Indiana, 2008Winter Weather in Indiana, December 26, 2008
December 26, 2008 · NWS IWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones
Freezing rain blanketed much of northern Indiana with a thin sheet of ice during the morning hours of December 26th. Precipitation developed ahead of an approaching warm front, with temperatures generally in the mid to upper 20s as the freezing rain developed.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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.
Freezing rain blanketed much of northern Indiana with a thin sheet of ice during the morning hours of December 26th. Precipitation developed ahead of an approaching warm front, with temperatures generally in the mid to upper 20s as the freezing rain developed. Surface temperatures warmed above freezing by late in the morning, which changed the precipitation over to rain and drizzle. Numerous accidents and slide-offs were reported across the area, with sections of Highway 20, the Indiana Toll Road, and Interstate 69 closed for brief periods due to icy roads.
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 26, 12:36 AM EST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 12:36 AM EST, 3 hours 24 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 25, 4:51 AM EST, 23 hours 9 minutes before
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</html>Winter Weather, St. Joseph
- When
- December 26, 4:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Saint Joseph County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Portions of the Indiana Toll Road and Highway 20 were closed due to icy roads and numerous accidents. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region, which was enough to produce a thin sheet of ice on many roadways.
Winter Weather, Lagrange
- When
- December 26, 4:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lagrange forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.643, -85.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Lagrange County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Portions of the Indiana Toll Road were closed at times due to icy roads and numerous accidents. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region, which was enough to produce a thin sheet of ice on many roadways.
Winter Weather, Elkhart
- When
- December 26, 4:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Elkhart forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.597, -85.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Elkhart County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Portions of the Indiana Toll Road were closed at times due to icy roads and numerous accidents. Also, Elkhart County was declared a level 1 emergency due to the slick roadways. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region.
Winter Weather, La Porte
- When
- December 26, 4:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- La Porte forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across La Porte County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Portions of the Indiana Toll Road were closed due to icy roads and numerous accidents. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region, which was enough to produce a thin sheet of ice on many roadways.
Winter Weather, Steuben
- When
- December 26, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Steuben forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.644, -85.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Steuben County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Portions of the Indiana Toll Road were closed at times due to icy roads and numerous accidents. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region, which was enough to produce a thin sheet of ice on many roadways.
Winter Weather, De Kalb
- When
- December 26, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- De Kalb forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.398, -84.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across DeKalb County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. The county was also declared under a level 2 emergency due to icy roads by mid-morning. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region, which was enough to produce a thin sheet of ice on many roadways.
Winter Weather, Allen
- When
- December 26, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allen forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.091, -85.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Allen County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. Also, the state police closed a 10-mile section of Interstate 69 because of the number of slide-offs and crashes. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region.
Winter Weather, Whitley
- When
- December 26, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Whitley forecast zone
- Injuries
- 0 direct, 2 indirect
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 41.139, -85.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Periods of freezing rain and freezing drizzle during the morning of December 26th led to extremely icy roads across Whitley County. There were numerous reports of slide-offs and accidents. A stretch of US 30 near Larwill had to be shut down where a hilly area had iced over and vehicles were having problems climbing the hills. An accident on US 33 just north of Blue Lake Road, near Churubusco, resulted in one person suffering serious injuries and one other with minor injuries. Ice accumulations were generally less than 0.20 across the region.
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Avalanche in Colorado, December 26, 20082 deaths · 1 event
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Washington, December 26 to 28, 20081 death · 6 events
- Winter Weather in Ohio, December 26, 20081 death · 1 event
- Ice Storm and Hail in Kansas, December 26 to 27, 2008$230,000 · 1 in hail · 8 events
- Flooding in Iowa, December 26 to 31, 2008$100,000 · 6 events
- Flooding in Indiana, December 26 to 31, 2008$18,000 · 16 events
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 26 to 27, 200820 events
- Dense Fog in Iowa, December 26 to 27, 200817 events
- Dense Fog in Illinois, December 26, 200814 events
- Dense Fog in Illinois, December 26 to 27, 200813 events
- Frost and Freeze in California, December 26 to 28, 200811 events
- Dense Fog in Missouri, December 26, 200811 events
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: 139211, 139212, 139214, 139210, 139215, 139216, 139218, 145803.