A winter storm began during the evening hours of January 31st and continued into the beginning of February across portions of central Indiana. Winter Storm criteria was met around 10 am EST on February 1st.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 winter storm began during the evening hours of January 31st and continued into the beginning of February across portions of central Indiana. Winter Storm criteria was met around 10 am EST on February 1st. The event ended around 1304 EST on February 1st.
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 Jan 31, 6:10 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 610 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 010000Z TAF ISSUANCE. FIRST AREA OF ENHANCED LIFT PROGRESSING NEWD ACRS ERN IL...WITH ITS ASSOCIATED AREAS OF IFR/LIFR CONDS IN SNOW. APPEARS THIS SHOULD AFFECT MAINLY THE KHUF/KBMG TERMINALS OVR THE NEXT FEW HRS WITH MODELS SUGGESTING THE MAIN LIFT EXITING THE AREA BY 010300Z. OTRW...MAIN BRUNT OF SYS...WITH ASSOCIATED IFR AND LWR CONDS...TO MOV ACRS THE TERMINALS IN THE 010500Z-011000Z TIME FRAME. MODELS SUGGEST LIFT WL BE QUITE STG...SO AREAS PDS OF HVY SNOW LIKELY DURG THAT TIME. MAIN PCPN XPCTD TO TAPER OFF FM SW TO NE AFT 011000Z. SOME INDICATIONS FM THE MODEL SOUNDINGS THAT SLEET MAY EVENTUALLY MIX IN WITH THE SNOW AT THE KBMG/KIND TERMINALS AFT 010800Z...HOWEVER THREAT OF ANY PROLONGED FREEZING RAIN ATTM SEEMS SMALL. SFC WNDS ARND 15 KTS FM THE E LIKELY INTO THE EARLY MORN HRS. XPCTG SOME DECREASE IN THE WNDS TOWARDS 011000Z AS P-GRAD SLACKENS A BIT WITH THE APPROACH OF SFC LO. && .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/... A MULTITUDE OF CONCERNS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA CONCERNING THIS UPCOMING WINTER STORM. THE STORM IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE SURFACE LOW AT 19Z WAS IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA. THIS LINES UP FAIRLY WELL WITH MODEL PROGS. THE UPPER LOW IS DIGGING ACROSS OKLAHOMA AND ESTABLISHING A DEEP MOISTURE TRANSPORT NORTH FROM THE GULF. AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM...SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ARE ALREADY BREAKING OUT IN THE SOUTH. WILL EXPECT A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATIONS. THE MAIN SYSTEM SHOULD RAPIDLY SPREAD NORTH THIS EVENING AND BY 06Z IT SHOULD BE SNOWING EVERYWHERE. WITH THE AMOUNTS OF QPF SHOWN...A HALF INCH BY 06Z...IT LOOKS LIKE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES AS IT SETS IN. AFTER 06Z SOME MIXING WILL BEGIN TO TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTH. WHILE THE MODELS ARE VERY SIMILAR THERE STILL IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE SOUTHERN FA WITH REGARDS TO MIXING. A WELL PRONOUNCED WARM LAYER AT 900MB WILL BRING TEMPS AT THAT LEVEL BY 06Z IN THE SOUTH...WITH THIS WARM LEVEL THEN EXPANDING NORTHWARDS ACROSS THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THIS WILL CHANGE PRECIP TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN...AND POSSIBLY ALL RAIN IN THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST. THE MODELS ARE SHOWING THIS MIXING LINE GETTING INTO EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN PARTS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS METRO AREA. THERE SHOULD BE A FAIRLY TIGHT SNOWFALL GRADIENT ACROSS THE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS. GREATEST THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT ICING WILL OCCUR IN A CORRIDOR ROUGHLY FROM BLOOMINGTON TO SHELBYVILLE WHERE UP TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE COULD OCCUR. BUT TEMPERATURES MAY WARM TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING IN THE SOUTHEAST AND LIMIT THE OVERALL SIGNIFICANT ICE POTENTIAL THERE. WIND WILL PICK UP LATER IN THE STORM...BUT WITH THE WETTER NATURE OF THE SNOW DONT THINK DRIFTING WILL BE A MAJOR ISSUE EXCEPT IN THE FAR NORTHWEST. DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY SOUNDINGS OVER THE CENTRAL SECTIONS GO AROUND OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING. THE WRF IS THE WARMEST. THIS SHOULD GIVE SOME MIXED FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW. IN THE NORTH SOUNDINGS SHOW PCPN SHOULD STAY ALL SNOW. IN THE SE SOUNDINGS HAVE TEMPS STAYING ABOVE FREEZING FROM 850 MB ON DOWN. THIS WOULD GIVE A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND IP. WITH DRYING AND MOST OF THE DYNAMICS MOVING EAST NOT EXPECTING MUCH ACCUM WITH THIS. FRIDAY NIGHT HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO MOVE IN. WITH ALL THE DYNAMICS MOVED EAST NOT EXPECTING ANY PCPN. GUIDANCE TEMPS ARE NEARLY THE SAME SO WILL GO NEAR THEM. SATURDAY HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXTEND FROM THE GULF COAST STATES INTO INDIANA. SOME WEAK WAA WILL OCCUR. THE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ON GROUND SHOULD DECREASE THE TEMP INCREASE. WILL GO AROUND 30. FOR THE EXTENDED THERE WILL BE GOOD WAA ON MONDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. WITH THE WAA AHEAD OF THIS THE PCPN SHOULD BE RAIN. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD MOVE QUICKLY TO THE EAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN TWD THE END OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. WILL GO WITH GUID TEMPS IN THE UPPRE 30S TO MID 40S. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING ALL AREAS TONIGHT AND FRI. && AVIATION...JAS SHORT TERM...LAJ LONG TERM...SH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 537 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008 INZ021-028>031-035>039-043>047-051>054-060-012245- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-VERMILLION-PARKE-PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION- VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-SULLIVAN- 537 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AND INTENSIFY OVERNIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOW SHOULD FALL BETWEEN MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND 9 AM EST FRIDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 5 TO 10 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED NORTHWEST OF A TERRE HAUTE TO KOKOMO LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LINGERING SNOW WILL CONTINUE ON FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING LATE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AS WELL AS ANY ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ040>042-048-049-055>057-061>065-067>072-012245- MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-HANCOCK-HENRY-JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH- GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN- LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 537 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL DEVELOP THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. AFTER MIDNIGHT...A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER TO ON HALF INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A VINCENNES TO BLOOMINGTON TO SHELBYVILLE LINE. A MIXTURE OF RAIN...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE BACK TO SNOW FRIDAY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LINGERING SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE ON FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AS WELL AS ANY ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) PUMA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 7 inches was reported in West Lafayette by a television station. Snowfall continued into February. Winter storm criteria was not met until 1000 am EST on February 1st. Event ended February 1st at 1304 EST.
Snowfall of 6 inches was reported in Carroll County. Snowfall continued into February. Winter storm criteria was not met until 1000 am EST on February 1st. Event ended February 1st at 1304 EST.
Snowfall of 6 inches was reported in Warren County. Snowfall continued into February. Winter storm criteria was not met until 1000 am EST on February 1st. Event ended February 1st at 1304 EST.
Snowfall of 6 inches was reported in Fountain County. Snowfall continued into February. Winter storm criteria was not met until 1000 am EST on February 1st. Event ended February 1st at 1304 EST.
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, January 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: 75196, 75198, 75199, 75200.