S. lifted rapidly northeast into the Great Lakes, bringing snow and freezing rain to central Indiana during the evening and overnight hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS IND wrote it up.
A strong weather system over the southwestern U.S. lifted rapidly northeast into the Great Lakes, bringing snow and freezing rain to central Indiana during the evening and overnight hours. Ice accretion of up to one quarter inch was reported.
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 Indianapolis, IN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 6:10 PM EST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 610 PM EST THU DEC 18 2008 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 00Z TAFS. APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL CREATE ICE PROBLEMS FOR IND...LAF AND HUF MOSTLY AFTER 03Z. HAVE LEFT BMG ALL RAIN AT THIS TIME AS THEIR SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL BE JUST ABOVE FREEZING BY THE TIME PRECIP STARTS. MVFR CIGS WILL DROP TO IFR AS PRECIP BEGINS. BMG WAS ALREADY IFR AND WILL CONTINUE THIS SINCE THERE APPEARS TO BE NO REASON FOR IFR CIGS TO IMPROVE BEFORE ONSET OF PRECIP. AFTER A FEW HOURS OF FZRA PRECIP WILL CHANGE OVER TO ALL RAIN AND WILL CONTINUE TO RAIN THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO THE MORNING. WIND WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE IN SPEED AS THE SURFACE LOW GETS CLOSER AROUND 09Z WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 24KTS ON FRIDAY. && .DISCUSSION...FCST FOCUS REMAINS ON APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM. PRECIP TYPE AND AMOUNTS ALL AN ISSUE. FREEZING PRECIP IS STILL EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...CHANGING TO RAIN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. 12Z 500MB UA SHOWED UPPER LOW ACROSS NW AZ WITH HGT FALLS FOCUSED EAST ALONG THE 4 CORNERS REGION. A VERY STRONG UPPER HIGH WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO WHILE HT RISES WERE NOTED THROUGHOUT THE PLAINS AND MS VALLEY REGION. NAM/GFS APPEAR TO HAVE INITIALIZED THE UPPER LOW POSITION REASONABLY WELL. GFS APPEARED TO BE CLOSER TO THE ACTUAL STRENGTH OF THE LOW. AT 850MB THE MAIN FEATURES OF NOTED INCLUDED A VERY ORGANIZED SW FLOW AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE STRONG HIGH CENTERED ACROSS FL. 850MB DEWPOINTS WERE IN THE +5 TO +10C RANGE THROUGHOUT TX INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY. 850MB TEMPS WERE ALREADY ABOVE FREEZING WITH THE LATEST AIRCRAFT SOUNDING AT IND SHOWING THE MODIFIED ARCTIC DOME AROUND 1-2KFT DEEP WITH THE 0C LEVEL AROUND 2KFT. THE SOUNDING THAT APPEARS TO BE HANDLING THIS BEST WAS THE NAM WITH THE GFS TOO WARM. 18Z SFC MAP SHOWED A DIFFUSE BUT IMPORTANT BOUNDARY LOCATED FROM SOUTH OF LAF TO NEAR MIE WHERE TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS REMAIN 5-10 DEGREES COLDER THAN LATEST GUIDANCE SUGGEST. THE CENTER OF A WEAK MODIFIED ARCTIC AIRMASS WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN IL AND LOWER MI. WE EXPECT THE SFC TRENDS THIS EVENING TO SEE LIGHT ENE WINDS DEVELOP AS THIS HIGH BUILDS EAST INTO THE LOWER GRT LAKES AND PRESSURES FALL ACROSS THE PLAINS. AS MENTIONED...NO SIG DIFFERENCES EXIST BETWEEN THE FCST TRACK OF THE 500MB WAVE WITH ONLY SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE FCST TRACK OF THE SFC LOW THROUGH 12Z FRI. TRENDS ARE FOR A BIT SLOWER MOVEMENT OF THE LOW AND ONSET OF PRECIP AFTER 03Z. BEST BET AT THIS TIME IS TO LEAN TOWARD A SLIGHTLY COOLER VERSION OF THE NAM BUFKIT SOUNDINGS FOR PRECIP TYPE FCSTS WITH THE OVERALL SCENARIO OF WARMER AIR CHANGING ANY FREEZING PRECIP TO RAIN STILL IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA BETWEEN 09Z AND 14Z FRI. TONIGHT...ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL INTENSIFY AS A 60KT LLJ TAKES AIM AT THE REGION AHEAD OF THE DEVELOPING LOW. PRECIP SHOULD DEVELOP QUICKLY AFTER 03Z IN THIS REGIME. BUFKIT SOUNDINGS EVEN WITH SOME LOW LEVEL WARM BIAS STILL SUGGEST 2-4 HRS OF FREEZING PRECIP ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR WITH TEMPS EXPECTED TO RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING BY 9Z ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR INCLUDING THE INDY METRO AREA. ANY ICE ACCUMS SHOULD REMAIN LIGHT ACROSS THE I-70 CORRIDOR AND WITH AIR TEMPS RISING TO ABOVE FREEZING BY 12Z FRI THIS SHOULD MITIGATE IMPACTS FRI AM. FURTHER NORTH...WE HAVE BEEN MONITORING THE MODELS SFC AIR TEMP AND DEWPOINT FCSTS CLOSELY. AS MENTIONED...THE MODELS NOT NOT HANDLING THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE LAF/MIE AREA WELL AS THE MODELS ARE TOO WARM. ASSOCIATED SFC WET BULB TEMPS ARE ALSO A BIT LOWER THAN FCST. GIVEN THIS FACT AND THE EXPECTATION THAT THE HIGH ACROSS ONTARIO WILL STRENGTHEN OVERNIGHT WE HAVE OPTED TO KEEP THE ICE STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE LAF TO KOKOMO TO MIE AREA WHERE AROUND ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE COULD ACCUMULATE BEFORE AIR TEMPS RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING WHICH IS STILL EXPECTED TO HAPPEN AROUND 12Z FRI. WINDS SHOULD NOT BE TO STRONG OVERNIGHT WITH ESE WINDS OF 10-15KTS BY 12Z FRI. FRI...THE SFC LOW SHOULD RACE EAST SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LAF AND FT WAYNE. THE KEY TO IDENTIFYING WHERE FZRA WILL CHANGE TO RAIN IS TRYING TO ANTICIPATE WHERE A SFC BOUNDARY WILL SET UP WHICH SHOULD ACT AS A PATH FOR THE SFC LOW. AT CURRENT...WE EXPECT THE SFC LOW TRACK TO OCCUR JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE CWA ALLOWING LAF/KOKOMO AND MIE TO CHANGE TO RAIN IN THE 10Z TO 14Z TIME FRAME FRI. AIR TEMPS SHOULD CONTINUE TO WARM INTO THE UPPER 30S NORTH TO NEAR 50 SOUTH AS THE LOW PASSES ACROSS THE STATE. SOME GUSTY W WINDS COULD ALSO OCCUR DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE LOW PASSES TO OUR EAST. THE NEXT FOCUS FOR WINTRY PRECIP WILL THEN TURN TO SAT-SUN WITH ANOTHER INTENSE UPPER STORM THAT WILL DROP SE OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS SHOULD BRING A CHANCE FOR RAIN TO SNOW WITH MUCH COLDER AIR EXPECTED TO SURGE INTO THE REGION BY SUNDAY. NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO THE FCST BEYOND THE WEEKEND WITH ANOTHER STORM STILL EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE CENTRAL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY BY TUES-WEDS. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM EST FRIDAY FOR INZ035>037-039-043>049-051>057. ICE STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EST FRIDAY FOR INZ021-028>031-038-040>042. && AVIATION...SALLY PUBLIC...CO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1013 PM EST THU DEC 18 2008 INZ021-028>031-038-040>042-191100- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-TIPTON-MADISON-DELAWARE- RANDOLPH- 1013 PM EST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD CENTRAL INDIANA FROM WEST TO EAST TONIGHT. AN ICE STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH 9 AM EST FRIDAY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND ONE QUARTER INCH ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. THIS CAN MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS WALKING AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. AIR TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING HELPING TO END ANY FREEZING RAIN AND ICE THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING SOME SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MAY BRING A CHANCE FOR SNOW NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED HOWEVER REPORTS OF ANY ICING OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE NEEDED. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ035>037-039-043>049-051>057-191100- FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY-BOONE-HAMILTON-VERMILLION-PARKE-PUTNAM- HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON- SHELBY-RUSH- 1013 PM EST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD WEST TO EAST ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT BEFORE CHANGING TO RAIN TOWARD DAYBREAK. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR FREEZING RAIN. ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO AROUND ONE TENTH OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS CAN MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS WALKING AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOW OR MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MAY BRING A CHANCE FOR SNOW TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ060>065-067>072-191100- SULLIVAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-KNOX-DAVIESS- MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 1013 PM EST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD WEST TO EAST ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT BEFORE CHANGING TO RAIN OVERNIGHT. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR FREEZING RAIN. ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO AROUND ONE TENTH OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS CAN MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS WALKING AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOW OR MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MAY BRING A CHANCE FOR SNOW TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) KOCH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
One quarter inch of ice coated trees and utility lines.
At least one quarter inch of ice was reported to be on the trees.
A quarter of an inch of ice was measured on a wood pile.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, December 2008
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: 148620, 148621, 148622.