The National Weather Service is warning that travelers should be cautious heading home for Thanksgiving this weekend as heavy snow is expected to hit Indiana.
With temperatures remaining near or below freezing, the NWS in Indianapolis predicts a winter storm will hit most of Indiana starting Saturday and continuing into the early hours of Sunday.
“Beginning mid-morning tomorrow around 9:00 to 10:00, we’re going to expect some pretty significant impacts in the Indianapolis area, especially to our north,” said Andrew White, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
The NWS forecast calls for 2 to 5 inches of snow in Indianapolis, with snow forecast increasing northward. South Bend could get 10 to 14 inches.
“Snow totals will depend on how quickly the snow mixes with or changes to light rain Saturday evening,” NWS Indianapolis said in a social media post.
Part of the uncertainty about Saturday’s snowfall for Indianapolis comes from weather models showing a transition zone over the city as warmer air from southern Indiana collides with colder air from northern Indiana.
However, NWS forecasters are confident that areas north of Indianapolis are seeing significant snow.
“The conditions are going to get worse the further north you go,” White said. “Traveling along I-69 or I-65 north of Indianapolis will become increasingly difficult throughout the day, especially as you get upstate or into Illinois.”
For people planning to travel through Indiana’s northern corridor, NWS Indianapolis recommends either going home on Friday while the roads are clear or pushing their way until Sunday.
The roads are safe to drive on: Are the roads bad in Indiana on Black Friday? See travel advisories here
NWS Winter Storm Watch for Central and Northern Indiana
The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a winter storm watch for areas above I-70 from Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
NWS Indianapolis predicts that the region will have possible total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches.
The affected counties are Carroll, Warren, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Howard, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone, Tipton, Hamilton, Madison, Delaware, Randolph, Vermillion, Parke, Putnam, Hendricks, Marion, Hancock, Henry, Vigo and Clay.
National Weather Service Indianapolis forecast
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. West northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.
friday evening: Cloudy, near 22. Calm wind.
Saturday: Snow. High near 36. Light southeast wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could gust to 22 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible.
Saturday night: Rain and snow. Low around 29. Southeast wind 11 to 13 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust up to 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half inch are possible.
Sunday: Snow, mainly before 7 am. High near 33. West wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday evening: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. West-northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Light and variable wind.
Monday evening: A 40% chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Light northeast wind.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of snow before 1 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday evening: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Light and variable wind.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.
Wednesday evening: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32.
Indianapolis weather radar
Weather travel advisory
Weather information you need
🚨 Weather alerts for Indiana: Warnings, watches and advisories.
⚡ Indiana Power Outages Map: How to check your status.
💻 Internet outage: How to track them.
🚫 What you should and shouldn’t do when the power is interrupted.
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Where to report power outages and downed lines
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AES Indiana customers: 317-261-8111
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Duke Energy customers: 1-800-343-3525
How to report downed traffic signals or tree limbs blocking a road
If you encounter a missed traffic signal or a member blocking a road, contact the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 or online at RequestIndy.gov. When calling after hours, press “2” to be connected.
Road conditions in Indianapolis and Indiana
Check road conditions, including road closures, accidents and live webcams using the Trafficwise Indiana online map at 511in.org, or visit our traffic jam guide page for live traffic cameras and more.
INDOT’s CARS program provides information on road conditions, closures, and width and weight restrictions. The website has a color-coded map of Indiana’s highways and highlights hazardous road conditions and travel delays.
The interactive map also shows roadworks warnings, closures, road restrictions and other useful information for drivers.
This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: Heavy snow coming to Indiana, NWS says. Here is the forecast for Indianapolis