SATURDAY OUTLOOK

More Rain On The Way

Good evening!  What a beautiful spring weekend!  Yes the temperatures were slightly below average, but all that sunshine and dry weather was a welcome sight after 2-6" of rain last week!

The bad news is that the nice weather is not going to stick around to

start the week.  A system pushing in from the south will bring plenty of moisture into the Hoosier state.  Rain looks to push in from south to north after midnight, arriving to the I-70 corridor by 7am Monday.  Tomorrow will be a soggy, chilly day.  By time the rain moves out tomorrow night, .5" to 1" of rain will be likely, with isolated higher amounts.  Flooding has been a huge problem over the past several days, and the additional rainfall could cause additional problems.  Remember to NEVER drive over a flooded roadway.  

Tuesday looks better, but not great either.  An upper-level disturbance will swing through producing scattered showers and thunderstorms.  Due to very cold air aloft, don't be shocked to see some of these produce small hail.

High pressure pushes in Wednesday, bringing back ample sunshine and temperatures closer to normal.  

Thursday we will be sandwiched between a high pressure to our southeast and a low pressure to our north.  The tight gradient between these will push in a strong southwesterly flow.  While this means a windy day, it also means WARM temperatures will move in!  Highs near 70 if not a bit above for locations south of I-70 are likely.  A cold front will move in Thursday night into Friday, bring a chance for scattered showers or storms, but these should push out in time for decent weather Friday afternoon, with highs only slightly cooler in the 60's.  

Next weekend looks downright spring-like.  How does 70 degrees sound!!??  As of now I think Saturday should be mostly dry, with showers and storms likely on Sunday as a cold front approaches.  Timing of Sunday's front is still very uncertain right now, and changes to the forecast are likely between now and then.  Here is my updated 7 day forecast:

GREAT WEATHER RETURNS THIS WEEKEND

Good Friday everyone!  The past few days have been very active to say the least!  Showers and thunderstorms started moving in Tuesday night, and since then, rounds of very heavy rain have pushed through over and over again, particularly over the southern half of the state!  Check out the rainfall estimates over the past few days!  Most areas south of I-70 have seen anywhere from 3" to 8".  Those are insane amounts for only a 3 day period!  We have a plethora of flood watches/warnings/advisories in place.  Click here for details on all of that.  

Today, the heavy rain has FINALLY pushed east of the area.  We still have lingering drizzle/sprinkles at times today, but nothing that will cause any additional flooding.  It will be a windy, chilly, raw day with temps falling through the 40s.    

How is the weekend looking?  Spectacular!!  Expect a lot of sunshine, with highs in the 50's tomorrow, and near 60 Sunday, and frosty mornings.  Even though those temps are slightly below average, who is complaining?  That is pretty nice considering the weather we have gone through over the past few months.  

After a nice weekend, more April showers return.  Rain will quickly

arrive Sunday night, and Monday looks like a washout of a day with rain around.  Rain chances look to linger through Tuesday as well, although most of the rain falls on Monday.  More than 1" of rain will be likely.  

Temperatures will stay below average, mostly in the upper 40's to middle 50's through Wednesday, but a quick rebound in the 60's late in the week.  

Very Active Pattern Ahead

Good morning!  Happy first day of April.  What a spectacular day yesterday was!  At South Bend, it was the warmest day since October 12, 2013!  That was almost a half year ago!  Crazy!  Highs everywhere ranged from 65-70, and boy did it feel great!

Today is shaping up to be another winner of a day.  A weak cold front will stall out over southern Indiana.  This means central and northern Indiana will be a bit cooler than yesterday.  Highs will range widely from middle/upper 50's north to upper 60's near 70 south.  We should see a good deal of sunshine most of the day.  

ENJOY TODAY, because changes start to roll in tonight.  Showers will begin to push in after sunset, and this will kick off a very unsettled period of weather for the rest of the week.  It does not mean each day will be a total washout, but plenty of showers and thunderstorms expected from tomorrow through Friday, which will have a TON of moisture!  We also have a risk for some severe storms.  The first chance comes late tomorrow into Thursday for far southwest Indiana, then a more widespread risk for Thursday night into Friday.  Here are the risk maps from the Storm Prediction Center...

Right now damaging winds appear to be the main concern with the threats.  This will be something to watch closely over the next few days.  The thunderstorms look to move out Friday afternoon, but not before seeing very heavy rain totals.  Flooding is another big threat over the next few days, so if you live in a low lying area be aware!  The latest GFS puts the heaviest totals over the heart of central Indiana, indicating 3-4".  

We will finally have drier, yet much cooler air move in this weekend.  Right now both days look dry with some sunshine.  Saturday will be the chilliest, with highs only in the upper 40's to low 50's.  On Sunday, highs return to 55-60 statewide.  

I know most of you won't like this, but it looks like temperatures will be returning below normal for much of next week.  Should be no surprise considering the year we are having.  That said, it won't be anything brutal--just cooler than where we should be.  Here is the 6-10 day temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center...