NORTHWEST INDIANA -There is a wind advisory for all of Northwest Indiana that goes into effect from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday. Ricky Castro, Meteorologist at the Chicago National Weather Service in Romeoville encourages everyone, including businesses with outside dinning, to prepare their outdoor spaces for the strong winds.
"We're looking at maximum wind gusts around 45 miles an hour, Castro says. The wind advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The highest gusts will be kind of in the 10 a.m. until 2 or 3 p.m. timeframe."
Castro says the biggest thing to consider is the difficultly in traveling for high profile vehicles and any loose objects kept outdoors, including holiday decorations, could be blown around. There could also be some minor tree damage in spots and sporadic power outages.
"Another thing that we're highlighting for tomorrow is that it's been quite dry lately and due to that, the strong winds and the dry conditions along with the mild temperatures in the 60's tomorrow, will yield an increased threat for faster spread of brush fires, so that doesn't mean there will be fires. It just means that because of the conditions, if any fires get going it could spread faster," Castro says.
Everyone should postpone any planned burning and be very careful when disposing of any smoking materials, according to Castro. He also says restaurants and COVID testing sites that operate outdoor tent structures need to take extra cautions as well.
