Indiana, 2000

Blizzard in Indiana, December 11 to 12, 2000

December 11 to 12, 2000 · NWS LOT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An intense winter storm, which developed in the Texas Panhandle, moved northeast through southern Illinois and northeast Indiana December 11 and 12. Heavy snow fell at the rate of nearly and inch per hour during the morning and early afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2

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.

An intense winter storm, which developed in the Texas Panhandle, moved northeast through southern Illinois and northeast Indiana December 11 and 12. Heavy snow fell at the rate of nearly and inch per hour during the morning and early afternoon. During the height of the blizzard from around 200 pm through 800 pm CST, a combination of heavy snow and wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph created near white-out conditions. Law enforcement officials reported visibilities reduced to near zero along Interstate 80 and Interstate 65, stranding many motorists. The peak wind gust at Gary was 40 mph. Wind chill indicies dropped to 30 to 40 degrees below zero during the evening of the 11th. By early morning on the 12th, nearly one foot of snow had fallen over lake and Porter Counties. Some snowfall totals included 10.5 inches at Lowell, 9.0 inches at Crown Point, and 8.0 inches at Hebron.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Lake

When
December 11, 6:00 AM EST to December 12, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Porter

When
December 11, 6:00 AM EST to December 12, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Porter forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.509, -87.073 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, December 2000

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: 5166091, 5166092.