Full Notification

Details
Title Winter Storm Warning
Created 1/31/2011 7:00:00 PM
Refreshed 2/1/2011 8:48:15 AM
Effective 2/1/2011 4:40:00 AM
Expires 2/2/2011 7:00:00 PM
status Actual
Type Alert
Scope Public
Category Met
Event Winter Storm Warning
Urgency Expected
Severity Moderate
Certainty Likely
Publisher NWS Indianapolis (Central Indiana)
Description
...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC WINTER STORM TO CONTINUE TO IMPACT CENTRAL INDIANA...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER CENTRAL TEXAS WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE LARGE AMOUNTS OF SNOW ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF CENTRAL INDIANA AND LARGE ICE AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. MANY AREAS ALONG INTERSTATE 70 SAW A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH OR MORE OF ICE LAST NIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING ALONG WITH PERIODS OF SLEET. MEANWHILE...AREAS NEAR LAFAYETTE SAW OVER AN INCH OF SNOW ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL SLEET ACCUMULATION. A BRIEF LULL IN THE ACCUMULATING PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING WILL COME TO AN END AS FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA BY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SWINGS OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN PLACE AT THE SURFACE...HOWEVER VERY WARM AND MOIST AIR WILL BE PULLED INTO THE SYSTEM ON SOUTHERLY WINDS...RESULTING IN WARM AIR ALOFT. THIS WILL RESULT IN FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL INDIANA THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. AS THE LOW PASSES MOVES THROUGH THE AREA AND OFF TO THE EAST WEDNESDAY MORNING...ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. AT THIS TIME...NORTH AND NORTHWEST CENTRAL INDIANA...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF KOKOMO AND LAFAYETTE...LOOK TO REMAIN COLD ENOUGH THAT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE PRECIPITATION MAY FALL IN THE FORM OF SNOW. HOWEVER SNOWFALL MAY BE HEAVY AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. FARTHER SOUTH...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF TERRE HAUTE... INDIANAPOLIS...BLOOMINGTON...NEW CASTLE AND MUNCIE...WARM AIR IS EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT AND PRECIPITATION SHOULD CONTINUE TO FALL AS FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE...WITH ICE ACCUMULATION OF ONE INCH OR MORE. FURTHERMORE...STRONG WINDS GUSTING UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED FROM LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINATION WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES. A LARGE AREA OF CENTRAL INDIANA MAY RECEIVE LARGE ICE ACCUMULATIONS AND STRONG WINDS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD TREES DOWN AND WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. LONG DURATION POWER OUTAGES WILL BE LIKELY FOR MANY PEOPLE IN CENTRAL INDIANA.

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY.

* MAIN IMPACT: ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME IMPASSABLE DUE TO HEAVY SNOW OR ICING...BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY...TRAVEL WILL BECOME VERY HAZARDOUS OR POTENTIALLY IMPOSSIBLE. ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY RESULT IN WIDESPREAD...LONG DURATION POWER OUTAGES.

* ACCUMULATIONS: SNOW ACCUMULATION IN EXCESS OF 14 INCHES IS POSSIBLE IN NORTHWEST CENTRAL INDIANA. ICE ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NEAR THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR.

* TIMING: AFTER A BRIEF LULL THIS MORNING...PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* OTHER IMPACTS: WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY IN COMBINATION WITH HEAVY ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES.

Instructions
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET...AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.