INDIANAPOLIS — A Winter Storm Warning will be in effect from 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon until 7 p.m. Friday.
The robust storm system will begin having impacts from this morning's rain. Areas of drizzle will be around through mid-afternoon. The arctic cold front will arrive in west central Indiana after 3 p.m. Rain will shift quickly into snow.
The snow rates will be high, due to the arctic air behind the front. This will allow for snow rates around 1 to 2 inches per hour. It will arrive in the Metro area after 5 p.m. and after 7 p.m. in east central Indiana. Most of central Indiana will pick up 3 to 5 inches of snow by early Friday.
Temperatures will crash behind the cold front. Temperatures will fall from the upper 30s late afternoon into the low single digits by midnight. Due to this fast blast of cold, a flash freeze will occur. This will allow the rain to freeze on surfaces, making travel treacherous.
The winds will also increase, as the pressure falls late tonight. The tighter pressure gradient will allow winds to whip out of the west/northwest. Winds will gust from 45 to 55 mph. Sustained winds will be 15 to 25 mph.
The air temperature will bottom out around 6 below zero.
With the high winds and bitter temperatures, wind chill values will drop 20 to 40 below zero late Thursday night through Friday.
Light snow and blowing snow will be around at times on Friday. The air temperature will only recover to 2 degrees, with feels-like temperatures 20 to 40 below zero.
