INDIANAPOLIS — We hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas.
It was certainly nice to finally see some sunshine. And you can tell the air is subtly getting "warmer," which isn't saying much. But when you go from a -40 windchill and -10 air temperature, it makes "highs" in the teens feel so much better.
It should be noted the high in Indy of 16° Christmas Day is over 20° below the average.
This was the first white Christmas (defined by 1" snow depth Christmas morning) in Indianapolis since 2017. It was also the coldest Christmas morning (4°) since 2004 when it was -3° with a whopping 9" snowpack.
Speaking of snow, the clipper system we advertised last week is just a few hours away. We're still forecasting snow to arrive after midnight but before 7 a.m. It will be light but impactful to your morning commute, due to the timing and temperature in the mid-teens. Plan on a slower commute and/or travel if you're heading out.
Snow rates at times may be moderate in some areas before this system eases heading into the afternoon as it moves quickly to the east-southeast. A general 1"-2" for the WTHR viewing area before afternoon with pockets of 3" possible, especially south-southwest of I-74.
Please know that the wind will be MUCH lighter than the storm last week, temperatures will be warmer so that kids can actually get outside and play in it, and salt will be much more effective on treating roads with mainly wetness expected by late-afternoon.
After the Monday snow, the focus shifts quickly to impressive warm-up building later in the week. Temperatures Friday into New Years weekend go over 20° above average. That equates to high temperatures flirting with 60° Friday and New Year's Eve, making it "feel" some 100° warmer than the harsh -40° windchill at the peak of the cold last week.
The tradeoff with the warm-up will be cloudiness, gusty wind, rain, and areas of fog. Pick your poison...I guess.
