Category: Winter Storm

Jan 24

So Long Boring Weather…

Screen Shot 2015-01-24 at 8.49.04 AMBusy Times In The Forecast Office…Let’s get to the easy part of this forecast package and that’s today.  Look for lots of sunshine along with seasonably mild temperatures after a cold and frosty start.

Things get fun tomorrow as a clipper low dives southeast and tracks in a favorable position for accumulating snow- especially from the city and points north (snowfall forecast below).  A mixture of rain and snow will overspread central Indiana Sunday morning and transition to all snow through the late morning into the early afternoon.  This will be a heavy, wet snow (perfect for snowball fights or making a snowman).  The other aspect to this storm system will be an increasing east and northeast wind Sunday evening into Monday morning.  Snow will diminish Sunday night, but the “damage” will likely be done by that point, leaving a mark on your Monday morning commute.

Another (weaker) weather maker may deliver scattered snow showers Tuesday.

Briefly milder air will move in here Thursday with a mixture of rain, snow, and sleet (depending on where you’re viewing us through the state), but the bigger story will be MUCH colder air set to pour into the region to close January and open February.  Some forecast models suggest a winter storm will precede the bitterly cold air around Super Bowl Sunday…. Stay tuned.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • 7-Day Snowfall Forecast: 2″ – 5″
  • 7-Day Rainfall Forecast: 0.10″ – 0.25″

12515SnowfallMap

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/so-long-boring-weather/

Jan 15

Quiet Weather For Now….

Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 8.07.55 AM

Moderation Continues; Windy Saturday…A weak frontal boundary will slip through the state this afternoon/ evening and could offer up a snow flurry.  Otherwise it’s a rather uneventful forecast until Saturday when we introduce a gusty southwesterly wind (up to 30 MPH).  The bright side of that southwesterly breeze will be that temperatures will reach the middle 40s.

The milder air will be very brief as a cold front moves through Saturday night and provides snow shower potential as early as Sunday morning.  We should remain dry for the better part of the first half of next week, but we’ll be keeping a close watch for a potential winter storm brewing the middle to latter portions of next week…

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • 7-Day Rainfall Forecast: Trace
  • 7-Day Snowfall Forecast: Dusting – 1″

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/quiet-weather-for-now/

Jan 12

Looking Ahead…

January is off to a colder than average start across a large portion of the country, including the Hoosier state:

ncep_cfsr_noram_t2m_anomThe snow and ice pack has expanded over the past couple of weeks in rather significant fashion:

nsm_depth_2015011205_National

Two storm systems have offered up busy times over the Ohio Valley the past week. Note liquid equivalent numbers the past (7) days- most significant over central Indiana.  Most of this has been in the form of wintry precipitation (snow and ice).

nws_precip_indy_7

A weak weather system may offer up light snow chances mid week.  The high resolution NAM and European print off light snow while other models “see” us mainly dry mid week.

hires_ref_indy_52

The other big story in the short term will be more bitterly cold arctic air (single digits tonight and close to zero Wednesday morning).

While we’ll certainly “warm” compared to the freezer we’ve been in the first two weeks of January, sneaky arctic highs remain on the field and will put a dent in the air masses from reaching unseasonably mild levels for any length of time this weekend and Week 2.  See Friday’s GFS output and the sneaky arctic high north:

gfs_ptype_slp_east_18

The next significant storm system brews around the 20th (give or take a day, or two) and could offer up rain or a more wintry option.  Keep a close eye on the period 01.20 – 01.23.

Thereafter, the arctic hounds likely come calling again as the period quickly returns to “lock and load” cold late January into February.  The European and GFS ensembles both show a rebuilding blocking AK ridge and suggest arctic air floods the country yet again as cross-polar flow gets involved:

GFSensembleslateJan

It’s all part of a package that should be the beginning of a colder than average and stormy mid and late winter stretch.  Sea surface temperature anomalies are a textbook setup for a very wintry time of things for our neck of the woods.  Note the Modoki El Nino and warm waters sitting off the PAC NW- both cold/ stormy indicators here:

SSTLateWinterSetUp

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/looking-ahead/

Jan 12

Turning Colder; Icy Mix To Light Snow Before Ending…

Greatest ice accumulations set up from Indianapolis and points north last night and this morning.  Glaze reached just under one quarter inch here across southern Boone County.

The icy mixture will transition to light snow before ending mid morning.

hrrr_ref_indy_2

Temperatures will also be sliding backwards through the day.  Morning highs in the lower 30s will fall into the 20s this afternoon.

hires_t2m_indy_9

The big push of arctic air arrives tonight into Tuesday and sets the stage for widespread sub-zero lows Wednesday morning.  Wind chills will, of course, be even colder (10 to 20 below zero).

hires_t2m_indy_55

We’ll be back later tonight to talk about what lies ahead in the longer term.  Stay safe out there!

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/turning-colder-icy-mix-to-light-snow-before-ending/

Jan 11

Ice Storm Warning…

Freezing rain (initially may be mixed with sleet) overspreads central Indiana between 1p-3p. We advise to get any and all travel done prior to 1p and plan to stay in…

You must be logged in to view this content. Click Here to become a member of IndyWX.com for full access.  Already a member of IndyWx.com All-Access?  Log-in here.

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/ice-storm-warning/