Winter Storm, Lake
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Indiana, January 15 to 18, 1997
A winter storm brought 4 to 6 inches of snow to northern Indiana on January 15. The snow was followed by strong winds and cold temperatures creating wind chills of 20 to 40 below zero.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- 14
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 LOT wrote it up.
A winter storm brought 4 to 6 inches of snow to northern Indiana on January 15. The snow was followed by strong winds and cold temperatures creating wind chills of 20 to 40 below zero. Lake effect snow developed in north central Indiana on the 16th. The NWS office at South Bend recorded 8.6 inches of snow. The coldest low temperatures recorded at the NWS office at South Bend during that time are as follows: -9 on the 17th and -4 on the 18th.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Porter
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Porter forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.509, -87.073 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, La Porte
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- La Porte forecast zone
Winter Storm, St. Joseph
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph forecast zone
Winter Storm, Elkhart
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Elkhart forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.597, -85.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Newton
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Newton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.956, -87.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jasper
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Jasper forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.023, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Starke
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Starke forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.281, -86.648 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pulaski
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.042, -86.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Marshall
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.325, -86.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Fulton
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.047, -86.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Kosciusko
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Kosciusko forecast zone
Winter Storm, Benton
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.606, -87.311 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, White
- When
- January 15, 6:00 AM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- White forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.750, -86.865 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Cold in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Mississippi, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Indiana in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586573, 5586574, 5586575, 5586576, 5586577, 5586578, 5586579, 5586580, 5586581, 5586582, 5586583, 5586584, 5586585, 5586586.