Winter Storm — Owen, Indiana

2022-12-22 to 2022-12-24 · Owen, Indiana

Event narrative

Temperatures early on the 23rd were as low as -10F, while strong winds gusted as high as 49 mph...resulting in extreme wind chills as low as -40F. Snowfall as great as 2.0 inches combined with the strong winds to produce blowing snow and drifting snow, with visibility as low as 1/4 mile...while a Travel Watch was issued for the county due to the impacts of extreme cold and blowing snow on road conditions.

Wider weather episode

An arctic cold front crossed Indiana from west to east during the early afternoon to early evening of the 22nd, as an area of low pressure deepened along this passing boundary. The storm system intensified rapidly over the following 36 hours while tracking through the Great Lakes and into Quebec. The gradient between this storm and very strong arctic high pressure over the central United States brought strong westerly winds, gusting locally as high as 56 mph at Muncie.

The combination of these winds with near-record low temperatures behind the frontal passage made for dangerously low wind chills across the region, as low as -46 degrees in Hamilton County, from late on the 22nd through the morning of the 24th. Wet roads at the time of the frontal passage quickly led to surfaces flash freezing through the evening of the 22nd, resulting in hazardous travel conditions. Other, less-intense impacts included generally 1-2 of snowfall through the night of the 22nd, and subsequent blowing snow and drifting snow that reduced visibility as low as 1/4 to 3/4 mile.

An indirect weather-related fatality from an automotive accident occurred in Arlington (Rush Co.) early on the 24th. A 19-hour period from mid-afternoon on the 22nd to late morning on the 23rd included Indiana State Police responding to 54 crashes (9 with injuries), 13 slide-offs, and 66 motorist assists across the Indianapolis district (Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Shelby Counties). This 7-county sub-region also saw 3 troopers struck by motor vehicles, including 1 injury, while trying to assist other incidents. Significant travel impacts were noted throughout the storm, with 7 of 39 central Indiana counties placed under a Travel Warning - the most severe travel category. Portions of US Highway 421 to the northwest of Indianapolis, as well as numerous secondary roads across central Indiana, were closed for several days due to weather conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1061943. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.