With March on the doorstep, look for the proverbial lion to be possibly roaring tonight. The transition tonight from February to March could be meteorologically turbulent. After yet another February day with temps hitting 60 or above today, severe weather – including thunderstorms and high winds – is expected to pass through north central Indiana tonight and continue into the early morning hours Wednesday. That will be followed by a chance of snow Wednesday night and Thursday, the National Weather Service in North Webster predicts. A chance of isolated storms was expected today and the threat of severe weather will increase tonight, the weather Service said. The primary threat includes a possibility of damaging wind gusts, in areas along and south of U.S. 30. Small hail also is possible. Heavy localized rainfall may lead to minor flooding as well, the weather service said. A video recap of the forecast issued by the weather service predicts the most intense storms could pass through Kosciusko County between 10 p.m. tonight and 1 a.m. Wednesday. Conditions further to the south are expected to also be potentially severe. Damaging winds could be as strong as 65 mph, the weather service said. Showers on Wednesday will be followed by a chance of snow at night. Temps will rise to the mid 50s, but then quickly fall to around 28 overnight, the weather service said. Friday will see calm conditions with a high of 37 and a low of 27. Warm conditions return Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 50s. Today caps what looks like an historically warm month for much of northern Indiana. This February will be remembered as the warmest ever for parts of northern Indiana, which has seen only a scant level of snow. Regardless of today’s high, Fort Wayne is poised to set the record for its warmest February. The record for the average high for the month was set in 1930 at 38.6. Through Monday, the average high temp this month in Fort Wayne has been 39.4, said senior meteorologist Todd Holsten. South Bend is on the verge of setting the same record. The city’s average temperature for this month through Monday was 36.8. Fort Wayne also broke the record for the most consecutive days with temps at 60 or higher. That eight-day stretch ran from Feb. 17 to 24. Warm weather returns this weekend with temps in the 50s and into the 60s by Monday, he said. “It’s been an unusual winter, that’s for sure,” Holsten said.
