LIVE BLOG: Winter weather brings power outages, cancelations
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Winter weather is impacting Indiana. We’ll track the latest developments here throughout the day on Wednesday.
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- See the Future Cast Radar
Update 10:52 p.m.
Butler University will remain closed Thursday.
Update 10:09 p.m.
These counties are under travel warnings, meaning people should refrain from all travel: Allen, Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, LaGrange, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Parke, Pulaski, Starke, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and Whitley. Check the status of other counties online.
Update 7:56 p.m.
Taylor University campus in Upland will be closed Thursday. Dining services, facilities services and campus police will remain open to serve students.
Update 7:30 p.m.
These counties are under travel warnings, meaning people should refrain from all travel: Allen, Benton, Carroll, Cass, Fountain, Fulton, Newton, Parke, Pulaski, Starke and Warren. Check the status of other counties online.
Update 7:28 p.m.
Bloomington High School North’s boys high school basketball says its game at Edgewood at 7:30 p.m. Thursday has been rescheduled to Feb. 22.
Update 7:22 p.m.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis will be closed Thursday. The First Thursday Night event is canceled. Black History Month events will be rescheduled.
Update 7:07 p.m.
Storm Track 8 Chief Meteorologist Ashley Brown chats with viewers about the ongoing winter storm in a Facebook Live.
Update 6:54 p.m.
Ball State University is closing its campus Thursday, according to a letter from administrators. Student instruction will be online. Nonessential employees should work remotely if possible. Essential employees are expected to report in person as scheduled.
Update 5:58 p.m.
Indiana University South Bend’s campus will be closed Thursday. Classes will take place remotely. Employees who can work remotely are expected to do so. Essential staff designated to work on campus during adverse weather are expected to report to work as usual.
Update 5:55 p.m.
Purdue University has canceled in-person classes for Thursday.
Update 5:49 p.m.
Indiana University Kokomo’s campus is closed starting at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. All classes will take place remotely. COVID-19 testing is canceled. Employees who can work remotely are expected to do so. Essential staff designated to work on campus during adverse weather are expected to report to work as usual.
Update 5:46 p.m.
Indiana University Northwest’s campus in Gary will be closed Thursday. Classes will be held remotely. Employees who can work remotely are expected to do so. Essential staff designated to work on campus during adverse weather are expected to report to work as usual. All COVID-19 testing is canceled until Monday.
Update 5:27 p.m.
Indiana University Southeast campus and Graduate Center in New Albany will be closed Thursday. Online and hybrid classes will take place remotely. COVID-19 testing is canceled. Staff employees who can work remotely are expected to do so. Essential staff designated to work on campus during adverse weather are expected to report to work as usual. IU Southeast lodges will remain open for residents.
Update 5:30 p.m.
A full callout of Indy Snow Force drivers has been added and are on the roads.
Update 4:48 p.m.
Republic Services has canceled trash and recycling services in Carmel for Thursday. The company says it is considering expanding hours over the weekend to make up for the cancelation.
Update 4:12 p.m.
The Indianapolis-Marion County City-County offices will be closed Thursday. Indy Parks family centers will remain open as warming centers.
Update 3:15 p.m.
The Westfield city services building will be closed Thursday and Friday. Essential services will operate normally.
Update 3:11 p.m.
The Indiana Department of Health has closed all state-run COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics through Thursday.
Update 3:01 p.m.
The West Lafayette Police Department says westbound Sagamore Parkway is now open.
Update 2:53 p.m.
City hall in Kokomo has closed early and will reopen at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Update 2:44 p.m.
Wayne County is going to a level two travel watch at 6 a.m. on Thursday and will remain in effect until further notice.
Update 2:36 p.m.
Citizens Energy Group says a water man break has closed eastbound 21st Street between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the I-65 overpass. The closure is expected to last through the evening.
Update 2:34 p.m.
The West Lafayette Police Department says westbound Sagamore Parkway is closed from Duncan Road to Happy Hollow Road.
Update 2:33 p.m.
Bloomington Sanitation Division says trash and recycling will be suspended Thursday.
Update 2:11 p.m.
Hamilton County Government buildings closed at 2 p.m. and will remain closed on Thursday. Essential services will keep operating. The lobby at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will remain open.
The board of commissioners will meet virtually at 4 p.m. on Thursday. You can join this meeting by phone by dialing 219-225-8177.
The county council meeting scheduled for Wednesday night has been pushed back to Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
The Hamilton County Health Department has closed the vaccination clinic at the 4H Fairgrounds and its testing site at the Hamilton County Health Department until Monday.
Update 1:54 p.m.
Southbound I-65 is shut down in Tippecanoe County. Traffic is being diverted at State Road 38.
Update 1:48 p.m.
Tippecanoe County Government offices are closing at 2 p.m. and will remain closed on Thursday.
Update 1:41 p.m.
INDOT says they expect salt trucks to go out in Indianapolis around 3 p.m.
Update 1:32 p.m.
Indianapolis Department of Public Works says trash pickup and recycling is suspended Thursday and Friday. This includes Republic Services and Waste Management.
Update 1:23 p.m.
The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is closing early at 4 p.m. Wednesday and will not open on Thursday.
Update 12:56 p.m.
Federal courthouses in Indianapolis, Evansville, New Albany, and Terre Haute will be closed to the public Thursday. In-person proceedings will be rescheduled.
Update 12:55 p.m.
The City-County Building for St. Joseph County and South Bend closed at noon due to accumulating snowfall.
Update 12:54 p.m.
The Lafayette Police Department is urging extreme caution on roadways.
“Current impassible areas include S 9th St/South St and S 9th St/Columbia St with the primary concern being the hills on Columbia and South Streets,” the police department said in a NIXLE release.
Update 12:52 p.m.
All Marion County Public Health Department offices and clinics will be closed Thursday.
Update 11:27 a.m.
Warren Central has announced the postponement of girls basketball sectional games.
Update 11:01 a.m.
Gov. Holcomb is discussing the impending snow storm.
Update 10:58 a.m.
Washington Township Schools in Indianapolis will be releasing early.
- High school at 1:15 p.m.
- Elementary school at 2:15 p.m.
- Middle school at 2:15 p.m.
Update 10:48 a.m.
The City of Muncie is asking residents to stay off of city street to allow for snow clearing.
Update 10:45 a.m.
Marcus Bailey is currently taking questions on Facebook Live.
Update 10:30 a.m.
The Indy Fuel hockey team has moved the start of tonight’s game up to 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Update 9:55 a.m.
If you are on the go, Marcus Bailey has released his latest forecast in podcast form.
Update 9:50 a.m.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office says a box truck has overturned on southbound US 52 at 700 West. Avoid the area for the next hour.
Update 9:45 a.m.
The West Lafayette Police Department says roads are becoming hazardous. Residents are asked to stay inside if you don’t have to be on the roads.
Holcomb to speak
Gov. Eric Holcomb will hold a media briefing at 11 a.m. He’ll be joined by representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana State Police and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
You can watch this live on WISH-TV, WISHTV.com, the WISH-TV news app and our Facebook page.
Duke Energy outage in Noblesville
Duke Energy is reporting more than 400 outages in the area south of Noblesville.
A WISH-TV employee who is a Duke Energy customer has received a text message stating an estimated restoration of 12:15 p.m.
To view the latest Duke Energy outages in Indiana, click here.
To view the latest AES Indiana outages, click here.
County travel advisories
Many counties in the northern half of the state have county travel advisories. Some are under the “warning” status.
To see the latest travel advisories, click here.
Check the watches and warnings in Indiana
We automatically update our website with the latest winter weather watches and warnings from the National Weather Service. You can find those here.
How was this forecast prepared?
On Daybreak, Scott Sander and Drew Blair asked meteorologists Marcus Bailey and Stephanie Mead what goes into a forecast for an event like this.
“We’ve got long-range models and we can see two, two-and-a-half weeks in advance. It doesn’t mean that those things always come to fruition,” Marcus said. “But we kind of saw a lot of consistency once we were kind of a week out.”
State police ask drivers to be careful
Sgt. John Perrine with Indiana State Police joined Daybreak Wednesday morning to talk safety on the roads.
“The road doesn’t cause the crash, Perrine said. “I’ve never taken a police report in almost 19 years of police work that I said the road was at fault for the crash. So keep that in mind, that your driving behavior causes those crashes.”
See his full interview below.