NWS: Sunny Saturday in Central Indiana could turn stormy, severe by nighttime

Warm and sunny weather in Central Indiana is expected to turn stormy by Saturday afternoon.

A Hazardous Weather Outlook issued by the National Weather Service Saturday morning said Indianapolis and most of Central Indiana — stretching from Delphi to Vincennes — should anticipate rain in the afternoon, with strong to severe thunderstorms likely as nighttime approaches. Damaging winds, large hail, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall are possible, the outlook said.

NWS meteorologist Andrew White told IndyStar at around 1:30 p.m. that the rain should begin to fall by 6 or 7 p.m.

Thunderstorms are likely to roll into the Indianapolis area by 10 p.m., White says, with the severe threat waning around midnight.

However, an alert sent by the NWS at 3:50 p.m. said the thunderstorms could arrive as early at 6 p.m. tonight and extend until 4 a.m. Sunday.

“The main things that are going to be of concern tonight are lightning and gusty winds,” White said, “with the winds really being the most concerning.”

Showers and thunderstorms will linger into the night until the cold front exits Central Indiana, but a pocket of clear weather is likely to follow for the rest of the weekend and into next week.

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That's good news for Indianapolis area residents, after the stormy weather of the past week, including a tornado that struck Pendleton on Memorial Day.

“It looks like we’re finally going to get a break when it comes to rain,” White said. Sunday should be cooler and clear, and Monday is expected to remain dry.

The next chance for rain isn’t until Tuesday night, with rain and thunderstorms — but not so much severe weather — likely. Showers and thunderstorms, according to the NWS outlook, continue to be expected through Friday.

The last few weeks have “essentially brought a very active jet stream,” White said, which is why the state has seen so much rain.

“The pattern is finally starting to break here in the next few days,” he said. “But this time of year, we generally want people to know their emergency plans and continue keeping an eye to the weather, so they can take cover and protect themselves if they need to.”

Call IndyStar reporter Casey Smith at 317-444-6487 or email her at casmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @SmithCaseyA.