A potent storm system brought snow, sleet, and a little freezing rain to Central Indiana on February 5th. Snow lingered into the early part of February 6th and strong winds also created blowing and drifting snow problems during the day on the 6th.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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 potent storm system brought snow, sleet, and a little freezing rain to Central Indiana on February 5th. Snow lingered into the early part of February 6th and strong winds also created blowing and drifting snow problems during the day on the 6th. Low pressure moved into Eastern Kentucky and then remained nearly stationary for several hours. This, plus the movement of an upper level system across the area, allowed the precipitation to continue for many hours. Snowfall amounts around 9 inches were reported across eastern sections of Central Indiana, with amounts decreasing to just a couple of inches across southwest sections. Gusty winds caused blowing and drifting of snow Friday night into Saturday, including peak winds of 46 miles per hour at Muncie and 44 miles per hour at the Indianapolis International Airport. Reports of drifts up to 4 feet high were reported in Delaware county early on February 6th.
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 Feb 5, 6:00 AM EST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 600 AM EST FRI FEB 5 2010 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 05/12Z TAFS. RAIN MIXED WITH SLEET OCCURRING ALONG AND SOUTHWEST OF A CRAWFORDSVILLE TO IND TO GEZ LINE WILL SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL INDIANA IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL GRADUALLY DROP THROUGH THE MVFR CATEGORY NEXT FEW HOURS AND BECOME IFR BY LATE MORNING. AS TEMPERATURES ALOFT COOL PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME ALL SNOW BY MIDDAY AND IFR OR LIFR CEILINGS WILL BE THE RULE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT. IN ADDITION GRADIENT WILL INCREASE AS LOW PRESSURE OVER THE DEEP SOUTH TRACKS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC SATES. AN UPPER LOW MOVING IN FROM THE PLAINS WILL TRACK ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT. CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL START AN IMPROVING TREND LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY AS THE AREAS OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUE MOVING EAST. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...MAIN CONCERN REVOLVES AROUND INCOMING WINTER STORM. UPPER FEATURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM CURRENTLY OVER THE PLAINS...AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT. LEADING EDGE OF PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN SLOWLY CREEPING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. SO FAR...HAVE SEEN VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SNOW OR SLEET...WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE SURFACE OBSERVATIONS REPORTING LIQUID. 050000Z UPPER AIR INDICATES A RATHER LARGE ELEVATED WARM LAYER...AND WITH MODEL DATA SUGGESTING LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION REALLY WON/T GET GOING UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON...IT MAY BE AWHILE BEFORE A CHANGEOVER TO ALL SNOW OCCURS. FOR NOW...WILL PULL THE MIXED PRECIPITATION FARTHER NORTH THIS MORNING...AND DELAY THE CHANGEOVER UNTIL AROUND MIDDAY IN THE CENTRAL ZONES...AND BY MID AFTERNOON IN THE SOUTH. WILL RESTRICT THE MAINLY SNOW WORDING TO THE FAR NORTHERN ZONES. MODEL DATA SUGGEST THE BEST LIFT WILL OCCUR FROM THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT AS THE DEFORMATION ZONE SETS UP...SO EXPECTING THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION TO OCCUR IN THIS TIME FRAME. BASED ON PROJECTED PATH OF THE UPPER LOW...IT APPEARS THE DEFORMATION ZONE WILL SET UP OVER THE HEART OF THE FORECAST AREA. BASED ON QPF FROM THE OPERATIONAL AND ENSEMBLE MODELS...AS WELL AS PROGGED PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES...MAXIMUM SNOWFALLS APPROACHING 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNING AREA BY THE TIME ALL IS SAID AND DONE ON SATURDAY. PRECIPITATION EXPECTED TO END ON SATURDAY AS UPPER LOW PULLS AWAY. WINDS EXPECTED TO PICK UP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW. SOME CONCERN THAT THE CURRENT WARNING AREA MAY NEED TO BE PULLED FARTHER WEST...BUT WITH THE PROBLEMS REVOLVING AROUND PRECIPITATION TYPE/CHANGEOVER TIMES...WILL LEAVE CURRENT HEADLINES AS IS. WILL KNOCK A FEW DEGREES OFF OF THE GFS MOS HIGHS FOR TODAY... OTHERWISE BASED ON LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES...THE REST OF THE GUIDANCE IS ACCEPTABLE AT THIS TIME. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM EST SATURDAY FOR INZ037>042- 046>049-054>057-062>065-070>072. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EST SATURDAY FOR INZ021- 028>031-035-036-043>045-051>053-060-061-067>069. && PUBLIC...JAS AVIATION...JH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 537 AM EST FRI FEB 5 2010 INZ037>042-046>049-054>057-062>065-070>072-061100- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-HENDRICKS-MARION- HANCOCK-HENRY-MORGAN-JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW- DECATUR-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 537 AM EST FRI FEB 5 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY. RAIN MIXED WITH SLEET WILL CHANGE TO SNOW AROUND MIDDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES WILL OCCUR BY LATE TONIGHT. IN ADDITION WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT AND REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. LIGHT SNOW LINGER INTO SATURDAY BEFORE ENDING. SNOW MAY ALSO OCCUR EARLY NEXT WEEK AND SOME ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE...LATE MONDAY OR TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT PRECIPITATION TYPES...TRANSITIONS...AND AMOUNTS DURING THE UPCOMING STORM. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ021-028>031-035-036-043>045-051>053-060-061-067>069-061100- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- VERMILLION-PARKE-PUTNAM-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-SULLIVAN-GREENE-KNOX- DAVIESS-MARTIN- 537 AM EST FRI FEB 5 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY. RAIN MIXED WITH SLEET WILL CHANGE TO SNOW AROUND MIDDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WILL OCCUR BY LATE TONIGHT. IN ADDITION WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT AND REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. LIGHT SNOW LINGER INTO SATURDAY BEFORE ENDING. SNOW MAY ALSO OCCUR EARLY NEXT WEEK AND SOME ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE...LATE MONDAY OR TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT PRECIPITATION TYPES...TRANSITIONS...AND AMOUNTS DURING THE UPCOMING STORM. JH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 8.5 inches was measured in New Whiteland and reported via Facebook.
Snowfall of 6.5 inches was measured by a COOP observer in Morristown.
Snowfall of 9 inches was measured by a COOP observer in Rushville.
Snowfall of 5 inches was measured by a trained spotter, eight miles west southwest of Columbus.
Snowfall of 7 inches was measured by a CoCoRaHS observer, four miles west northwest of Atlanta.
Snowfall of 6.5 inches was measured by a CoCoRaHS observer, four miles north of Zionsville.
Snowfall of 7 inches was measured by a COOP observer in Noblesville.
Snowfall of 8.5 inches was measured by a COOP observer, two miles south of Alexandria.
Snowfall of 9.5 inches was estimated five miles north of Muncie. Four foot snow drifts were also reported.
Snowfall of 9 inches was measured by a COOP observer, three miles south southeast of Ridgeville.
Snowfall of 5.7 inches was measured by a trained spotter, one mile north northwest of Avon.
Snowfall of 6.1 inches was measured at the NWS Indianapolis office.
Snowfall of 8.4 inches was measured by a trained spotter in McCordsville.
Snowfall of 8 inches was measured by a trained spotter in Straughn.
Snowfall of 6 inches was measured by a COOP observer in Seymour.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 2010
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: 218176, 218177, 218178, 218180, 218163, 218166, 218167, 218168, 218169, 218171, 218172, 218173, 218174, 218175, 218182.