Snow coming Wednesday to central Indiana; travel may be hazardous
Interactive radar | FutureCast | Current conditions | Hourly temperature forecast | Watches and warnings
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The National Weather Service at Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon issued a special statement on snow coming Wednesday to central Indiana.
In central Indiana, snow showers and snow squalls are expected to develop Wednesday afternoon and evening. These showers have the potential to produce brief periods of heavy snow, whiteout conditions, wind gusts over 40 mph, and flash freezing on surfaces. Conditions can deteriorate rapidly with strong snow showers with little warning. Traveling will likely be hazardous at times, especially during the evening commute.
For southern Indiana, the weather service at Louisville, Kentucky, also issued a special statement on Tuesday afternoon. “Late Tuesday night a strong upper level disturbance will move into the region from the northwest and produce a band of light snow that is expected to move eastward across southern Indiana and central Kentucky. This band is likely to develop near the I-65 corridor well after midnight and then shift eastward toward the I-75 corridor by sunrise Wednesday. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 20s and lower 30s. Some minor accumulations of snow will be possible east of I-65. The recent warmth and warm ground temps will likely limit snow accumulations to elevated decks and roof tops. While road surface temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-upper 30s, bridges and overpasses could become slick Wednesday morning. If you have travel plans for early Wednesday morning, stay abreast of the latest forecasts and weather conditions. Later in the day on Wednesday, scattered snow showers and snow squalls are expected to develop in the afternoon and continue into the evening hours. Little if any accumulation is expected during the afternoon. However, temperatures will drop to near freezing by late afternoon and near sunset which may result in slick spots developing on roads where the snow showers and snow squalls cross. Motorists traveling Wednesday afternoon and evening should exercise caution.”
Indiana Department of Transportation’s east district, which serves Indianapolis, said in a Tuesday noontime social media post that its plows have been out preparing the roads for Wednesday’s snow. “Our plows will be out patrolling tomorrow morning to clean up whatever Mother Nature decides to give East Central Indiana. We do want to highlight that snow will not be the biggest threat tomorrow, it will be the wind at 35+ mph and near-freezing temperatures. Snow squalls should not be taken lightly – please slow down, drive with your headlights on (especially in the morning), and give yourself extra time to get to your destination safely,” the post from INDOT’s east district said.
INDOT’s west central district, which serves areas west of Indianapolis, said just after 8:15 a.m. Tuesday that its crews were preparing to start pretreating the roads in advance of the snow squalls.
A FutureCast image from Storm Track 8 with this story shows the snowfall amounts expected Thursday.