Snow, moderate at times, accompanied an upper level system that dropped 3 to 5 inches of snow on February 4th.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Snow, moderate at times, accompanied an upper level system that dropped 3 to 5 inches of snow on February 4th.
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, 9:38 PM EST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
938 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 152 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
Breezy and dry conditions will give way to a period of snow later
tonight into Sunday as low pressure tracks through the Lower Great
Lakes. Total snow accumulations will generally range between 1 and
3 inches, though higher amounts will be possible into far
northwest Indiana and southwest Lower Michigan thanks to some lake
enhancement. Dry and colder conditions into Monday will followed
by another period of light snow by Monday night. An additional 1
to 3 inches of snow will be possible with this system.
Temperatures will remain below normal through the remainder of the
week with several opportunities for light snow.
&&
.UPDATE...
Issued at 938 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
Remnant dry air from retreating low level polar ridge still holding
strong this evening in absence of more vigorous hydrometeor
production aloft. That however is about to change as incoming wrn to
ne IL moisture plume and lower OH valley moisture plume converge
overhead. RAP/HRRR gross trends adamant in developing a brief but
substantial fgen response within strengthening upper jet streak
ahead of amplifying disturbance ejecting out out of the plains late
tonight (6-12Z). In fact evening RAP/HRRR runs have nearly doubled
QPF output through 18Z Sunday of which signals a much more
substantial snow accumulation risk across nrn IN from the highway 30
corridor west angling newd through the highway 6 corridor in ne IN.
On the other hand warm temps to start and uncertain top down
saturation timing suggests waiting evolution aloft and at the sfc
given lack of upstream stations in IL reporting sfc snow and 20-25
degree sfc depressions currently in place.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Sunday)
Issued at 152 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
A period of widespread accumulating snow (1-3") is expected to
develop later tonight into Sunday morning (peak timing approximately
09-15z). This will occur as significant height falls from
incoming/separate pv anomalies elicit a decent low-mid level fgen
response along a southeast pivoting frontal zone. In addition, a
plume of deeper moisture will advect north allowing precipitation to
expand as deeper ascent plume overspreads. Marginal temps may limit
accumulations (snow ratios) a bit, especially southeast of US 24
where temps may remain a little above freezing while it snows.
Some deformation/fgen forcing does pivot through the area later
in the morning into the early afternoon which could help bring
totals near 2-3 inches in some areas. The main focus mid afternoon
through early evening tomorrow with turn to a possible
intense/dominant lake enhanced band that could briefly impact our
far nw IN/sw Lower MI counties. A quick 1-3" of additional snow,
low visibilities, and falling temps in CAA wing appears likely
with very difficult travel conditions for a time. Opted to add La
Porte/St Joe IN/Berrien/Cass MI counties in a Winter Weather
Advisory to cover these threats for system snow-LES combination
(totals into the 3-5" range).
&&
.LONG TERM...(Sunday Night through Saturday)
Issued at 152 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
Broad upper troughing will persist within the base of a Hudson Bay
polar low into next week. Several sheared shortwaves will ripple
through in this fast flow bringing several opportunities for snow
and below normal temps near a baroclinic zone oscillating between
the Lower Great Lakes and OH Valley.
The first smaller scale perturbation of interest could bring a
quick 1-3" of snow later Monday into Monday night. 12z model
suite continued good consistency with this system...showing a
tightening thermal gradient thanks to weak mid lvl cva and upper
divergence. Model QPF continues to average near 0.15" into at
least our IN counties. Fcst soundings indicate a deep isothermal
layer within the lower portion of the dendritic growth zone which
could lead to higher snow ratios/amounts.
An open/sheared southern stream wave then looks to take aim on the
OH/TN Valleys late Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Guidance
continue to show good upper divergence and deeper GOM moisture
return into this frontal wave but differ a bit on track/timing.
The bulk of guidance favors better headline level snows passing
just south of the FA (possible clipping areas southeast of US 24),
though confidence is low with adjustments expected. Another upper
trough then for the end of the forecast period will bring
additional pcpn chances.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Sunday Evening)
Issued at 600 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018
VFR to start within warm sector downstream of cntrl IA sfc low
pressure. This system will translate ewd into sw MI by daybreak Sun
with better system relative moisture flux/deeper vertical motion
plume bypassing the terminals. Nonetheless slow top down saturation
expected overnight with eventual MVFR restrictions in light snow
expected after midnight. Transient period of IFR possible in light
snow along and just ahead of sfc trough Sun morning otherwise fropa
marks end of synoptic driven snowfall. Upwind organization of lake
banding follows Sun aftn yet timing uncertainty into the KSBN
terminal vicinity precludes early mention in lieu of
favoring another look via incoming 00Z model guidance.
&&
.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM EST /10 PM CST/ this evening
to 9 PM EST /8 PM CST/ Sunday for INZ003-004.
MI...Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 9 PM EST
Sunday for MIZ077-078.
OH...NONE.
LM...Small Craft Advisory until 11 AM EST Monday for LMZ043-046.
&&
SYNOPSIS...Steinwedel
SHORT TERM...Steinwedel
LONG TERM...Steinwedel
AVIATION...T
Visit us at www.weather.gov/iwx
Follow us on Facebook...Twitter...and YouTube at:
www.facebook.com/NWSNorthernIndiana
www.twitter.com/nwsiwx
www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndianaHazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Northern Indiana 202 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018 INZ003-004-MIZ077-078-041915- La Porte-St. Joseph IN-Berrien-Cass MI- 202 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018 /102 PM CST Sat Feb 3 2018/ This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southwest Michigan and northern Indiana. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight Snow will develop after midnight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Periods of snow will continue into Sunday with total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Additional snow is then expected Monday night with another 1 to 3 inches. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for further details or updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/iwx INZ005>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ079>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-041915- Elkhart-Lagrange-Steuben-Noble-De Kalb-Starke-Pulaski-Marshall- Fulton IN-Kosciusko-Whitley-Allen IN-White-Cass IN-Miami-Wabash- Huntington-Wells-Adams-Grant-Blackford-Jay-St. Joseph MI-Branch- Hillsdale-Williams-Fulton OH-Defiance-Henry-Paulding-Putnam-Van Wert- Allen OH- 202 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018 /102 PM CST Sat Feb 3 2018/ This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern Indiana... southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight Light snow will develop later tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Periods of Light snow will continue into Sunday with total accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Additional snow is then expected Monday night with another 1 to 3 inches. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. && Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for further details or updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/iwx LMZ043-046-041915- New Buffalo MI to St Joseph MI-Michigan City IN to New Buffalo MI- 202 PM EST Sat Feb 3 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of The Nearshore Waters of Southeastern Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight A Small Craft Advisory is in effect into tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday A Gale Warning is in effect on Sunday. && Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio for further details or updates...or check our web site at weather.gov/iwx
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Periods of snow with temperatures falling through the 20s created difficult travel conditions on February 4th. Many locations received between 3 and 5 inches of total snow accumulation. There were reports of accidents and a few school closings the following day.
Periods of snow with temperatures falling through the 20s created difficult travel conditions on February 4th. Many locations received between 3 and 5 inches of total snow accumulation. There were reports of accidents and a few school closings the following day.
Periods of snow with temperatures falling through the 20s created difficult travel conditions on February 4th. Many locations received between 2 and 4 inches of total snow accumulation. There were reports of accidents and a few school closings the following day.
Periods of snow with temperatures falling through the 20s created difficult travel conditions on February 4th. Many locations received between 2 and 4 inches of total snow accumulation. There were reports of accidents and a few school closings the following day.
Periods of snow with temperatures falling through the 20s created difficult travel conditions on February 4th. Many locations received between 2 and 4 inches of total snow accumulation. There were reports of accidents and a few school closings the following day.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, February 2018
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: 730764, 730765, 730766, 730767, 730768.