Winter storm watches in Indiana: flash freeze, 2-8+ inches of snow, dangerous frostbite threat
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A winter storm with heavy snow, gusts up to 55 mph and dangerous wind chill values will hit Indiana starting Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service says.
Parts of Indiana could see a “flash freeze” and from 2-8 inches of snow or more. On Tuesday afternoon, storm watches were added for counties in the southern half of Indiana.
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Northern Indiana and the counties east of Chicago are eyeing possible blizzard conditions, with snow totals around a foot near Lake Michigan.
Storm Track 8 Meteorologist Marcus Bailey says that he’s most concerned with the time period of Thursday overnight through Friday afternoon. “Snow will remain moderate to heavy, and wind gusts could exceed 50 mph,” Bailey said Tuesday morning.
Winter storm watch for north central Indiana
The National Weather Service at Indianapolis says snow accumulations from 3-6 inches are possible, winds could gust to 55 mph and blow snow, and wind chills could drop as low at 30 below zero.
“Plan on slippery road conditions. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage. The cold wind chills as low as 35 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” said the central Indiana watch issued at 9:13 p.m. Tuesday. “A flash freeze is likely Thursday night with temperatures dropping more than 30 degrees in a matter of hours during the transition from rain to snow.”
The watch from Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning covers Indianapolis plus these counties: Boone, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Delaware, Fountain, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo and Warren.
Winter storm watch for south central Indiana
The National Weather Service at Indianapolis says snow accumulations from 2-4 inches are possible, winds could gust to 50 mph and blow snow, and wind chills could drop as low at 25 below zero.
“Plan on slippery road conditions. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the winter storm watch issued at 1:36 p.m. Tuesday says. “A flash freeze is likely Thursday night with temperatures dropping more than 30 degrees in a matter of hours during the transition from rain to snow.”
The watch from Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning includes these counties: Bartholomew, Brown, Daviess, Decatur, Greene, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Rush, Shelby and Sullivan. Cities included are Bedford, Bloomington, Columbus, Franklin, Greensburg, Greenwood, Loogootee, Martinsville, Mitchell, Mooresville, Nashville, North Vernon, Rushville, Seymour, Shelbyville, Shoals, Sullivan, Vincennes and Washington.
Winter storm watch for Wayne County, Indiana
In the city of Richmond and surrounding Wayne County, Indiana, the National Weather Service at Wilmington, Ohio, says snow accumulations of up to 2 inches are possible, winds could gust to 55 mph and blow snow, and wind chills could drop as low at 30 below zero.
“Plan on slippery road conditions. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning commute as well as holiday travel. Strong winds could cause tree damage. The cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes” says the winter storm watch issued at 3:11 p.m. Tuesday for Wayne County and several Ohio counties. “Temperatures will drop sharply in the matter of a few hours during Thursday night, rapidly falling well below freezing.”
Winter storm watch for northwest Indiana
The National Weather Service at Chicago says blizzard conditions and dangerous travel are possible from Thursday afternoon through late Friday night in Benton, Lake, Jasper, Newton and Porter counties. Those include the cities of Gary, Portage, Rensselaer and Valparaiso.
“Falling or blowing snow may result in white out conditions with zero visibility at times, making travel extremely difficult, if not impossible. Power outages will also be possible as a result of strong wind gusts 45 to 55 mph. Roads may become ice covered as temperatures rapidly fall Thursday evening,” says the storm watch issued at 3:35 p.m. Tuesday. “Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 25 to 35 below zero are likely Thursday night through Friday night. Wind chills of this magnitude can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 20 minutes.”
The watch did not contain any snow totals.
Winter storm watch for northern Indiana
The National Weather Service at Syracuse, Indiana, at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday updated its winter storm watch for Thursday evening through Saturday morning.
Blizzard conditions will be possible. The storm will start with a wintry mix during the day on Thursday and change to all snow by Thursday evening. Show will be moderate to heavy at times Thursday night into Friday before changing to lake-effect snow through Saturday. Snow totals are expected to vary, exceeding well over 1 foot near Lake Michigan. Gusts could hit 55 mph and cause significant blowing and drifting.
Indiana cities in the watch in include Fort Wayne, Logansport, Marion, Mishawaka, South Bend and Wabash. Indiana counties in the watch from the weather service at Syracuse are Adams, Allen, Blackford, Cass, De Kalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, La Porte, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Pulaski, Starke, St. Joseph, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White and Whitley. Several Michigan counties also are in the watch area.
“Falling or blowing snow may result in white out conditions with zero visibility at times, making travel extremely difficult, if not impossible. Strong winds may bring down tree branches and lead to power outages. The cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” says the watch issued at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday. “Dangerous cold is expected Thursday night into Sunday. Low temperatures will be in the single digits above and below zero. High temperatures will be in the single digits and teens above zero. Wind chill values could fall to around 20 to 30 below zero at times. The lowest wind chills will be Friday into Saturday. Additional snow accumulations are expected near Lake Michigan through Sunday in west-northwest wind favored
snow belts.”
Winter storm watch for Indiana counties near Louisville, Kentucky
The National Weather Service at Louisville, Kentucky, says to expect from 2-4 inches of snow, wind gusts up to 45 mph, and wind chill temperatures as low at 20 below zero to 25 below zero.
The winter storm watch from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon includes counties in Kentucky as well as these Indiana counties: Crawford, Dubois, Orange, Perry, Scott and Washington. Indiana cities included are Corydon, Jasper, Salem and Scottsburg.
The watch issued at 3:39 p.m. Tuesday says, “Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. The cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in less than 30 minutes.”
Winter storm watch for southwest Indiana
The National Weather Service at Paducah, Kentucky, says to expect from 2-4 inches of snow, wind gusts up to 45 mph, and wind chill temperatures as low at 20 below zero to 25 below zero.
The winter storm watch from Thursday afternoon to Thursday night includes these counties in Missouri and Kentucky, plus the city of Evansville and these Indiana counties: Gibson, Posey, Pike, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick.
“Expect slippery road conditions with possible flash freezing. Strong winds with moderate to heavy snow will sharply reduce visibility and make for dangerous conditions. Life-threateningly cold wind chill values can quickly result in frostbite in as little as 30 minutes. Wear protective layers and limit time outdoors to as little as possible. Damage to vulnerable pipes is possible. Gusty winds may bring down tree branches. Follow proper directions if using space heaters or generators,” says the winter storm watch issued at 2:31 p.m. Central time.