Indiana, 2015

Heavy Snow in Indiana, November 20 to 21, 2015

November 20 to 21, 2015 · NWS LOT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The first storm of the season for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana left a nearly 300 mile wide swath of snow across portions of the Midwest. Over 16 inches of snow fell across far northern portions of Illinois.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
2

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.

The first storm of the season for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana left a nearly 300 mile wide swath of snow across portions of the Midwest. Over 16 inches of snow fell across far northern portions of Illinois. Snow began during the late afternoon hours of Friday, November 20th, and persisted through the late afternoon of Saturday, November 21st.

Some of the highest storm total snow reports include: 9.5 inches near Crown Point (Lake) and 8.6 inches near Lakes of the Four Seasons (Porter).

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 Nov 20, 4:36 PM CST, 5 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 20, 4:36 PM CST, 5 hours 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 20, 4:10 PM CST, 5 hours 50 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

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lake

When
November 20, 10:00 PM CST to November 21, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
41.472, -87.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Porter

When
November 20, 10:00 PM CST to November 21, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Porter forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
41.509, -87.073 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, November 2015

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: 609600, 609601.