Indiana, 2010Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Indiana, December 4 to 7, 2010
December 4 to 7, 2010 · NWS IWX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones
A long duration lake effect snow event dropped accumulating snow on much of northern Indiana between December 5th and December 7th. Snowfall totals ranged from 3-5 inches in the Fort Wayne area to around 10 inches in South Bend.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
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Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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.
A long duration lake effect snow event dropped accumulating snow on much of northern Indiana between December 5th and December 7th. Snowfall totals ranged from 3-5 inches in the Fort Wayne area to around 10 inches in South Bend. Gusty winds within these snow bands created widespread blowing and drifting snow.
Lake-Effect Snow, La Porte
- When
- December 4, 11:00 PM CST to December 7, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- La Porte forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area, especially northeastern portions of the county, December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event ranged from 4 inches in western portions of the county to 10 inches in the far northeast. A trained spotter reported 8.7 inches of total snow accumulation in La Porte. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to numerous accidents on area roadways and school closures.
Lake-Effect Snow, Marshall
- When
- December 5, 2:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.325, -86.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area, especially far northern portions of the county, December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event ranged from 3 inches in southeastern portions of the county to around 8 inches in far northwest Marshall County. There was a CoCoRaHs report of 5.1 inches in Plymouth. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to numerous accidents on area roadways and school closures.
Lake-Effect Snow, St. Joseph
- When
- December 5, 2:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event ranged from 4 inches in far southeastern portions of the county to around 10 inches across northern St. Joseph County. The South Bend airport reported a storm total snow accumulation of 10.2 inches. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to numerous accidents on area roadways and school closures.
Lake-Effect Snow, Elkhart
- When
- December 5, 5:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Elkhart forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 41.597, -85.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event ranged from 4 inches in far southwestern portions of the county to between 6 and 10 inches elsewhere. A CoCoRaHs observer reported 6 inches in a 12 hour period 5 miles southwest of Elkhart. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to numerous accidents on area roadways and school closures.
Lake-Effect Snow, Kosciusko
- When
- December 5, 7:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Kosciusko forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate to heavy lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event ranged from 3 inches in southern portions of the county to between 6 and 10 inches across far northern Kosciusko County. The NWS office reported a storm total snow accumulation of 10.0 inches. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to numerous accidents on area roadways and school closures.
Winter Weather, Lagrange
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lagrange forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.643, -85.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged between 3 and 6 inches across the county, heaviest in far western portions of the county. A trained spotter reported 3 inches of total snow accumulation in LaGrange. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
Winter Weather, Steuben
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Steuben forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 41.644, -85.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged between 2 and 5 inches across the county. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
Winter Weather, Noble
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Noble forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 41.399, -85.417 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged from around 2 to 4 inches across eastern portions of the county to between 4 and 8 inches in the west. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
Winter Weather, De Kalb
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- De Kalb forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 41.398, -84.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged between 1 and 5 inches across the county. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
Winter Weather, Whitley
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Whitley forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 41.139, -85.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged from 1 to 2 inches in southwest Whitley County to between 3 and 6 inches in far northwest Whitley County. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
Winter Weather, Allen
- When
- December 5, 9:00 AM EST to December 7, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Allen forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 41.091, -85.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A long duration lake effect snow event affected the area December 5th through December 7th. The lake effect snow bands were cellular and transitory, resulting in periods of moderate lake effect snow during this time. Snowfall totals for the entire event generally ranged between 2 and 4 inches across the county. The Fort Wayne airport reported 3.7 inches of total snow accumulation. This snowfall, combined with blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds, led to several accidents on area roadways and school delays and closures.
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.
- 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.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 4, 20106 deaths · 12 injured · 18 events
- Winter Weather in Oregon, December 4, 20101 death · 11 injured · 1 event
- Avalanche in Washington, December 4, 20101 death · 1 event
- Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, December 4 to 8, 2010$2.8 million · 9 events
- Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 4 to 9, 2010$800,000 · 2 events
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 4, 20101 injured · $5,000 · 21 events
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 4 to 7, 201012 events
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 4 to 9, 20108 events
- Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, December 4 to 8, 20106 events
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Virginia, December 4 to 5, 20104 events
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, December 4 to 5, 20102 events
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 4, 20101 event
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: 264836, 264837, 264838, 264839, 264840, 264843, 264844, 264845, 264846, 264847, 264849.