Winter Storm in Indiana, January 20, 2005

Name: Winter Storm in Indiana, January 20, 2005
Start: 2005-01-20T18:45
End: 2005-01-20T21:42
Location: Indiana

January 20, 2005 · NWS ILN · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A clipper system tracked northwest to southeast through the Ohio Valley on the evening of the 20th. Portions of east central and southeast Indiana (especially the Whitewater Valley) received from 4 to 5 inches of snowfall in just a few hours time.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 ILN wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 20, 6:40 PM EST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 6:40 PM EST, 5 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 20, 6:27 PM EST, 18 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
627 PM EST THU JAN 20 2005

INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046-
051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-211010-
ADAMS OH-AUGLAIZE OH-BOONE KY-BRACKEN KY-BROWN OH-BUTLER OH-
CAMPBELL KY-CARROLL KY-CHAMPAIGN OH-CLARK OH-CLERMONT OH-CLINTON OH-
DARKE OH-DEARBORN IN-DELAWARE OH-FAIRFIELD OH-FAYETTE OH-FAYETTE IN-
FRANKLIN OH-FRANKLIN IN-GALLATIN KY-GRANT KY-GREENE OH-HAMILTON OH-
HARDIN OH-HIGHLAND OH-HOCKING OH-KENTON KY-LEWIS KY-LICKING OH-
LOGAN OH-MADISON OH-MASON KY-MERCER OH-MIAMI OH-MONTGOMERY OH-
OHIO IN-OWEN KY-PENDLETON KY-PICKAWAY OH-PIKE OH-PREBLE OH-RIPLEY IN-
ROBERTSON KY-ROSS OH-SCIOTO OH-SHELBY OH-SWITZERLAND IN-UNION OH-
UNION IN-WARREN OH-WAYNE IN-
627 PM EST THU JAN 20 2005

.DAY ONE...TODAY
ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING
BEFORE TAPERING OFF AFTER MIDNIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR 4 TO 6
INCHES OF SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE
FORECAST AREA...INCLUDING PORTSMOUTH...DAYTON AND CINCINNATI. A SNOW
ADVISORY FOR 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED ELSEWHERE.

PLEASE REFER TO THOSE PRODUCTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY. LATEST TRENDS SUGGESTS THAT THIS SYSTEM MAY BE WEAKER THAN
EARLIER FORECASTS. HOWEVER ACCUMULATING SNOW IS STILL EXPECTED. THE
SNOW MAY MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST
INDIANA...SOUTHERN OHIO AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY. THE WINTRY
PRECIPITATION WILL END SATURDAY EVENING. THERE IS STILL A FAIR AMOUNT
OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THE TYPE AND AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION. SO STAY
ALERT AND CONTINUE TO CHECK THE LATEST INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN THEIR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Wayne

When: January 20, 6:45 PM EST to 7:45 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.864, -85.010 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Union

When: January 20, 7:44 PM EST to 8:44 PM EST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.626, -84.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: January 20, 7:45 PM EST to 8:45 PM EST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.640, -85.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Franklin

When: January 20, 8:42 PM EST to 9:42 PM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.415, -85.060 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dearborn

When: January 20, 8:42 PM EST to 9:42 PM EST
Where: Dearborn forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.145, -84.973 (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

Every storm in Indiana in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, January 2005

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: 5438975, 5438977, 5438976, 5438978, 5438979.