Winter Weather — Marion, Indiana

2025-11-10 · Marion, Indiana

Event narrative

A briefly intense snow shower reduced visibility and produced slick road surfaces, causing a 3-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate Route 70 near mile marker 92.3. Multiple persons were injured.

Wider weather episode

Broad and anomolously strong 528-dm 500 mb upper trough phased and deepened while plunging into the Midwest early on the 10th. A potent vorticity maximum, embedded at the center of the trough, tracked down Lake Michigan and into central Indiana, combining with the lake-warmed boundary layer, rather steep mid-level lapse rates of 7-8 degrees/km, and an inverted surface trough aligned near the Interstate 70 corridor, to produce numerous lake-enhanced snow showers across central Indiana. At times heavy snowfall rates, produced 0.5 to 3.0 inch accumulations for most of the region by 700 EST, with additional snowfall amid near-record low daytime temperatures held mainly below freezing, producing storm total snowfall of 0.7-4.0 inches for most of the region by 1900 EST.

Initially wet roads became icy early on the 10th. Multiple persons were injured in a three-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate Route 70 near mile marker 92, in far east-central Indianapolis. Across Marion County, the IMPD reported more than 50 crashes by 1245 EST, including seven others that caused lane closures on Interstate Routes 465 and 70. Also reported along the I-70 corridor early on the 10th: in Hancock County during 500-815 EST 52 crashes and 15 slide-offs; in Johnson County around 800 EST a semi trailer fell onto its side on northbound Interstate Route 65 near mile marker 98; in Vigo County by 1000 EST 27 slide-offs/accidents; and in Clay County around 1145 EST a semi trailer rolled over on Interstate Route 70 near mile marker 15. The Indiana State Police Indianapolis District reported a total of 134 crashes, 18 with injuries, and 15 slide-offs across the Indianapolis Metro area through the overnight and morning of the 10th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1296421. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.