Heavy Snow, Gibson
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gibson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.312, -87.585 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 30, 1997
An "Alberta Clipper" type of low pressure system produced around 4 inches of snow across southwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening. 5 inches at the Evansville Airport and McCutchanville.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
An "Alberta Clipper" type of low pressure system produced around 4 inches of snow across southwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening. Specific snowfall reports included 4 inches in downtown Evansville, 5 inches at the University of Southern Indiana near Evansville, and 3.5 inches at the Evansville Airport and McCutchanville. Rockport, Indiana reported 3 inches. The evening rush hour was a mess, with so many accidents that Evansville Police could only respond to major accidents. Persons in fender benders were asked to exchange insurance information and then make a report at a police station.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Pike
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pike forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.399, -87.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Posey
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Posey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.022, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Spencer
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Spencer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.014, -87.008 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Vanderburgh
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Vanderburgh forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.025, -87.586 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Warrick
- When
- December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Warrick forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.092, -87.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, December 30, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 30, 1997
- High Wind in Nebraska, December 30, 1997
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, December 30 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, December 30 to 31, 1997
- High Wind in South Dakota, December 30, 1997
- Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 30 to 31, 1997
- Winter Weather in Illinois, December 30, 1997
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, December 30 to 31, 1997
- High Wind in Kansas, December 30, 1997
- Winter Storm in Virginia, December 30 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, December 30, 1997
More
Every storm in Indiana in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, December 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626131, 5626132, 5626133, 5626134, 5626135, 5626136.