A powerful winter storm moved across the United States, bringing severe winter weather to central Indiana from January 31 through February 2. Freezing rain, sleet, snow, strong winds, and arctic air impacted the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 powerful winter storm moved across the United States, bringing severe winter weather to central Indiana from January 31 through February 2. Freezing rain, sleet, snow, strong winds, and arctic air impacted the state. Indianapolis received 0.6 inches of ice and 1.0 inch of sleet from the storm. The first wave of precipitation fell during the evening of January 31, and this precipitation was mainly freezing rain and sleet, with a little snow across the northern parts of central Indiana. The second wave of precipitation began in earnest during the afternoon of February 1 and continued into the overnight hours. Far northern sections of central Indiana saw snow, with a sleet/freezing rain mix across much of the central part of the area. Across the south, mainly freezing rain was noted. After the strong area of low pressure passed over the area, winds increased with gusts over 50 mph reported. This wind created blowing and drifting snow across the north, and caused trees and power lines to come down across areas that saw freezing rain. Travel became near impossible at many locations, with several counties across central Indiana restricting travel. As the storm moved across the state, warm air briefly moved into central Indiana warming temperatures to above freezing across parts of the area. The warmth was brief though, as Arctic air flowed into the area after the storm passed. Temperatures dropped to near zero in some locations by the morning of February 3.
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, 2:18 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 218 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011 .UPDATE... THE SYNOPSIS...NEAR TERM AND SHORT TERM SECTIONS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL INDIANA BEGINNING THIS EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF PRECIPITATION TYPES AND SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED. IN ADDITION...ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE PLUNGING INTO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE COUNTRY BEHIND THE STORM WILL RESULT IN STRONG GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY...EXACERBATING THE SITUATION. THE HIGH WILL ALSO RESULT IN COLDER TEMPERATURES LATE THIS WEEK AND THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/... FOCUS IS BEGINNING OF WINTER STORM. MODELS ARE CLOSE AND A BLEND IS USED. INITIAL WAVE OF PRECIPITATION HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED AND IS PUSHING ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. MAINLY SNOW IS FALLING ACROSS NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS...WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN SOUTH. THIS IS IN LINE WITH PREVIOUS EXPECTATIONS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT OVERNIGHT...PRECIPITATION WILL FALL IN THE FORM OF NEARLY ALL SNOW ACROSS LAFAYETTE...WITH A MIX OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR...AND MOSTLY FREEZING RAIN SOUTH. SOME CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS ARE NOTED IN THE ECHOES CURRENTLY...WHICH MAY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PRECIP ACCUMULATIONS IN SOME AREAS. OVERALL...EXPECT A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH OF ICE BY MORNING ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL INDIANA...WITH UP TO A FEW INCHES OF SNOW IN THE LAFAYETTE AREA. STUCK NEAR MAVMOS WHICH APPROXIMATES SURFACE WETBULB TEMPERATURE PROGS. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SECOND MORE POTENT WAVE OF THE WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE AREA TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THIS REMAINS THE FOCUS. GFS HAS BEEN RELATIVELY CONSISTENT AND ALSO REPRESENTS SOMEWHAT OF A COMPROMISE SOLUTION BETWEEN THE RANGE OF GUIDANCE...AND IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY HPC MODEL DIAGNOSTICS. HAVE GENERALLY LEANED TOWARD ITS SOLUTION. GUIDANCE HAS COME IN SLIGHTLY COLDER OVERALL...WHICH REPRESENTS A SLIGHT SHIFT IN EXPECTATIONS TO THE SOUTH...BUT NOT MAJORLY DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST. THUS...ONLY TWEAKS MADE TO PRECIP TYPES ACROSS THE AREA. ALL INDICATIONS REMAIN THAT AN EXTREMELY STRONGLY FORCED SYSTEM WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA...WHICH PRECIP TYPE REMAINING THE ONLY REAL QUESTION. MODEL SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO INDICATE MAINLY ALL SNOW NEAR LAF...WITH POTENTIALLY SOME SLEET TUESDAY NIGHT. EXPECTATION IS THAT A LARGE PORTION ALONG THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR WILL SEE FREEZING RAIN OR A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET FOR MUCH OF THE EVENT...WITH SLEET MORE LIKELY THE FURTHER NORTH ONE GOES. STILL EXPECT THAT SOME ABOVE FREEZING SURFACE AIR MAY PUSH INTO THE SOUTHERN TIER OF THE AREA MAINLY TOMORROW EVENING...AND HELP TO CUT DOWN SLIGHTLY ON ICE ACCUMULATIONS THERE. AS THE STORM EXITS THE AREA...MUCH COLDER AIR WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...AND REMAINING PRECIP WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE MOST EVERYWHERE THEN. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY/... SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A WEAK UPPER TOUGH MOVES THROUGH...OTHERWISE...ARCTIC AIR WILL BUILD IN ALLOWING DRY BUT VERY FRIGID WEATHER ESPECIALLY IN THE SNOW PACK BUT EVEN IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE THE DREADED ICE WHICH COULD EXAGGERBATE THE EXPECTED POWER LOSS. WENT BELOW ZERO NUMBERS ESPECIALLY EARLY IN THE EXTENDED. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 311800Z TAFS/... VFR CONDITIONS TO DETERIORATE TO MVFR AND WORSE AFTER 22Z AT BMG AND AROUND 00Z AT IND AS FREEZING DRIZZLE AND THEN FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET OVERSPREADS ALL BUT LAF. LAF...MEANWHILE SHOULD GO FROM VFR TO MVFR AND THEN WORSE AFTER 00Z AS SNOW PERHAPS MIXING WITH SLEET MOVES IN. WINDS WILL BE EAST NORTHEAST AROUND 10 KNOTS THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072. && SYNOPSIS...NIELD NEAR TERM...NIELD SHORT TERM...NIELD LONG TERM....MK AVIATION...MK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 230 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011 INZ039>049-051>057-060>065-011100- HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-VERMILLION-PARKE-PUTNAM- HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON- SHELBY-RUSH-SULLIVAN-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR- 230 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. FREEZING RAIN AND OR SLEET WILL OCCUR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ICING IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT WINTER PRECIPITATION TO CENTRAL INDIANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO LATE WEDNESDAY. UNCERTAINTY STILL EXISTS WITH THE PRECISE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM. ADJUSTMENTS IN THE TRACK IN LATTER FORECASTS MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON AREAS THAT MAY RECEIVE FREEZING RAIN...SLEET OR SNOW. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS A WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON TUESDAY AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW TUESDAY OVERNIGHT. SIGNIFICANT FREEZING RAIN WITH ACCUMULATIONS NEAR AN INCH OF ICE IS POSSIBLE. FURTHERMORE...STRONG WINDS GUSTING UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINATION COULD RESULT IN WIDESPREAD DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES AND OR SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. DUE TO THE LARGE AREA THAT MAY RECEIVE FREEZING RAIN...LONG DURATION POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. VERY COLD AIR IS EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS MAY RESULT WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW ZERO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WINTER WEATHER SPOTTERS HELP WILL BE NEEDED THIS WEEK. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ067>072-011100- KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS- 230 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. ICING IS LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT WINTER PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA MONDAY INTO LATE WEDNESDAY. UNCERTAINTY STILL EXISTS WITH THE PRECISE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM. ADJUSTMENTS IN THE TRACK IN LATTER FORECASTS MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON AREAS THAT MAY RECEIVE FREEZING RAIN...RAIN...SLEET OR SNOW. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS A WINTRY MIX OF RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN LATE MONDAY EVENING AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL THEN CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. SIGNIFICANT FREEZING RAIN AROUND ONE HALF OF AN INCH IS POSSIBLE DURING THE ENTIRE EVENT. FURTHERMORE...STRONG WINDS GUSTING UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINATION COULD RESULT IN WIDESPREAD DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES. VERY COLD AIR IS EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA ON THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS MAY RESULT WIND CHILL VALUES NEAR ZERO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WINTER WEATHER SPOTTERS HELP WILL BE NEEDED THIS WEEK. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ021-028>031-035>038-011100- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON- 230 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. SNOW OR SLEET WILL MOVE IN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...WITH 3 TO 4 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION TOWARD MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT WINTER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY INTO LATE WEDNESDAY. UNCERTAINTY STILL EXISTS WITH THE PRECISE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM. ADJUSTMENTS IN THE TRACK IN LATTER FORECASTS MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON AREAS THAT MAY RECEIVE FREEZING RAIN...SLEET OR SNOW. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON TUESDAY AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY ON TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLOWLY ENDING ON WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IN EXCESS OF 15 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE LAFAYETTE AND KOKOMO AREAS. FURTHERMORE...STRONG WINDS GUSTING UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINATION COULD RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE NEW SNOW. TRAVEL WILL BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. VERY COLD AIR IS EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS MAY RESULT WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW ZERO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WINTER WEATHER SPOTTERS HELP WILL BE NEEDED THIS WEEK. && 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.
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
Approximately four tenths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain was received. Scattered power outages were also noted.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, January 2011
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: 281053, 281057, 281058, 281059, 281060, 281062, 281063.