Indiana, 1998

Heavy Snow in Indiana, February 4 to 6, 1998

February 4 to 6, 1998 · NWS LMK · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A freak winter storm dumped 10 to 20 inches of snow across south central Indiana from around daybreak February 4 to the morning of February 6. Roads were slick and hazardous and in some spots impassable.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 LMK wrote it up.

A freak winter storm dumped 10 to 20 inches of snow across south central Indiana from around daybreak February 4 to the morning of February 6. Roads were slick and hazardous and in some spots impassable. Trees and power lines were also downed due to the weight of the wet snow. Floyd and Harrison counties were declared states of emergencies. The responsible storm system took a typical winter time path from the Gulf Coast and northeast along the Atlantic Coast. However, due to the strength of the system and its slow movement, enough deep layered moisture was pulled into the system from the Atlantic Ocean, that the moisture was able to negotiate the Appalacian Mountains bringing heavy snows much further west than typical "nor'easters." The system finally winded down during the day of February 6 as the responsible low pressure system lifted northeast further out to sea.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Clark

When
February 4, 7:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Coordinates
38.477, -85.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Crawford

When
February 4, 7:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Coordinates
38.292, -86.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Floyd

When
February 4, 7:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Floyd forecast zone
Coordinates
38.319, -85.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Harrison

When
February 4, 7:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Harrison forecast zone
Coordinates
38.195, -86.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Perry

When
February 4, 7:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Coordinates
38.080, -86.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dubois

When
February 4, 8:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Dubois forecast zone
Coordinates
38.364, -86.880 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When
February 4, 8:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates
38.786, -85.439 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Scott

When
February 4, 8:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Coordinates
38.685, -85.747 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When
February 4, 8:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Coordinates
38.600, -86.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Orange

When
February 4, 10:00 AM EST to February 6, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Orange forecast zone
Coordinates
38.542, -86.495 (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

More

Every storm in Indiana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 1998

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: 5631545, 5631546, 5631548, 5631646, 5631649, 5631547, 5631647, 5631650, 5631651, 5631648.