INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Seasonable temperatures return today. Coldest temps since March move in with snow Thursday.

This morning:

Sharply colder temperatures greet us this morning with numbers mainly into the mid-40s across central Indiana. We are monitoring a weak system moving into Illinois, bringing with it some light rain. We’re also watching another blast of colder temperatures up into the northern Plains that will be heading our way.

Wednesday:

Clouds will increase this morning, and a quick-hitting band of showers will occur from mid to late morning. Rainfall should yield between a tenth and a quarter of an inch before we dry out for the afternoon. The afternoon should be dry and seasonable but breezy, with highs around 50° and wind gusts between 30 and 35 mph. 

Wednesday night:

Look for mostly cloudy skies overnight with some scattered light rain showers. As temperatures chill overnight close to freezing, we will likely mix in some snow with that rain or fully transition over to snow as we get closer to daybreak on Thursday. Accumulation should be relatively light, considering the very warm ground temperatures. A quick dusting to half an inch will be possible by daybreak mainly on grassy and elevated surfaces. For the Thursday morning drive, a few slick spots could be possible on bridges and overpasses.

Overnight, lows fall to near freezing.

Snow Thursday:

Scattered light snow showers for the morning will start to slide down to the southeast. Impacts for the morning commute should be minor, but it is worth noting that there could be some patchy slick spots, and that always makes for a difficult drive when it’s the first one of the year.

A second and more intense round of precipitation will slide in by mid to late afternoon. There is a chance for a pretty good thump of snow, which at times could mix with rain. With a heavy rate of snow, it likely will overtake the warm ground temperatures, which could accumulate around one to 2 inches of snowfall with some locally higher amounts possible.

Even if we don’t get that much to totally stick, I do believe that we’ll have heavy enough snow rates and just enough accumulation on the roads for the evening to make a mess of things, so plan accordingly.

Outside of the snow, it is going to also feel like winter with high temperatures only into the mid-30s. With gusty winds, wind chills will likely hold into the mid-20s for much of the day.

Friday:

Friday will be a cloudy day with some spotty rain chances, especially in the eastern portions of the state. High temperatures will top out into the low to mid 40s.

This weekend:

The weekend looks better with some improving temperatures and conditions. Look for partly cloudy skies Saturday with highs in the upper 40s, which is close to average for this time of year. High temperatures should jump back up to the mid-50s heading into Sunday.

Next week:

A warming trend begins as we head into the holiday week next week. Look for high temperatures to flirt with 60° on Monday, and the number is holding into the mid-50s for Tuesday of next week.