An approaching low pressure system from the southwest, with its associated warm front riding north to northeast over the area, sent a widespread band of precipitation across central Indiana during the afternoon and into the late evening of February 21st. Much of central Indiana received one-half of an inch or more of sleet.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
An approaching low pressure system from the southwest, with its associated warm front riding north to northeast over the area, sent a widespread band of precipitation across central Indiana during the afternoon and into the late evening of February 21st. Much of central Indiana received one-half of an inch or more of sleet. Pockets of freezing rain also occurred on the evening of the 21st.
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 21, 5:30 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 530 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW. && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 320 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHERN TEXAS WILL MOVE TO NEAR CHICAGO BY MIDDAY FRIDAY AND INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES BY SATURDAY. WARMER AIR WILL SPREAD INTO OUR REGION BY FRIDAY. HOWEVER A WINTRY MIX WILL SPREAD ACROSS OUR REGION TONIGHT AND EVENTUALLY CHANGE INTO RAIN FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS OUR REGION OVER THE WEEKEND. IN THE EXTENDED ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS OUR REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK BRINGING PRECIPITATION ACROSS OUR REGION LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT AND FRIDAY/... ISSUED AT 320 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 MAIN FOCUS WILL BE HOW MUCH WINTRY WEATHER WILL OCCUR AND PRECIPITATION TYPE OVERNIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. THE LEADING EDGE OF PRECIPITATION WAS ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHWEST INDIANA AT 3 PM. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE SOME WARMING WAS DEVELOPING AT 5 TO 8 THOUSAND FEET AND THIS WILL CAUSE A PROGRESSION OF PRECIPITATION FROM SNOW TO SLEET...AND THEN FREEZING RAIN BEFORE FINALLY BECOMING ALL RAIN FRIDAY MORNING. OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS PRECIPITATION WILL QUICKLY CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN...WHILE OVER FAR NORTHERN AREAS THIS MAY NOT HAPPEN UNTIL SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SOME SNOW MAY BE MIXED IN NORTHERN AREAS AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FAR NORTH MAINLY LATE THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES SHOULD FALL A FEW DEGREES SHORTLY AFTER PRECIPITATION BEGINS AND THEN RISE SLOWLY LATE TONIGHT AS WARMER AIR SPREADS INTO OUR REGION. MOST MODELS INDICATE SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL RISE SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR REGION BY 12Z FRIDAY. AS A RESULT WILL SEGMENT ADVISORY AND END IT ACROSS OUR FAR SOUTHWEST AREAS BY 10Z FRIDAY. FOR THE REST OF THE AREA WILL CONTINUE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 15Z. SLEET THIS EVENING MAY LIMIT ICE ACCUMULATIONS SOME. AT TIME EXPECT MOST AREAS TO RECEIVE ONE TO TWO TENTH OF AN INCH ICE ACCUMULATIONS. MODELS INDICATE WINDS WILL INCREASING SOME AS PRESSURE GRADIENT SHARPENS UP AND WIND GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT IF ICE ACCUMULATIONS AREA BECOME ANY HIGHER THAT THIS COMBINED WITH THE WINDS COULD MAKE SITUATIONS MUCH WORSE. HOWEVER WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES NOT BEING THAT FAR BELOW FREEZING WILL LEAVE HEADLINE TYPE AS IS FOR NOW. ON FRIDAY MODELS PUSH A DRY SLOT INTO OUR REGION AS LOW PRESSURE TRACKS ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. PRECIPITATION SHOULD END OVER ALL BUT FAR NORTH BY AFTERNOON. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH A MOS BLEND ON HIGH TEMPERATURES FRIDAY. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... ISSUED AT 320 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS OUR REGION BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. WITH CLOUDS ACROSS OUR REGION WILL GO A LITTLE WARMER ON MIN TEMPERATURES FRIDAY NIGHT AND LEAN TOWARDS COOLER MET TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE CLEARING WILL OCCUR ACROSS OUR REGION BY SUNDAY AS WEAK SUBSIDENCE OCCURS ACROSS OUR REGION. OVERALL QUIET WEATHER WILL BE THE RULE THIS WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY SUNDAY. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISSUED AT 251 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 GUIDANCE INDICATES A LARGE CUT OFF LOW DEVELOPING OVER THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE COUNTRY INTO THE GREAT LAKES NEXT WEEK...AND THERE IS ROUGHLY WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END. FAIRLY LARGE DISCREPANCIES EXIST IN TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF THE SYSTEM...ALTHOUGH THERE IS AT LEAST GOOD AGREEMENT DURING THE EARLY TO MID PORTION OF THE WEEK THAT PRECIPITATION OF SOME KIND IS A GOOD BET. THUS...FELT THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE APPRECIABLE SCIENTIFICALLY BASED CHANGES TO ALLBLEND INITIALIZATION WITH LITTLE TO SUGGEST A FAVORITE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS GUIDANCE MEMBERS. A FAIRLY DREARY AND PRECIP FILLED WEEK DOES APPEAR A GOOD BET FOR THE FINAL WEEK OF FEBRUARY. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 220000Z TAFS/... ISSUED AT 530 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 TOUGH FORECAST THIS EVENING WITH REGARDS TO CHANGING PRECIPITATION TYPES AND IMPACTS ON CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES. SNOW CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE SOUTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. SHORT TERM MODEL DATA SUGGEST THIS PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE TAF SITES BY 220100Z OR SO. APPEARS PRECIPITATION WILL START AS SNOW OR A SNOW/SLEET MIX INITIALLY. WILL PROBABLY BE A RATHER BRIEF PERIOD OF LIFR CONDITIONS WITHIN THE HEAVIER SNOW BURSTS THIS EVENING. MODEL DATA INDICATE THE STRONG WARM ADVECTION WILL EVENTUALLY OFFSET THE EVAPORATIVE COOLING...RESULTING IN A CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AFTER ABOUT 220200Z. MAIN LIFT APPEARS TO DIMINISH DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF FRIDAY...SO THE MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION SHOULD DIMINISH TO MORE IN THE WAY OF FREEZING DRIZZLE. MODEL DATA SUGGEST SURFACE TEMPERATURE SHOULD STAY BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT...WITH TEMPERATURES CREEPING ABOVE FREEZING TOWARDS/AFTER SUNRISE FRIDAY. SURFACE WIND GUSTS 20-25 KTS FROM 090-110 DEGREES EXPECTED THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE NIGHT. WINDS MAY TEND TO DIMINISH TOWARDS 221200Z AS PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS WITH THE APPROACH OF THE SURFACE LOW. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY FOR INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-062>065-071-072. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM EST FRIDAY FOR INZ060-061-067>070. && SYNOPSIS...JH NEAR TERM...JH SHORT TERM...JH LONG TERM...NIELD AVIATION...JAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 410 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-062>065-071-072-222115- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-VERMILLION-PARKE- PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-VIGO-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN- JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH-MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-JACKSON- JENNINGS- 410 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY... .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: A WINTRY MIX WILL SPREAD ACROSS OUR AREA BEGINNING THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT...EVENTUALLY CHANGING INTO RAIN EARLY FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING. HAZARDS: ICE ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 TENTHS OF AN INCH. PERIODS OF SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...SNOW...AND RAIN...MIXING AT TIMES. 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW NEAR AND NORTH OF A CRAWFORDSVILLE TO TIPTON LINE BY LATE EVENING. ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO LIGHT RAIN BY MID OR LATE MORNING ON FRIDAY AS TEMPERATURES RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING. TIMING: FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL 10 AM FRIDAY MORNING. DISCUSSION: A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE TO NEAR CHICAGO BY MIDDAY FRIDAY...IN THE MEANTIME IT WILL BRING A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: THE THREAT OF FREEZING RAIN WILL BE OVER BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF OF A RAIN SNOW MIX MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...AND THEN A CHANCE FOR SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. DISCUSSION: THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. ANOTHER SOUTHERN SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BRINGING SNOW... AND RAIN SNOW MIX CHANCES TO THE AREA STARTING MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WINTER STORM SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL...SLEET AND ICE ACCUMULATION ALONG WITH PRECIPITATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ060-061-067>070-222115- SULLIVAN-GREENE-KNOX-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE- 410 PM EST THU FEB 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM EST FRIDAY... .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: A WINTRY MIX WILL SPREAD ACROSS OUR AREA BEGINNING THIS EVENING AND EVENTUALLY CHANGE INTO RAIN EARLY FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING. HAZARDS: ICE ACCUMULATION MORE THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH. PERIODS OF SLEET...FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN...MIXING AT TIMES. TIMING: FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL 5 AM EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. DISCUSSION: A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE TO NEAR CHICAGO BY MIDDAY FRIDAY...IN THE MEANTIME IT WILL BRING A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. DISCUSSION: THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION VERY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. ANOTHER SOUTHERN SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES ON WEDNESDAY BRINGING SNOW CHANCES TO THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WINTER STORM SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL...SLEET AND ICE ACCUMULATION ALONG WITH PRECIPITATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) SMF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Accumulating snow and sleet of 0.3 inches was measured in this location. Freezing rain also mixed in at times. Ice is accumulating on mailboxes, cars, sidewalks, roads, etc.
Accumulating sleet of 1.1 inches was measured in this location.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 2013
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: 434357, 434356.