Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 9 to 11, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 9 to 11, 1998
Start: 1998-03-09T08:00
End: 1998-03-11T16:00
Location: Indiana

March 9 to 11, 1998 · NWS LOT · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system brought a late winter storm to northwest Indiana the morning of March 9th. , took an east-northeast track, reaching central Illinois by the evening of the 8th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 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 LOT wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system brought a late winter storm to northwest Indiana the morning of March 9th. The low, which originated in the southwestern U.S., took an east-northeast track, reaching central Illinois by the evening of the 8th. Precipitation in the form of rain began out ahead of this system, and changed over to a heavy, wet snow between 7am and 8am (est). The snow continued into the middle of the afternoon on the 9th, dropping around a foot of snow in some places. Lake induced snow showers followed this main storm event and causing additional snowfall accumulations of 2 to 6 inches.The combination of strong winds and heavy snowfall brought traffic to a standstill on stretches of I-65 and Interstate 80/94 in Indiana. Some drivers were stranded for as long as 18 hours. Many homes were without electricity, as numerous power lines were downed due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow. Also, tree limbs and branches were downed. Total snowfall storm totals reported:Lake County: Merriville-18 inches, and Crown Point-12 inches.Porter: Valparaiso-15 inches.LaPorte County: Rolling Prarie-18 inches, Stillwell-16 inches, LaPorte-between 13-16 inches, MIchigan City 13.5 inches, and Westville-13.5 inches.Elkhart County: Elkhart-10.5 inches, and Goshen-between 6-8 inches.St. Joseph County: South Bend-16.5 inches, Walkerton-14 inches, and in Mishawaka-12 inches.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Jasper

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.023, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, La Porte

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: La Porte forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Lake

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Newton

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Newton forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.956, -87.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Porter

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Porter forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.509, -87.073 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, St. Joseph

When: March 9, 8:00 AM EST to March 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: St. Joseph forecast zone

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

Every storm in Indiana in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, March 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: 5631675, 5631676, 5631677, 5631678, 5631679, 5631680.