URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
421 PM EST MON FEB 8 2010

…WINTER STORM WARNING FOR LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING…

…SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM BEARING DOWN ON THE REGION…

.LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE OHIO VALLEY REGION BY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW IS LIKELY TO BECOME HEAVY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL DEVELOP AS WINDS INCREASE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY WITH WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH GUSTING TO 30 TO 40 MPH. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO GENERALLY RANGE BETWEEN 6 TO 14 INCHES…WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ACROSS FAR NORTHERN INDIANA INTO SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

421 PM EST MON FEB 8 2010

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY…

• TIMING…SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND BECOME HEAVY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW WILL TAPER TO SNOW SHOWERS ON WEDNESDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. TOTAL SNOWFALL BY LATE WEDNESDAY SHOULD RANGE FROM 7 TO 11 INCHES…WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DRIFTS.
• MAIN IMPACT…HEAVY SNOW WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. INCREASING NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…RESULTING IN NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES AND SOME IMPASSABLE ROADS IN RURAL AREAS. TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES AT THE FORT WAYNE AIRPORT AND ON INTERSTATE 69 AND ROUTES 24 AND 30 WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS AND IMPACT TO COMMERCE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.