What is a snow squall?

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A snow squall is an intense burst of heavy snow that drops visibility quickly on the roadways.

Squalls pose a risk to drivers because of how quickly conditions can change within minutes. Gusty winds may be embedded within any squalls as snow fastly accumulates.

Scattered snow showers remain in the forecast Wednesday evening for much of Indiana with a few localized areas of snowbursts.

The National Weather Service can issue a rare “snow squall warning” if warranted. This type of warning is fairly new since they were instituted in 2018. The weather service in Indianapolis has yet to issue a single snow squall warning since they were added.

When a snow squall warning is issued, an alert is sent out to phones in the hopes of helping drivers on the roadways.