Indiana Sees Light Snow Before Bitter Cold
INDIANAPOLIS — Central Indiana will see a brief warmup Wednesday before a cold front brings light snow and a sharp drop in temperatures, the National Weather Service said.
Meteorologist Mike Ryan said temperatures will climb slightly compared to recent days.
“Today actually will be a little warmer than what we’ve seen,” he said. “We’re probably going to be near freezing for highs. Still going to feel cold, all things considered, but we’re getting a little surge of some slightly warmer air.”
The front is expected to arrive Wednesday night.
“That’s going to bring up a little quick shot of light snow,” Ryan said. “We’re not expecting amounts similar to what we saw the other day. This is going to be lighter, probably on the order of a dusting, maybe a half-inch in spots.”
He said the snow could coat roads and cause minor issues before the Thursday morning commute.
Forecasters say the colder air behind the front will be the bigger factor.
“Once that passes by, then that really opens the door for the much, much colder air,” Ryan said. “We will see that most likely on Thursday night, potentially even in the morning on Thursday.”
Lows in Indianapolis are expected to fall into the mid-teens, with single digits possible north and northwest of the metro area.
“We’re expecting lows down into the single digits late tonight and tomorrow morning as you go north and northwest from Indianapolis,” Ryan said. “With some slightly stronger winds in the wake of the cold front, wind chills will be near zero for Thursday morning, a little colder as you go north and northwest.”
Wind chills are likely to remain near zero through Thursday and could dip below zero Thursday night north of Interstate 70.
“It’s going to be the coldest of the season by far,” Ryan said. “Highs only in the low 20s on Thursday, with a little recovery into the upper 20s on Friday.”
The forecast stays quiet into the weekend, though meteorologists are monitoring a developing system.
“We are watching a storm, especially the second half of the weekend,” Ryan said. “There’s still some uncertainty about whether we’ll see rain mixing with the snow, but there will be opportunities for some additional snow with the system.”
He said it is too early to discuss accumulation amounts but added that the storm could bring minor travel impacts late Saturday night and Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to remain below normal into next week.
