Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 22 to 23, 2004

A snow storm of historic proportions affected central Indiana on 22-23 December 2004. Unusual in that the first round of heavy snow was not directly associated with the passage of a surface cyclone, but rather an area of strong forcing well ahead of the main area of low pressure, the storm nonetheless produced snow totals rivaling and exceeding those of the legendary Blizzard of January 1978 in some areas, crippling much of mainly southern portions of central Indiana, in some cases for several days. Fortunately for those affected, however, blizzard conditions were not produced thanks to winds much weaker than those accompanying the 1978 storm.The snow storm began during the very early morning hours of the 22nd, and continued through the day in south central Indiana. By that evening heavy snow of 4 to nearly 10 inches had fallen, generally south of Interstate 70. The greatest totals were in southern Indiana where approximately 10 inches had fallen.There was a sharp cutoff for this heavy snow. Much of the state north of I-70 did not see any snow. In the Indianapolis area, the Carmel and Brownsburg areas received no snow while the Greenwood area measured 4 inches. During the evening of the 22nd, the second band of snow moved in as the surface low passed to the southeast of the state, blanketing all of central and southern Indiana. Thundersnow was reported in several areas across central Indiana. Snow of 4 to more than 18 inches fell from this next storm system. Once again the heaviest snow fell in southern Indiana. This brought the accumulation in much of southern Indiana to more than 20 inches with some spots reporting more than 30 inches of total snow by the afternoon of the 23rd. Such snowfall amounts are historic not only in southern Indiana but for the entire state.Snowfall in northwestern portions of central Indiana was heavy at times, approaching 3 to 5 inches in Warren, Tippecanoe, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Vermillion, and Parke Counties.This epic snow storm closed I-64, I-65, I-74 and crippled I-70 in Indiana. This stranded hundreds of motorists in their vehicles for hours and some for a few days. A train derailment and collision also occurred in southern Indiana as a result of the snow. One hundred National Guardsmen were called out in some areas, especially in those areas where motorists were stranded. Two blackhawk helicopters and 47 humvees were used in searching for stranded motorists. Statewide, 200 property damage auto accidents were reported, along with 1,000 slide-offs, according to the Indianapolis Star. Several rescues were necessary. Snow drifts of up to 4 feet occurred in much of southern Indiana. Damage estimates were found in local newspaper reports.