Central Indiana Faces Light Snow and Cold Stretch
INDIANAPOLIS — Snow showers are expected to start today across central Indiana, followed by an extended stretch of cold weather that will feel like a sharp return to winter, according to the National Weather Service.
Matt Eckhoff, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, said the snow will be light and mostly a nuisance. “We’re expecting a dusting, maybe up to a half of an inch here in the area and a little bit more than that, up to an inch, toward our north,” Eckhoff said.
Because the ground remains relatively warm, impacts to travel should be limited. “Even the rush-hour commute this evening, the roads will probably be OK, especially if they’re treated,” he said.
The snow showers are forming as a cold front moves through the region. Behind it, winds will shift out of the north-northwest and flow across Lake Michigan. “You’re going to have a really long fetch of wind over the water,” Eckhoff said, explaining that the lake is warmer than the incoming air mass and will help generate snow showers.
The heaviest lake-effect snow is expected from Michigan City to South Bend, but Eckhoff said the pattern could push snow bands farther south than usual. “Given the strength of the cold air mass coming overhead and some instability within that air mass, that snow band could actually push it quite a bit farther south than usual,” he said.
Temperatures will drop sharply tonight, with lows in the teens. “Combined with the wind, wind chills may be near zero tomorrow when you wake up,” Eckhoff said, calling it “a bit of a shock” compared to the recent highs in the 50s and temperatures in the mid-40s.
The colder pattern is expected to continue through next week. “We’re going to be transitioning into a colder and snowier pattern, not heavy snow, just nuisance snow,” Eckhoff said. Additional surges of cold air this weekend could bring lows near zero Sunday and Monday, with highs in the teens and wind chills below zero. “With that type of weather pattern,” he said, “it’s winter, and you just know it.”
