Hot & Stormy: Indiana Gets Severe Storm Chance Before 90s Hit

INDIANA, USA —

Indiana’s Weather Enters Summer Mode: Sizzling Heat or Steamy Storms

We only have two weather modes right now in Indiana as we transition into summer:

• Hot, sunny and humid
  OR

• Muggy, warm and stormy

And it’s not just a feeling — summer officially begins Friday, June 20 at 10:42 p.m. EDT, and the heat is arriving right on cue.

In the meantime, we are tracking some rain and storm chances. Track the rain with our interactive radar HERE.

Beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend and into next week, highs will soar into the 90s, with heat index values climbing over 100° during the hottest afternoons. Sunshine will dominate, and the real summer sizzle is about to settle in.

Before the heat fully takes over, we’re still in a pattern of hit-or-miss downpours and storms. Messy surface boundaries and shifting wind patterns are fueling daily pop-up showers and thunderstorms across Indiana. While not everyone gets rain each day, somewhere on the radar, storms are lighting up.

These downpours tend to form near boundaries where the atmosphere is most unstable. These zones shift around daily, so it’s important to track them live with our interactive radar HERE.

So, if you like the slightly cooler weather this week — you’ll have to thank the clouds and rain. Once this pattern ends, it’s full-on heat wave mode.

June is historically Indiana’s wettest month, and so far, we’ve been right on schedule. But this may be the last major round of rain for a while.

• Tuesday (June 17): 50% chance of showers and storms

• Wednesday (June 18): 60% chance of scattered showers and storms

• Wednesday after 6 p.m. (June 18–19): 70%+ chance of widespread storms, possibly severe

A cold front moving through Wednesday night will likely shut off the rain chances for a while. There may be some lingering showers Thursday morning, but high pressure then should then take over, clearing the skies and locking in heat for the next week.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed much of central Indiana under a Level 3 severe risk for Wednesday evening. The primary threats include:

• Damaging wind gusts

• Frequent lightning

• Small hail possible

Storms are expected to develop in northwestern Indiana and move southeastward, gradually weakening into the night. The strongest storms will likely be north and west of Indianapolis.

Once the rain moves out, the heat is on. Highs across Indiana will jump into the 90s this weekend, with heat index values reaching or exceeding 100°. This hot and humid weather will likely persist into next week.

Stay weather-aware this week as we transition from a soggy pattern into some serious summer heat.

-13News Meteorologist Matt Standridge