An Alberta Clipper brought accumulating snow to northeast Indiana on February 4th, with total accumulations generally ranging between 2 and 4 inches.
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.
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 IWX wrote it up.
An Alberta Clipper brought accumulating snow to northeast Indiana on February 4th, with total accumulations generally ranging between 2 and 4 inches.
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 3, 6:15 PM CST, 6 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
715 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013
.AVIATION/UPDATE... /00 UTC TAFS/
SLIGHT DELAY TO ONSET OF SNOW ONSET WRT UPSTREAM CLIPPER
SYSTEM...AND MORE SIG DELAY TO SHARP DOWNTURN IN VSBYS/CIGS WITH
TEMPO LIFR CONDS. LWST CONDS ARE COINCIDENT WITH OVERLAP OR
COLLOCATION OF BEST ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE PER 18 UTC WRF ANALYSIS ON
I280 SFC...PROXIMITY OF NRN TERMINUS OF MSTR TAP TO APPROX 3 G/KG
LAID OUT TO SW ALONG LLVL FGEN BNDRY AND LOWER OR NEGATIVE STATIC
STABILITY. THIS BRINGS LWST CONDS TO KSBN 12-16 UTC AND A COUPLE
HOURS LATER AT KFWA. WITH PASSAGE MODE WILL TRANSITION TO LAKE
EFFECT LATE SAT AFTN/EVE...THOUGH SINGLE BAND SHOULD RMN WEST OF
KSBN AIRFIELD.
PUBLIC GRID UPDATE UNDERWAY TO FOCUS ON HIR TEMPORAL/SPATIAL DETAIL
IN SHORT TERM/INTO MONDAY NIGHT. HIR POPS ASSOCD WITH UPSTREAM
CLIPPER SYSTEM LKLY ALONG WITH SHARPENING GRADATION WRT LAKE
RESPONSE ACRS BERRIEN/LAPORTE COUNTIES IN WAKE OF SYSTEM MONDAY
AFTN/ERLY MON NIGHT TIMEFRAME.
&&
.SHORT TERM... /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING/
LAKE EFFECT IS RELUCTANT TO GIVE UP OVER BERRIEN COUNTY THIS
AFTERNOON AS WESTERLY FLOW CONTINUES OVER THE LAKE. NEAR SURFACE
TROF AXIS...EVIDENT IN SATELLITE...PROFILERS AND VWP ORIENTED FROM
AOH-FWA-SBN ENHANCED THE LAKE EFFECT OVER BERRIEN/CASS/ST. JOE
INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW.
UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST AND DRIER AIR IS
OVERSPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST. THIS DRIER AIR AND POST TROF
SUBSIDENCE HAS ESSENTIALLY ENDED THE SYNOPTIC SNOWFALL OVER THE
FORECAST AREA.
ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI RIVER
VALLEY AND MOVE QUICKLY INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY DURING THE DAY
MONDAY. SURFACE ANALYSIS AND VWP ARE STARTING TO SHOW THIS
CYCLOGENSIS OVER WESTERN DAKOTAS AS OF 18Z. WATER VAPOR SHOWS THE
ASSOCIATED SPEED MAX AND MOISTURE FIELD AS WELL AND THESE FEATURES
HAVE BEEN REASONABLY WELL PLACED BY THE 12Z MODEL RUNS. WHILE THE
NAM HAS NOT DEMONSTRATED RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY...THE LATEST RUN
STILL INDICATES A PERIOD OF LAKE EFFECT/ENHANCED SNOWFALL OVER THE
NEAR LAKE COUNTIES DURING THE DAY MONDAY.
GIVEN THE SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING
CLIPPER EXPECT TO SEE A PERIOD OF SYNOPTICALLY DRIVEN SNOWFALL OVER
MUCH OF THE CWA...PRIMARILY ALONG AND NORTH OF US 30. EXPECT OVERALL
AMOUNTS TO BE CLOSE TO OUR CRITERIA...HOWEVER EXPECT THAT THE MOST
LIKELY TIME-FRAME FOR ACCUMULATION TO BE AT OR NEAR THE MORNING
DRIVE TIME FOR SCHOOLS AND MORNING COMMUTES. WITH THE POTENTIAL
IMPACT BEING MUCH GREATER FOR THIS PERIOD OF TIME...FELT IT BEST TO
ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MOST OF THE AREA.
ADDITIONALLY...WITH THE FLOW SHIFTING TO MORE NORTHERLY...AND THE
BOUNDARY LAYER LIFT ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN AS THE LOW SHIFTS OUT OF
OHIO...EXPECT TO SEE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LAKE EFFECT/ENHANCEMENT OVER
THE FAR NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE THE
SYNOPTICALLY DRIVEN SNOW WILL END BETWEEN 15 AND 18Z...EXPECT TO SEE
LAKE EFFECT PERSIST A FEW HOURS LONGER.
THIS MADE FOR A COMPLEX SET OF HEADLINES...BUT THIS SHOULD BECOME
EASIER TO FOLLOW AFTER THE CURRENT ADVISORY EXPIRES.
&&
.LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
NEXT CLIPPER WILL BE ARRIVING IN THE REGION AT THE START OF THE
PERIOD. BULK OF QPF AND SNOWFALL SHOULD END UP NORTH OF THE AREA
WITH TRACK OF THE LOW ACROSS WI INTO N LWR MI. HOWEVER...MODELS
CONTINUE TO AGREE ON WEAK FRONT SWINGING THROUGH THE AREA WITH
ENOUGH LIFT AND MSTR IN THE AFTERNOON TO WARRANT HOLDING ONTO CHC TO
LIKELY POPS ACROSS THE AREA WITH EMPHASIS NW QUARTER TO HALF. ACCUMS
WOULD BE ON THE ORDER OF UNDER A HALF INCH SW TO ONE TO TWO INCHES
NORTH. NO REAL LAKE RESPONSE EXPECTED IN ITS WAKE WITH LITTLE NO
REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR TO DROP DELTA T VALUES INTO FAVORABLE
LEVELS (AT BEST 9 C DELTA T TUES NGT INTO WEDS).
UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL QUICKLY FLATTEN WITH ANOTHER WAVE TO MOVE IN
THURS/THURS NGT. WILL BE A CLOSE CALL STILL REGARDING MIX OF
RAIN/SNOW OR OTHER TYPES AS WARM AIR WILL BE MOVING IN QUICKLY IN
LOW LEVELS BUT SFC TEMPS WILL REMAIN QUESTIONABLE DEPENDING ON
AMOUNT OF SNOW COVER. WILL CONTINUE WITH MIX MENTION THROUGH THE
PERIOD WITH FURTHER DETAIL LIKELY NEEDED AS TEMPS SHOULD SURGE ABOVE
FREEZING DURING THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
PTYPE NO LONGER BECOMES AN ISSUE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST
WITH FOCUS THEN TURNING TO DEGREE OF WARM UP AS DEEPENING TROUGH
DIGS INTO THE WEST WITH HGTS SURGING FURTHER NORTH. ALLBLEND COMING
UP WITH REASONABLE NUMBERS AT THIS POINT SHOWING HIGHS IN THE 40S
SUNDAY. ANY SNOWPACK WILL BE STEADILY RELEASING THROUGH THE END OF
THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND ALLOWING FOR INCREASING CONCERNS FOR RIVER
RESPONSE AND POSSIBLY LOW LAND FLOOD ISSUES. IN ADDITION...ENERGY
FROM THE ABOVE MENTIONED TROUGH WILL EJECT TOWARDS THE REGION WITH
EFFECTS STARTING LATE SAT NGT INTO SUNDAY. INITIALLY THERE WILL BE A
DISCONNECT FROM ANY GULF MSTR BUT THE FLOW WILL EVENTUALLY ESTABLISH
AND TRY TO CATCH UP WITH THE FRONT. BY THE TIME THIS OCCURS THE BULK
OF THE MSTR MAY BE TO OUR EAST. REGARDLESS...HIGH END POPS WARRANTED
ON SUNDAY WITH AT LEAST SOME CONSISTENCY IN PAST SEVERAL RUNS ON
TIMING OF THIS FEATURE.
&&
.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM EST MONDAY FOR
INZ005>009-014-016>018.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR
INZ003.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM EST /3 AM CST/ TO 7 PM EST /6
PM CST/ MONDAY FOR INZ004-012.
MI...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM EST MONDAY FOR
MIZ079>081.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 7 PM EST MONDAY FOR
MIZ077.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 7 PM EST MONDAY FOR MIZ078.
OH...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM EST MONDAY FOR OHZ001-
002-004-005-015-016.
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST MONDAY FOR LMZ043-046.
&&
SHORT TERM...LEWIS
LONG TERM...FISHER
AVIATION...MURPHY
UPDATE...MURPHYHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 610 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013 INZ003-MIZ077-042315- LA PORTE-BERRIEN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...NILES... BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN 610 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013 /510 PM CST SUN FEB 3 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF BERRIEN AND LAPORTE COUNTIES THROUGH TONIGHT. FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE MONITOR THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER PRODUCT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE MONDAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY. WARMING TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL BY NEXT WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO THE START OF FLOODING PROBLEMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX INZ004>009-012-014-016>018-MIZ078>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-015-016- 042315- ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB-STARKE-MARSHALL- KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN-CASS MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE- WILLIAMS-FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-HENRY-PAULDING-PUTNAM- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SOUTH BEND...MISHAWAKA...ELKHART... GOSHEN...LAGRANGE...TOPEKA...ANGOLA...KENDALLVILLE...LIGONIER... AUBURN...GARRETT...KNOX...NORTH JUDSON...PLYMOUTH...BREMEN... WARSAW...WINONA LAKE...COLUMBIA CITY...SOUTH WHITLEY...FORT WAYNE... DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS...STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...COLDWATER... HILLSDALE...BRYAN...MONTPELIER...WAUSEON...ARCHBOLD...DEFIANCE... NAPOLEON...PAULDING...ANTWERP...OTTAWA...PANDORA 610 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013 /510 PM CST SUN FEB 3 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ANOTHER POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH OVERNIGHT AND LEAD TO THE ONSET OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL MONDAY IS FORECAST...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 30 CORRIDOR. WARMING TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL BY NEXT WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO THE START OF FLOODING PROBLEMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX INZ013-015-020-022>027-032>034-OHZ024-025-042315- PULASKI-FULTON IN-WHITE-CASS IN-MIAMI-WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS- GRANT-BLACKFORD-JAY-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WINAMAC...FRANCESVILLE...ROCHESTER... MONTICELLO...BROOKSTON...LOGANSPORT...PERU...WABASH... NORTH MANCHESTER...HUNTINGTON...BLUFFTON...OSSIAN...DECATUR... BERNE...MARION...HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND...VAN WERT... DELPHOS...LIMA 610 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ANOTHER POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH OVERNIGHT AND LEAD TO THE ONSET OF ACCUMULATING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED MONDAY BUT AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT...GENERALLY 1 TO 3 INCHES. WARMING TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL BY NEXT WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO THE START OF FLOODING PROBLEMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX LMZ043-046-042315- NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI-MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI- 610 PM EST SUN FEB 3 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX/?N=MARINE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th as light to moderate snow fell during the morning hours. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged between 1 and 2 inches across the southern half of the county to between 2 and 4 inches north of Highway 30.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged between 1 and 2 inches across the southern half of the county to between 2 and 4 inches north of Highway 30.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged between 1 and 2 inches across the southern half of Allen County to between 2 and 4 inches north of Highway 30.
Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 4th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged between 1 and 2 inches across the southern half of Whitley County to between 2 and 4 inches north of Highway 30.
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: 422943, 422944, 422945, 422946, 422947, 422948, 422949, 422952, 422953, 422950, 422951.