portions of northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana, including southeastern Williams County.
The warning was issued at 2:43 p.m. EDT and remained in effect until 3:30 p.m. EDT on March 31. The affected areas in Ohio included southeastern Williams County, Defiance County, and Paulding County, along with northeastern Allen County and southeastern DeKalb County in Indiana.
At 2:42 p.m., NWS radar indicated severe thunderstorms along a line extending from near St. Joe to near Antwerp to near Monroeville, moving east at 45 mph. The primary hazard was 60 mph wind gusts, with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Communities in the warning area included Bryan, Defiance, Hicksville, Paulding, Edgerton, Antwerp, Stryker, Payne, Ney, and Evansport, among others. The warning came as a broader Severe Thunderstorm Watch (Watch 78) was already in effect for Williams, Fulton, and several other northwest Ohio counties until 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The National Weather Service had been forecasting the potential for strong to severe storms across the region throughout the afternoon, with damaging winds identified as the primary threat.
Residents are encouraged to report severe weather to their nearest law enforcement agency, which will relay reports to the NWS Northern Indiana office in Syracuse, Indiana.