Winter Storm — Randolph, Indiana

2022-02-02 to 2022-02-04 · Randolph, Indiana

Event narrative

Snowfall reports ranged from 8.0 to 9.5 inches with the greatest observation at Modoc. A Travel Warning was issued for the county which is the highest level of local travel advisory due to the extreme impacts of the snow on road conditions.

Wider weather episode

From the morning hours of Wednesday February 2nd through the morning hours on Friday February 4th, a strong winter storm moved through central Indiana while arctic high pressure simultaneously built into the region from northwest to southeast. The advancement of cold air changed what was initially appreciable rain, to all snow, with a prolonged period of freezing rain to sleet during this slow transition across many of the region's southern counties.

Snow began across the upper Wabash Valley on the morning of February 2nd with the heaviest snow for most of central Indiana's northern counties occurring during the 2nd's daytime. The transitional zone then advanced to a line from roughly Terre Haute to Muncie by late day on the 2nd, before significantly slowing its progress to the southeast. The night of February 2nd saw a lull in accumulating precipitation for several hours over most of the region.

Heavy snow then impacted the Interstate 70 corridor and points south on February 3rd from pre-dawn through the overnight hours, although mixed precipitation types continued for central Indiana's far southern and far southeastern counties through the February 3rd daytime. Additional light accumulating snow fell through the morning hours of February 4th south of Interstate 70. The 48-hour period included Indiana State Police responding to 109 crashes, 110 slide-offs, and 284 motorist assists across the Indianapolis district (Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Shelby Counties). Significant travel impacts were noted throughout the storm, with at least 22 of 39 central Indiana counties placed under a Travel Warning - the most severe travel category.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 999400. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.