The winter weather advisory will be allowed to expire early this morning but be careful out there and good luck chipping all of that ice away. This afternoon we will have at least some sunshine to work with to help melt those roads. But this is only a brief reprieve to a very stormy pattern. We are still in the ice zone that is for sure since we are lying right on the southern boundary of arctic air. Take a look at this interesting set-up. You combine this with the Pineapple Express and we are ripe for one interesting storm after another. This is what I call an ice pattern with the cold air to our north and near the surface and a warm, tropical flow aloft. So instead of temperatures decreasing with height like they normally do they are increasing with height causing all kinds of chaos for our weather. Cold temperatures that normally bring snow are now bringing a mixed bag of all types of precipitation. Indiana is known for its great people, corn fields, basketball, and wacky weather. This pattern is vintage Indiana. Check out the moisture you can track all the way to Hawaii.
I call this the Pineapple Express because this train of moisture comes all the way from the Pineapple State of Hawaii and it will continue to bring us more wintry weather not only this week but into Christmas week. Take a look at our Pineapple Express snow totals from yesterday across the area.
The snowfall amounts from yesterday were very important in at least two ways. Since we know we are in an active pattern the add snow cover farther south tends to shift the main storm track a little farther south since pressures fall more easily over warmer terrain. So the old saying that snow breeds more snow works well here. Although in our case this week our saying will have to be ice will breed more ice. Last night our roads became more like ice rinks. It is a warning sign of what lies ahead as you see below.
Most areas had a coating of a tenth of an inch of ice or less and it caused huge problems with numerous slide-offs, tough walking conditions,crackling trees in the wind, and cars that took 30 minutes to de-ice.Thursday night could be a much more menacing ice storm with freezing rain bringing our ice totals up to a quarter inch or more. This is when we start worrying about trees, powerlines, and power outages. We will keep you updated on amounts as we get closer but for now I am worried about some significant icing in our viewing area. I love snow, but would rather have plain rain than ice after all the ice stories I heard from the great ice storm of March, 1991. If anyone has any pictures of this storm please send them my way. I am not calling for a repeat of this but there were many lessons learned that can help prepare us for what is coming on Thursday night. Enough of this ice talk!
Next week the main arctic boundary will continue to slide south as we get more snow on Sunday. This I think will give us a very good chance of a White Christmas with more arctic air to work with along with this active pattern. So the news is good for less ice and more snow but keep in mind I want everybody to be able to enjoy the holidays and the beautiful Hoosier winter wonderland but we really need to be careful on the roads and be smart as to when we travel. This is why we have the blog here at WLFI since I cannot be on the air 24 hours a day. At least not for now. Here is the next system moving in from the west and southwest and the purple shading will likely be freezing rain. This will likely move into Lafayette on Thursday afternoon.
Tune in tonight for the latest on timing and amounts. Have a wonderful day, be safe, and happy chipping.
34 comments:
Thanks Mike, really lookin forward to Sunday.
yuck more ice for thursday?? when is this going to stop... ok so now i am worried how bad will it be when i get off of work at 6:00 on thursday night?
Thank Mike for the warning, has taken me over 30 mins to get the ice off my car!
Now ready to hit the road!
BE CARFUL AND SAFE ALL.
Teri in Laf
I'm liking that map where it says HEAVY SNOW!
So maybe that's what we have coming on Sunday?
Has anyone been on the roads yet? How is it out there?
OMGoodness.....I lived through the ice storm in 1991 and am already starting to hyperventilate. Mike, I have pix of the ice storm and will send them. I am already praying with fervor the ice does not come in like expected. I have family who live and work northwest of me in IL where the heaviest accumulation of ice is to occur.
MA in REM
MA, I remember the ice storm also! Lived in Wolcott at the time and had no electric service for weeks!
ok i didnt live here in 91 and now i am scared no electricity for weeks??? how bad was this storm.. i dont like ice and last nights drive home almost had the death of me... so please tell me how much ice you got in 91
You will have to ask MA, I lived in the country at that time and we were out for a number of weeks. Had downed poles and those had to be replaced,
Everyone needs to be careful on the roads! There were three wrecks on 350 S this morning and Old US 231 hill before McCutcheon was closed due to the ice. School should have been cancelled for today.
I just hope Friday they will have a little better judgement of road conditions...
Hey everybody I had to scoop out a neighbors drivway this morning and I could hear every steep I took under my feet!
It is a nice icy mess on top of the snow!
Justin in Lafayette
I remember 91 and the ice, we had to cook on a kerosene heater because we are all electric. My driveway is so slick now that all 3 of my dogs have either slid or fell on it. I live at Kingman.
Yep...that ice storm leaves bad memories. It was like living "Little House on the Prairie"! I remember helicopters setting light poles where many had come down. I think 50 light poles were down along St Rd #55 between Goodland/Brook if memory serves me.
The storm started around 3:00 p.m. and continued to get more serious all night. You could hear trees cracking, limbs falling, the electrical box was pulled off our house due to weight of ice on the line from the pole to the house.
People lost food in freezers due to power being out so long. IF there was a good side to the storm it was the fact it happened in March and it stayed warm.I'm talking in the 40*-50* range. The ice melted the next day leaving the tree damage. It was called an "ice tornado" due to all the tree damage and this went across the width of Indiana in a 50-60 mile wide path. Many older people would have died if the temps had been freezing and below as happens when a cold front comes through. As it was the temps warmed enough during the day you could almost get warm to bear the nights. We had no kerosene heater at the time. I remember going to bed with all my clothes on being under EIGHT blankets and still being cold.
I was Asst. Matron at the county jail at the time and since the Matron lived out of town it was up to me to fix meals for the inmates, and the county guys who stopped in plus the employees. The grocery store was a sight to behold. As you entered the store it was dark as pitch so they gave you a flashlight as you entered. There were no batteries to be had anywhere in town. I used three carts to shop for the jail and the line was clear to the back of the store. Cashiers held hand caculators to check us out.
Some people had generators which lit up the sky at night. Some had theirs stolen right out of their yards! And...scammers came to town with generators on low boys at prices double what they were worth.
I remember driving between towns and seeing NO lights in the country (after our power was restored). I promised i would never fuss about a utility bill again....ever!
Being connected to the jail I kept track of power coming on in towns to the east of Kentland. It seemed one town a day came back online. Since Kentland sits on the state line we were last. The night the NIPSCO trucks rolled into town the town came alive with people driving about. We happened to be uptown when the power came on. It was funny...it was 9:00 at night but lights were on in the bank, the grocery store, all the stores uptown, just as they had been shortly after 5:00 p.m. when the power went out one week and one day before.
This is probably more info than you wanted but my mind kept drawing on more memories. i do NOT want to repeat them, please God!
Mary Anne IN Remington :-)
I remember the ice of 1991 I think we had atleast 1/2 to 3/4 of icing. It was a mess. If we get this ice storm alot of us wont be able to blog :( Anyways if it comes hopefully it will melt really fast because we don`t want to miss our family Christmas in Greenwood.
What time do you expect the ice to start falling?
WOW Mary anne sounds like it was some bad storm!! I have seen some video tape of it from family home movies that is about it!
Justin in Lafayette
I have around later that evening around 7:pm I will post another timeline later again tonight!
Justin in Lafayette
I remember the ice storm very well...I was in college, and the memories that I have of the ice storm in Tipton County are the same as pretty much everyone else that has posted. It was rough, but fun!...especially in the beginning....
MA, I stayed in Remington those weeks with my sister-in-law and we used the fireplace to keep warm and we just got to know one another a lot better! My husband was on the road and only got home on the weekends. When the lights did come on, we had the tv,radio,sweeper you name it on! It scared the life out of me.
Katie
We are under a Winter Storm Watch for tomorrow's icy weather!
Carrie, W. Lafayette
I remember the ice storm of 91 as well. Sounded like thunder and huge bangs and pops as tree limps. power lines and poles were dropping to the ground. All neighbors gave each other a helping hand with chain saws, ect to clean up the mess.
I pray this storm is not a repeat of 91!
Teri in Laf.
Mike said in his blog that he is not calling for a repeat of 91. So everyone please calm down and we'll be okay.
WOW I just listend to my wx radio, This storm needs to be watched carefully, All get ready! Could start as early as 4:00 pm tomorrow! But they are thinking at this time perhaps around 7:00pm How much also depends on how fast the warmer temps move in. could be very bad!
Teri in Laf.
Prangley is not always right!!!!
Just prepare yourself for what could be or what could not be. Mike is a wondeful meteorologist and he forcasts the weather to the best of best of his abilities. Mike you do a great job!!!!
Mike wrote his posting at 2:00 am this morming, He said on the news, last nigh that we were not under any weather advisorys at that time, but he expected for one to to be issued sometime today. Well as of 12 hours later, we are now under a Storm Watch with alot of freezing rain poss.
could get 1/4 to 3/4 inch of ice. less around chicago. Even if we end up with a bit more than what we woke to this morning, still will be very rough going
I am going to locate my candles. and extra blankets, one can never be over cautious with weather like this.
Mike said he was watching very close.
ICE STORM WARNING FOR SOME COUTIES NORTH OF TIPP. STARTING AT 3:00 AM.
WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE WARNING LINE!!!
What I read on weather is light freezing rain after 4 p.m. to freezing rain and sleet after 7 p.m. then it will be an all rain event after midnight as temperatures are on the rise. Around .10 inches of ice is forcasted for tomorrow.
How about a golden ice scraper for the one that guesses the right ice accumulation!!! :-)
Issued by The National Weather Service
Indianapolis, IN
2:44 pm EST, Wed., Dec. 17, 2008
THINGS ARE CHANGING!!!!!
... WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.
A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND MOVE QUICKLY EAST. AS IT DOES... A STRONG COLD HIGH PRESSURE FROM CANADA WILL MOVE SOUTH INTO THE LAKES REGION. THIS WILL CAUSE A SITUATION WHERE COLD AIR AT THE GROUND ALLOWS RAIN FALLING TO FREEZE ON SURFACES.
LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL MOVE IN AFTER 4 PM THURSDAY... WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN AFTER 7 PM. GRADUALLY... WARMER AIR FROM THE SOUTH WILL MOVE NORTHWARD AND CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO SLOWLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING AFTER MIDNIGHT. BEFORE THIS HAPPENS... ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
More Information
... WINTER WEATHER TO IMPACT CENTRAL INDIANA LATE THURSDAY...
No Additional Weather Alerts for Lafayette, IN
[State alerts for IN]
Alerts for Other Locations
If you have a weather radio, I suggest you listen to it!!! IMPORTANT UPDATES
For us In tippecanoe County I'M thinking less then a quarter inch of ice! And yes even a little bit of ice is very dangerous! Still we should be ready for anything as weather changes in a snap!
We just have to keep watching things closely!
Justin
I do think the heaver ice is more likely in the counties north of Tippecanoe. However we will be close to the quarter inch mark But I still think we will be between a tenth and a quarter inch!
Justin
Area's closer to south bend and around that area really need to be ready!! As those areas could see the bigger ice amounts!
Justin.
Yep...just got this message from LOT (Chicago NWS)
...ICE STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ THURSDAY TO 12 PM CST /1 PM EST/ FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED AN ICE STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/ THURSDAY TO
12 PM CST /1 PM EST/ FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON...BEGINNING AS A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW BEFORE CHANGING TO A MIX OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN THURSDAY NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A HALF INCH OR GREATER ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.
AN ICE STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. COMMERCE WILL LIKELY BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS AND WINDS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO SNAPPED POWER LINES AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES THAT ADD TO THE DANGER.
AFFECTED COUNTIES:
IN ILLINOIS: FORD, IROQUOIS, KANKAKEE, LIVINGSTON. IN INDIANA: BENTON, JASPER, NEWTON.
This is serious for us anyway up this way. Hopefully they are crying "wolf" but there is a lot of warning with this. I am also getting same statments for central and souteast IL so it is going to come close to Tippy anyway. I will post anything else I get. if you want it. And I KNOW MIke is on top of this. My worst fear is power loss. There will be wind with this, too.
I have the bird feeders filled! If we lose power does anyone know what to do for air for an salt water aquarium??
Katie do I know you? If you answer "yes" I think I know who you are. Dont want you to reveal yourself, LOL!
And to the one who asked when the ice will start falling...it will no fall as ice but rather rain that freezes on contact to everything it touches. And in '91 it was at least half an inch and probably more.
MA in REM
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