Indiana, 2014

Lake-Effect Snow in Indiana, January 21, 2014

January 21, 2014 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A single band of lake effect snow produced extremely heavy snowfall primarily over Lake County. Reports of snowfall in excess of 3 inches an hour came in, with numerous reports of 20 to 24 inches of snow coming in from around Griffith Indiana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.

A single band of lake effect snow produced extremely heavy snowfall primarily over Lake County. Reports of snowfall in excess of 3 inches an hour came in, with numerous reports of 20 to 24 inches of snow coming in from around Griffith Indiana. The heaviest snowfall reports include 20.0 to 24.0 inches in and around Griffith Indiana; 20.0 inches southeast of East Chicago; 16.0 inches near Hammond; 14.0 inches in Highland; and 10.0 inches in Schererville.

What forecasters said that day

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 21, 3:33 AM CST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 3:33 AM CST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 21, 4:38 AM CST, 22 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 21, 1:17 AM CST, 3 hours 43 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 21, 1:41 AM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 21, 2:51 AM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 21, 2:52 AM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 21, 2:53 AM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 21, 3:39 AM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Lake

When
January 21, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lake-Effect Snow
Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, January 2014

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 495598.