Expect snow to come back to central Indiana ahead of Valentine’s Day. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Indianapolis, there are two snow events they’re monitoring this week.
The southern parts of central Indiana will see snow first on Tuesday, with up to 1 inch of the white stuff expected throughout the day along a line that includes Bedford and Seymour. Bloomington up through Shelbyville could see roughly 1/2 an inch of snow.
Indianapolis can expect to see snow starting Wednesday afternoon and going into Wednesday night, but exactly how much remains “a wide range of outcomes,” NWS posted on X.
“We don’t have any winter advisories or warnings (yet),” NWS Indianapolis meteorologist Andrew White told IndyStar early Monday. “But it’s something we’ll be thinking ahead to if we’re looking at more snow.”
The greatest threat for ice accumulation is currently along the I-69 corridor, whereas the greatest snowfall totals are likely to occur over NW portions of central Indiana.
The weather is expected to remain cold through Valentine’s weekend.
National Weather Service forecast for Indianapolis
Weather: Thunder and freezing rain possible for Indianapolis as ice storm targets Midwest, Northeast
⛅ Monday: The high is 38 degrees. Expect a mix of clouds and sun during the morning that will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon.
☁️ Monday Night: The low will be near 30 degrees. Expect cloudy skies.
☁️ Tuesday: The high will go back to 38 degrees. Expect cloudy skies.
☁️ Tuesday Night: The low is 28 degrees. Expect cloudy skies.
🌨️ Wednesday: The high will be 34 degrees. Expect the weather to be cloudy with rain developing later in the day. There’s a 90% chance for rain.
❗🌨️ Wednesday Night: The low will be near 20 degrees. NWS Indianapolis will be watching for a potential winter storm. Expect cloudy skies with light freezing rain in the evening.
🌤️ Thursday: The high will be 24 degrees. Expect cloudy skies early that will become partly cloudy later in the day.
🌑 Thursday Night: The low will be around 10 degrees. Expect clear to partly cloudy skies.
❤️⛅ Friday, Valentine’s Day: The high will be 32 degrees. Expect a mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon.
❤️🌧️ Friday Night: The low will be 28 degrees. Expect cloudy skies with occasional rain after midnight. There’s a 70% chance of rain.
🌧️ Saturday: The high will be 42 degrees. Expect rainfall nearing a quarter of an inch. There’s an 80% chance of rain.
🌨️ Saturday Night: The low will be 22 degrees. Expect rain and snow in the evening transitioning to snow showers late. There’s a 70% chance of snow and you can expect about one inch of it.
Watches, warnings and advisories
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Freezing rain advisory: If a region will receive less than one-quarter of an inch of ice.
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Freezing rain warning: if a region will receive a quarter of an inch or more of ice.
NWS will place a winter weather advisory when the weather is wintry but does not showcase any other severe weather elements. For example, if the NWS expects light amounts of precipitation or snow that could cause slick driving conditions.
A winter weather watch will be alert if the NWS determines that conditions could indicate a winter storm is expected to hit a region. Severe weather conditions that meteorologists might highlight are heavy snow, sleet or freezing rain, which could cause significant impacts to travel.
The NWS will alert a winter storm warning if meteorologists believe weather conditions will be significantly severe and expect hazardous conditions to hit an area.
In the case of ice storms, the NWS will alert an ice storm warning if meteorologists expect ice accumulation of 1/4 inch or more on all surfaces.
The NWS notes that these criteria are just one component when determining if a regional NWS station should issue watches, warnings and advisories. The NWS also looks at the timing, impacts and duration of an event in addition to criteria for making its decision.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis weather | Snow in forecast this week. The latest predictions