Snow and Bitter Cold are Coming to Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — Central Indiana is heading into a “very active week” of winter weather, with multiple rounds of snow and the season’s coldest air expected by the weekend, a National Weather Service forecaster said Wednesday.

Cody Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, said rain across the region Wednesday will gradually change to isolated snow showers before ending. “Right now it’s raining, but later today those rain showers will turn over to isolated snow showers, and some flurries may stick around into Thursday,” Moore said.

He emphasized that the system arriving Thursday night through Friday will bring the most impactful snowfall of the week. “The bigger story will be the accumulating snow. The trend the past couple of days has been increasing accumulation, and it looks like it’ll be a very narrow swath of heavy snow across central Indiana,” Moore said.

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Current projections call for about 3 to 5 inches. “There’s probably going to be a little wobbling with the forecast over the next day or so. We’re still trying to figure out exactly where the highest totals are going to set up since it is such a narrow band,” he said.

Indiana is “right in the middle” of the system and will likely see rapidly deteriorating conditions Thursday night into Friday morning. “The Friday morning commute is probably not going to be fun. Watch out for those whiteout spots,” Moore warned.

Another chance for snow arrives Saturday into Sunday, and Moore said totals could add up quickly. “By Monday, we could have quite a few inches on the ground. If we get another 3 to 5 this Thursday and Friday and then more over the weekend, we could be halfway to our average snowfall before the end of the year,” he said. Indianapolis has already recorded 7.2 inches this season, which Moore called “pretty good” for this point in December.

The snow will be followed by the harshest cold of the season so far. “On top of the snow, we’re going to get the coldest air of the season. Temperatures could drop below zero Sunday and Monday, and if we get enough snowpack, some places might not even get above 10 degrees,” Moore said.

Moore urged Hoosiers to prepare for the stretch of winter weather. “Just make sure you’re prepared ahead of time. Make sure you’ve got a shovel in your car, extra clothing, whatever you might need if you get stuck, and make sure you have enough food at home in case you don’t want to get out. And if you do have to travel, slow down and watch for icy spots. Take your time — that’s the big thing this week,” he said.