Don’t let the near 70 degree warmth fool you. Winter weather is just hours from returning to Central Indiana. While we haven’t made much change to our forecast from earlier, Winter Weather Advisories have been added to include Indianapolis from 4am to 4pm. Winter Storm Warnings are up for Hartford City, Marion, Peru, Monticello and Fowler where snowfall totals will be higher (see the snowfall potential map below).
We hope you’re enjoying the taste of spring in Central Indiana. Highs will settle into the lower and middle 60s between 4-5pm, with hazy sunshine and a pleasant southwest wind.
The shelf life of the balmy air expires early Wednesday morning as a potent storm system treks across the I-70 corridor. Rain spreads into the area mainly after midnight and becomes locally heavy with thunder by 2-3am. Rain amounts may approach a half inch to just under an inch in spots.
The changeover to snow occurs first in northwest Indiana and gradually spreads east-southeast… with an expected rain-to-snow switch between 7am-9am in the Indy metro. Snow will come down at a good clip for a few hours, but will it be heavy enough to overcome two days in the 60s and a wet surface from overnight rain? Those factors and the brief duration in the moderate/heavy snow band likely save many from shoveling a ton along the I-70 corridor.
So for now there are no major changes to our snowfall potential ideas. This is not a big snow-maker for the city, with 1-3″ possible along the I-70 corridor. Amounts will ramp up north of the city where the changeover occurs sooner and snow lasts longer. 3-6″ amounts are expected along and north of a Fowler-Lafayette-Kokomo-Tipton-Muncie line.
Due to heavy snow in Chicago and Detroit air travelers should expect significant delays and/or cancellations tomorrow. Not a great travel day in the Great Lakes with dangerous road conditions developing by midday across the northern third of Indiana. Significant blowing snow will drastically lower visibility, and near-blizzard conditions are possible around Chicagoland tomorrow.
Ultimately I believe the wind and drastic 24-hour temperature drop are the most notable aspects of this storm for much of the Indy metro. By 4-5pm Wednesday wind chills nearing single digits and then nearing zero by 11pm tomorrow… marking a ridiculous 65 to 70 degree “feels like” drop in some 24 hours! Sustained wind of 20-30mph and gusts of 40mph can be expected well into Wednesday afternoon.
This cold air intrusion bottoms-out with single digit low temperatures Thursday morning, with Indianapolis’ record low of 3 above not far off. After a chilly Thursday afternoon below freezing, temperatures should modify quickly Friday as a brisk southwest wind develops. Next chance of precipitation will be rain shower chances late Friday night into Saturday morning.
Also don’t forget to sign up for the Skytrak 13 Personal Forecast and get daily updates sent to your email. This is a great way to stay ahead of the weather and alerted to changes to that frequently occur to the forecast… plus it’s free. Sign up here: http://www.wthr.com/category/277881/daily-weather
Have a great day and please check back for updates – Sean Ash