Winter Weather — Elkhart, Indiana

2026-01-14 · Elkhart, Indiana

Event narrative

An arctic cold front moved through with a mixture of sleet and rain changing to a period of snow. Snow accumulations were generally an inch or two at best. However, the cold air rushing in with the front and snow allowed the wet pavement to freeze late morning into the afternoon and early evening. This resulted in reports of slide-offs and accidents across the region, with a 30 car pileup reported on the Indiana Toll Road. Several people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Wider weather episode

A wintry mix changed over to snow as temperatures plunged well below freezing behind an arctic front. This created an icy flash freeze environment under a half inch to two inches of snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1303028. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.