29 years ago Indianapolis set all-time record low
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A big area of arctic high pressure set the stage 29 years ago for temperatures to plummet to all-time record lows.
To see how these temperatures dropped, we first have to go back a couple of days.
On Jan. 16-17, 1994, a major winter storm brought several inches of snowfall to central Indiana. This significant snowfall set a record for the most snow in a 24-hour period of 6 inches in Indianapolis.
![](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TARA-1-1-1024x576.jpg)
A couple of days later, a big area of arctic high pressure moved across Indiana. This set the stage for ideal radiational cooling conditions. This is when skies are clear, winds are calm, a fresh snowpack has fallen, and temperatures are allowed to fall. All the heat from earlier in the day escapes.
![](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TARA-2-1024x576.jpg)
Early in the morning on Jan. 19, 1994, temperatures started to dramatically drop. Indianapolis set an all-time record low of 27 below zero. New Whiteland dropped even farther and currently holds the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state of 37 below zero.
![](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TARA-3-1-1024x576.jpg)