Winter storm watches call for heavy snowfall in much of Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches, including the first of the season for central Indiana, from late Friday night through Sunday afternoon.

The watches extend across the northern half of Indiana.

In Indianapolis, Storm Track 8 Chief Meteorologist Keith Gibson expects heavy snowfall beginning Saturday afternoon, with a mix of rain and snow later as temperatures go above freezing Saturday night.

In central Indiana, the weather service says Indianapolis and selected counties could see from 3 to 7 inches of snow: Boone, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Delaware, Fountain, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren and Wayne.

In northern Indiana, the weather service says accumulations from 5 to 12 inches are possible in these counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Cass, De Kalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, La Porte, Lagrange, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White and
Whitley.

In northwest Indiana, the weather service says accumulations in excess of 6 inches are possible in these counties: Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter.

A Storm Track 8 map outlined possible snow totals, although the weather service at Indianapolis said total snow amounts remained uncertain Thursday afternoon. In central Indiana, higher amounts were expected toward Lafayette.

“Travel could be very difficult,” the weather service said in its watches for central Indiana issued Thursday afternoon.

The weather service also cautioned that whatever freezing precipitation comes, it could stick around for a while, as temperatures will be no warmer than the teens and 20s after the storm moves through and into at least early next week.

Also, more snow is possible for the Indianapolis area on Monday, Gibson said.

The storm could be the first test of Indianapolis city government’s new plan for snow removal on the streets. Residential streets will be plowed when snow reaches 4 inches or more. The new policy also prioritizes streets near schools and township buildings when snowfall reaches 2 inches. The previous policy excluded around 1,400 lane miles of residential streets from the plow plans. It comes after many city residents complained when many streets were left unplowed after 11 inches of snow in January.

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