A wintry mix of snow, freezing drizzle, and sleet had a significant impact on the February 20th morning commute. Light snow and ice accumulations were common across the region.
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.
A wintry mix of snow, freezing drizzle, and sleet had a significant impact on the February 20th morning commute. Light snow and ice accumulations were common across the region.
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 20, 12:40 AM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1240 AM EST Wed Feb 20 2019
.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 710 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019
Expect a difficult Wednesday morning commute, especially on
untreated roads, bridges and overpasses. A storm system will
bring snow late tonight, followed by a few hours of freezing rain.
The precipitation will change over to all rain midday into the
early afternoon hours. Dry conditions will then follow Thursday
through Friday night with moderating temperatures. Another storm
system will bring warm and wet weather on Saturday, followed by a
windy Sunday with falling temperatures.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Wednesday)
Issued at 252 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019
The next in a never-ending parade of shortwaves to take a northeast
track from the Four Corners to the Upper Midwest/Western Lakes will
bring another round of mixed wintry precipitation and hazardous
travel later tonight into Wednesday morning. Excellent
warm/moist advection surge on the eastern fringe of associated
height fall centroid track will bring a 3-5 hour period of mainly
snow centered around the Wed AM commute. Deeper moisture axis within
leading LLJ core clips areas mainly along/south of US 24 where
1"/hour snowfall rates and higher snow totals are expected. Mid
level dry slot and warm layer aloft then arrives from sw to ne by
mid morning changing precipitation over to areas of light freezing
rain/drizzle as lower level isentropic ascent persists in advance of
the system occluded front. Sfc temps finally nudge above freezing
during the day with areas of drizzle/fog and scattered showers
likely continuing before occlusion swings through in the evening
bringing an end to pcpn.
&&
.LONG TERM...(Wednesday Night through Tuesday)
Issued at 252 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019
The bulk of guidance continues to favor a stronger/more phased mid
lat cyclone to rapidly deepen ene through the Upper Midwest and
Western/Northern Great Lakes this weekend. This more northerly track
favors an all rain event locally later Saturday into Saturday
night...with the potential for headline level winds in intense cold
advection regime Sunday. The next system to watch will be toward the
middle of next week.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday Night)
Issued at 1240 AM EST Wed Feb 20 2019
Previous timing still largely on track with only minor changes to
expected vis and ceiling based on latest hi-res guidance. IFR
likely later this morning and periods of LIFR possible (especially
at KFWA) both with morning snow band and afternoon stratus/fog/
drizzle but held just above LIFR for now. Some improvement by the
end of the period as front passes as strong southwesterly winds
start to clear out low level moisture. Also some brief concern for
LLWS later this morning but conditions are very marginal and
pulled from KFWA altogether with just a few hours possibly
touching criteria.
&&
.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM EST this morning for INZ017-
018-020-022>027-032>034.
Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 3 PM EST
this afternoon for INZ005>009.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM EST /3 AM CST/ early this
morning to noon EST /11 AM CST/ today for INZ003-004-
012>016.
MI...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 3 PM EST
this afternoon for MIZ077>081.
OH...Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM EST this morning for OHZ004-
005-015-016-024-025.
Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 3 PM EST
this afternoon for OHZ001-002.
LM...NONE.
&&
SYNOPSIS...Murphy
SHORT TERM...Steinwedel
LONG TERM...Steinwedel
AVIATION...AGD
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www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndianaHazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Northern Indiana 202 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 INZ005>009-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-201915- Elkhart-Lagrange-Steuben-Noble-De Kalb-Berrien-Cass MI-St. Joseph MI- Branch-Hillsdale-Williams-Fulton OH- 202 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM TO 3 PM EST WEDNESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana, southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. A strong storm system will lift up across the Great Lakes this weekend. Strong winds are likely Sunday along with some accumulating snow. Stay tuned. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. INZ017-018-020-022>027-032>034-OHZ004-005-015-016-024-025-201915- Whitley-Allen IN-White-Cass IN-Miami-Wabash-Huntington-Wells-Adams- Grant-Blackford-Jay-Defiance-Henry-Paulding-Putnam-Van Wert-Allen OH- 202 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 11 AM EST WEDNESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. A strong storm system will lift up across the Great Lakes this weekend. Strong winds are likely Sunday. Stay tuned. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. INZ003-004-012>016-201915- La Porte-St. Joseph IN-Starke-Pulaski-Marshall-Fulton IN-Kosciusko- 202 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 /102 PM CST Tue Feb 19 2019/ ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM EST /3 AM CST/ TO NOON EST /11 AM CST/ WEDNESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter Weather Advisory. A strong storm system will lift up across the Great Lakes this weekend. Strong winds are likely Sunday along with some accumulating snow. Stay tuned. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
Snow, freezing drizzle and sleet created icy roads and sidewalks during the morning hours of February 20th. Numerous schools and some businesses were closed. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, February 2019
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: 798511, 798512, 798513, 798514, 798515, 798516, 798517, 798518.