NWS: Bitter Cold and Snow Possible as Cold Front Moves In

• Temperatures to tumble, winds to strengthen behind cold front.
• Thanksgiving to be cold, brisk, with chances of wintry mix Friday into Saturday.
• Active weather pattern expected as December approaches, with increased snow potential.

INDIANAPOLIS — A strong cold front moving across Indiana late Tuesday will usher in several days of sharply colder weather, gusty winds and the potential for the season’s first measurable snow heading into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

Meteorologist Mike Ryan said light precipitation will linger into Tuesday night as the front moves through. “We may see a subtle increase in showers again — not looking at much, maybe a quarter to a half inch with what’s fallen up through tonight,” Ryan said.

Behind the front, temperatures will tumble and winds will strengthen.

“It’s gonna be a windy day, and with temperatures being cold on Wednesday as well, we’re probably throughout the day gonna see wind chill in the 20s,” Ryan said. “So it’s gonna be a really, really cold day — a bit of a shock to the system.”

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Wind advisories were already posted Tuesday for northwest Indiana. Ryan said that area could see gusts between 45 and 50 mph, while central Indiana may see gusts “as high as 40, maybe even 45 mph north of Indianapolis.”

Thanksgiving Day will be mostly dry with some sunshine, but the cold will linger. “It’s gonna be cold and it will be brisk,” Ryan said. Winds won’t be as strong as Wednesday, but temperatures in Indianapolis are “probably not gonna get much warmer than the mid-30s.”

Ryan said the overall weather pattern is trending more active as December approaches. “The focus going forward — not only later this week but especially as we get into early December — is gonna be a more active pattern, where the focus is gonna be on the potential for at least increased frequency of snow and maybe some wintry precipitation.”

By Friday, winds will finally ease, but temperatures will again top out only in the low to mid-30s, Ryan said. That sets the stage for a wintry mix as a new system approaches Friday night into Saturday.

He said recent model trends suggest “there’ll be enough cold air in place that when the precipitation begins late Friday night and then into Saturday morning, it’s gonna fall mainly as snow.”

As Saturday progresses, warmer air will move in from the south. “We may begin to see a mix of rain and snow and eventually probably transition to all rain as we get later in the day on Saturday, Saturday night and early Sunday,” Ryan said