986  
FXUS63 KIND 181451  
AFDIND  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN  
951 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- RAIN ENDING THIS MORNING, LEADING TO A CLOUDY AND COOLER  
AFTERNOON  
 
- COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN THURSDAY THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND  
 
- LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE SNOW COULD  
IMPACT THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE.  
 
- RAIN FOR CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS DAY  
 
 
   
FORECAST UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 951 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
GLOOMY MORNING IN PROGRESS AS THICK CLOUD COVER REMAINS ACROSS THE  
REGION. THE LAST OF THE STEADIER RAINFALL WAS MOVING OUT OF FAR  
EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH A BROKEN...NARROW BAND OF  
SPRINKLES PIVOTING EAST THROUGH THE AREA IN ADVANCE OF AN UPPER  
LEVEL WAVE. 14Z TEMPS RANGED FROM THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S.  
 
DEEPER MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE ITS DEPARTURE EAST OVER THE NEXT  
SEVERAL HOURS WITH ANY LINGERING DRIZZLE OR SPRINKLES DIMINISHING.  
TO THIS POINT...THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY FLURRIES NOTED ACROSS FAR  
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF CENTRAL INDIANA AND OUTSIDE OF A SMALL AND  
LOCALIZED OCCURRENCE THROUGH MIDDAY AM NOT EXPECTING ANY FLURRIES  
GOING FORWARD.  
 
COLD ADVECTION WILL SETTLE OVER THE REGION FOR THE AFTERNOON WITH  
SHALLOW MOISTURE BECOMING TRAPPED BENEATH AN INVERSION AS DRIER AIR  
ALOFT ADVECTS OVER THE OHIO VALLEY. WHILE A NARROW CLEARING AXIS IS  
SET TO PIVOT ACROSS THE WABASH VALLEY OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...  
EXPECT LOWER CLOUDS WILL LARGELY PERSIST ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST  
AREA THROUGH LATE DAY.  
 
TEMPS ARE NOT LIKELY TO MOVE MUCH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH HIGH  
RANGING FROM THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. ZONE AND  
GRID UPDATES OUT.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM (TODAY AND TONIGHT)  
 
ISSUED AT 245 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT FEW  
HOURS, AS LOW LEVEL WSW FLOW STRENGTHENS. THIS HAS LEAD TO A  
WIDESPREAD 5-7KFT STRATUS DECK ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL INDIANA.  
WITHIN THIS CLOUD DECK, PRECIPITATION PROCESSES HAVE BEGUN, LEADING  
TO FURTHER LOW LEVEL SATURATION, AND EVENTUALLY RAIN. THIS PROCESS  
WILL WORK EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND INTO THE MORNING, WITH  
NUMEROUS SHOWERS ACROSS THE THE I-70 CORRIDOR AND SOUTHWARD AFTER  
09Z. A MAJORITY OF THE QPF WILL BE SOUTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR (0.2-  
0.4"), WITH 0.05-0.1" EXPECTED NORTH OF I-70. A STATIONARY BOUNDARY  
IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG THE OHIO RIVER, OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO  
LEAD TO GREATER LOW LEVEL VERTICAL MOTION AND HIGHER PRECIPITATION  
RATES FOR FAR SOUTHERN IN. THE CURRENT EXPECTATION IS FOR THESE  
HIGHER RATES TO REMAIN SOUTH OF KNOX/DAVIESS/MARTIN COUNTIES, BUT  
WITH THE MARGIN OF ERROR ONLY BEING IN THE TENS OF MILES, THIS IS  
SOMETHING THAT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED THIS MORNING.  
 
THE LIFT IN THIS INITIAL PRECIPITATION WILL BE MOSTLY DUE TO A  
STRONG AREA OF 900-750MB WAA AND ISENTROPIC LIFT. THIS AREA OF WAA  
IS EXPECTED TO CREATE A ROBUST WARM NOSE, OF WHICH SHOULD KEEP ALL  
PRECIPITATION AS RAIN DESPITE WETBULB SURFACE TEMPERATURES NEARING  
FREEZING EARLY THIS MORNING. WITH THAT SAID, THERE WILL BE A PUSH OF  
COLDER 850-700MB TEMPERATURES ALONG THE MID LEVEL TROUGH POST 12Z  
THIS MORNING. IF PRECIPITATION DOES OCCUR WITHIN THIS COOLER  
CORRIDOR, SNOW WILL LIKELY MIX WITH RAIN. HREF MEMBERS CURRENTLY ARE  
VARIED IN COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS MID LEVEL WAVE  
LEADING TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN OCCURRENCE. EITHER WAY, SNOW  
ACCUMULATIONS WOULD BE CONFINED TO GENERALLY CRAWFORDSVILLE TO  
MUNCIE AND AREAS NORTH, AND WOULD BE LESS THAT 0.2", WITH NO IMPACT  
EXPECTED ON WARM ROADWAYS.  
 
THE REST OF THE DAY WILL BE RATHER QUIET, WITH HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDING UNDERNEATH MODEST CAA. THIS WILL LEAD TO MUCH COOLER  
TEMPERATURES TODAY WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S TO LOW 40S.  
GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING SOME CLEARING IN CLOUD COVER THIS AFTERNOON,  
BUT GIVEN HOW QUICKLY HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN, THERE IS LIKELY TO BE  
A REMNANT SUPPRESSED SATURATED LAYER THOUGH MOST OF THE DAY AND  
TONIGHT. THIS SHOULD ALSO BUOY OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES A LITTLE,  
KEEPING LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S. IF BREAKS/COOLER OVERNIGHT  
LOWS DUE OCCUR, THEY WOULD BE MOST LIKELY OVER W/SW PORTIONS OF  
CENTRAL IN.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)  
 
ISSUED AT 245 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
FOCUS IN THE LONG TERM IS ON A COUPLE OF PRECIPITATION EVENTS. ONE  
IS A CLIPPER SYSTEM AROUND FRIDAY AND THE OTHER IS RAIN FOR  
CHRISTMAS EVE/CHRISTMAS DAY.  
 
THURSDAY WILL BE QUIET AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH AND  
SURFACE LOW. THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY, THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE  
IN, AND AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN INDIANA.  
 
GOOD ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL ACCOMPANY THE SYSTEM, AND AN UPPER JET  
WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FORCING. BEST MOISTURE THOUGH WILL BE  
CONFINED TO NEAR AND NORTH OF THE SURFACE LOW.  
 
SOME MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS DO SHOW LIMITED MOISTURE IN THE ICE  
FORMATION ZONE, SO THERE IS SOME CONCERN FOR SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE  
WITH PRECIPITATION ONSET THURSDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE  
UNCERTAINTY, WILL LEAVE MENTION OF THAT OUT FOR NOW.  
 
WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS ACROSS NORTH AND NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE  
AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING, WITH SNOW AS THE  
PRECIPITATION TYPE. AS COLD ADVECTION CONTINUES BEHIND THE SYSTEM  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE AROUND.  
WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING THEN.  
 
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HAVE COME UP WITH THE SOUTHWARD TREND OF THE LOW,  
BUT AMOUNTS WILL STILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT. HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR AN  
INCH WOULD BE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST FORECAST AREA WITH LIGHTER  
AMOUNTS TO THE SOUTHWEST. THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE COULD BE  
AFFECTED BY THIS LIGHT SNOWFALL.  
 
SATURDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY MONDAY LOOK TO BE QUIET AND  
COLD WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL.  
 
FOR CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS DAY, AN UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO  
THE AREA. AT THE SURFACE, AN INITIAL FRONT WILL STALL NEARBY, AND A  
SURFACE WAVE WILL RIDE ALONG IT. PLENTIFUL MOISTURE WILL BE BROUGHT  
INTO THE SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE  
WARM ENOUGH FOR ALL RAIN.  
 
QUESTIONS REMAIN THOUGH ON TIMING OF FORCING, WHERE THE FRONT WILL  
HANG UP, AND THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS. THESE WILL HAVE IMPACTS ON WHEN  
THE HIGHEST POPS WILL OCCUR AND WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL FALL.  
00Z GFS HAS 48 HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER 2 INCHES IN THE SOUTH, BUT  
THE GEFS AND OTHER MODELS PLACE THIS AXIS SOUTH OF THE AREA. THIS  
WILL BE SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON.  
 
HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE MID 40S BY CHRISTMAS DAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION (12Z TAF ISSUANCE)  
 
ISSUED AT 627 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
IMPACTS:  
 
- MVFR CEILINGS AT KBMG CURRENTLY, OTHER TAF SITES THIS AFTERNOON  
 
- SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH THE MORNING. SNOW MAY MIX IN AT  
KLAF  
 
DISCUSSION:  
 
OUTSIDE OF KBMG WHICH IS ALREADY UNDER MVFR CIGS, ALL SITES CIGS  
WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER THIS MORNING. BY THIS AFTERNOON ALL SITES  
SHOULD BE UNDER AN MVFR CLOUD DECK, BUT THIS SHOULD IMPROVE  
WEDNESDAY EVENING TO A LOW VFR CLOUD DECK.  
 
RAIN WILL DECREASE IN COVERAGE EARLY THIS MORNING WITH ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUING THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. SLIGHT VIS  
AND CIG REDUCTIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN SHOWERS. P-TYPE IS EXPECTED  
TO BE RAIN OUTSIDE OF KLAF WHERE A FEW FLAKES MAY MIX IN AT TIMES  
THIS MORNING.  
 
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BACK TO NORTHWEST BY THIS AFTERNOON.  
OVERNIGHT, WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE, BUT GENERALLY  
WILL SHIFT TOWARDS THE S/SE WITH TIME.  
 
 
   
IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...RYAN  
SHORT TERM...UPDIKE  
LONG TERM...50  
AVIATION...UPDIKE  
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