EVANSVILLE – The Evansville/Tri-State area could end up anywhere 5 to 12 inches of snow between Friday evening and Sunday evening.
The National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky, issued that warning in its latest update Wednesday, putting the entire Tri-State on alert for a winter storm that could snarl traffic, bring days of school and business closures and plunge the area into frigid temperatures until at least the middle of next week.
Exact snowfall totals are still up in the air, NWS Chief Forecaster Justin Gibbs said in a conference call with news outlets. But “everyone (in the Tri-State) will have something.”
“And we’ll probably have something significant enough that you’ll have a major impact on travel,” he said.
Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky are now under a winter storm watch. Localities do not earn this designation unless they experience the likelihood of 4 inches of snow or more. Gibbs said the NWS will likely issue a winter storm warning Thursday.
A chart from the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky, shows Evansville has a 30-40 percent chance of “major impacts” from a winter storm that could be in the area between January 23 and 25, 2026.
How much snow could Evansville get?
This is still going on.
Gibbs said totals could vary considerably between southwest Indiana and parts of western Kentucky. A “heavier band” of snow about 40 miles wide will sweep through the area on Saturday, bringing “stunning numbers” — up to 16 inches in places.
As of Wednesday, the NWS had Evansville perched on the northern end of that possible band, meaning parts of the city could get the worst of it. It could also stay well in the south.
The Evansville area currently has one 60-80% chance of 4 inches of snow or moreand a 50-60% chance of 6 inches or more.
Whatever we receive will remain. Gibbs said the Tri-State won’t even flirt with above-freezing temperatures until Tuesday or Wednesday. Heavy snowpack will make it difficult to reach that plateau, meaning some residents could be stuck inside for five days or more.
When will it start snowing?
Gibbs said it would probably come in waves. The first will arrive sometime between late Friday night and early Saturday morning, with a second, stronger burst later on Saturday.
A graphic from the National Weather Service shows the potential for dangerous wind chills in the Evansville area.
The cold could bring “life-threatening” travel conditions.
But snow isn’t the only thing to worry about.
Saturday’s high won’t break out of the mid-teens in Evansville, while the low will be in the single digits. Wind chills, meanwhile, could drop well below freezing both Saturday and Sunday night.
Gibbs warned against any kind of travel during the cold weather. Conditions could be “life-threatening” if a person gets stuck in the snow after a wreck.
What about ice and freezing rain?
That’s one of the few positives in all this mess: the likelihood of freezing rain in the Evansville area is very low.
Forecast models shared by the NWS on Wednesday did not show the freezing rain drifting further north than the Hopkinsville, Kentucky area. And it may not even get there. That means we shouldn’t, at least for now, repeat a January 2025 performance.
Despite our likely problems, that will make us lucky compared to the US Southeast
A giant line of “dangerous” rain and ice could engulf everything from Central Texas to the Carolinas, the NWS Forecast Center believes, putting millions of Americans in the path of “widespread power outages” and “treacherous travel conditions.”
OK, how about the wind?
Despite the dangerous wind chills, the actual severity of the breezes should be relatively mild. Gibbs said winds in the Tri-State will likely exceed 12 miles per hour.
He told some Kentucky officials to “prepare” for possible power outages, but did not consider them potentially widespread.
What should I do to protect myself and my home?
As always, the NWS urged everyone to avoid unnecessary travel during periods of heavy snow and brutal cold.
Residents should also stock up on emergency supplies in both their homes and vehicles. This includes plenty of food, batteries and warm clothes – coats, hats, gloves, scarves, the whole lot.
You should also leave faucets running Friday night until at least Wednesday night to help prevent pipes from freezing. If you lose power, keep generators at least 20 feet away from your home and don’t cover heaters with blankets or clothing.
Any chance we won’t get much snow?
Sure, but that becomes less and less likely as the hours and days wear on. Gibbs said cold air pushing in from the north will create a barrier that will lead to “sudden loads” of total snow.
“You’ll have maybe 5, 6 inches in one spot, and then you’ll have 1 or 2 or less (nearby),” he said. “But it seems increasingly likely that the limit is the northwest” of the area.
This article originally appeared on the Evansville Courier & Press: How much will it snow in Evansville?