The National Weather Service warns that travelers should use caution heading home from Thanksgiving this weekend, as heavy snow is forecast for Indiana.
With temperatures staying near or below freezing, the NWS in Indianapolis is predicting that a winter storm will affect much of Indiana starting Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday.
“Tomorrow in the mid-morning hours, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., we’re expecting some pretty significant impacts in the Indianapolis area, especially to our north,” said Andrew White, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
The NWS forecast calls for 2 to 5 inches of snow in Indianapolis, with snow forecast moving north. South Bend could receive 10 to 14 inches.
“Snowfall totals will depend on how quickly the snow mixes or changes to light rain Saturday evening,” NWS Indianapolis said in a social media post.
Some of the uncertainty regarding Saturday’s snowfall for Indianapolis stems from weather models that show a transition zone over the city, as warm air from southern Indiana collides with cold air from northern Indiana.
However, NWS meteorologists are confident that significant snowfall will occur in areas north of Indianapolis.
“Now the further north you go the worse it gets,” White said. “Traveling along I-69 or I-65 north of Indianapolis is getting more and more difficult throughout the day, especially as you get into the northern part of the state or into Illinois.”
For people planning to travel through Indiana’s Northern Corridor, NWS Indianapolis recommends going home either Friday when the roads are clear, or pushing their drive until Sunday.
Are the roads safe to drive on: Are the roads bad in Indiana on Black Friday? Check out the travel tips here
NWS Winter Storm Watch for Central and Northern Indiana
The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a winter storm watch for areas above I-70 Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
NWS Indianapolis predicts that the area will likely receive between 3 and 6 inches of snow.
The affected counties are Carroll, Warren, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Howard, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone, Tipton, Hamilton, Madison, Delaware, Randolph, Vermilion, Parke, Putnam, Hendricks, Marion, Hancock, Henry, Vigo and Clay.
National Weather Service Indianapolis Forecast
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. West-northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.
Friday night: Cloudy, near 22. Calm wind.
Saturday: Snow. High near 36. Light southwest wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could be as high as 22 mph. Chance of rain is 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible.
Saturday night: rain and snow. Low around 29. Southeast wind 11 to 13 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of rain is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch are possible.
sunday: Snow, mainly before 7 p.m. High near 33. West wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 80%.
Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. West-northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Light and changeable wind.
Monday night: 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Light northeast wind.
tuesday: A 20 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m., with a high near 29. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Light and changeable wind.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.
Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy, minimum around 23.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32.
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This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Heavy snow coming to Indiana, NWS says. Here is the Indianapolis forecast
