Warmer Mid-Week - Wintry Weather this Weekend?

Roads are slick this morning after light snow and freezing drizzle overnight.  This has caused several accidents.  Another reminder that it only takes a tiny bit to cause major problems on the roadways.  Be careful as you venture out this morning.  Conditions will improve through the day, with any lingering precipitation ending by mid-morning.  We may even see some sun later today.  

The middle of the week will feature a warming trend.  Tomorrow looks mostly sunny, with highs ranging from the upper 20s over snow-packed northeast Indiana, to around 40 in southwest Indiana.

Our next system arrives Thursday.  Precipitation may start out as some light freezing rain early Thursday mainly across the northern half of the state.  Temperatures will quickly warm into the lower 40s during the day, so any travel issues would be short-lived.   Colder air will push in on the backside of the system, meaning a transition to light snow showers Thursday evening.  

After this, all eyes will be on a potential storm system this weekend.  All three major global models now show a storm impacting the state, but solutions vary with each model.  That is to be expected when we are still five days out.  Timing of this potential system would be Saturday night through Sunday night.  

The GFS (American model) is the warmest of the models for this storm.  It tracks the low pressure up near the Ohio River.  Taken at verbatim, this would be mainly snow north of I-70, with a mainly rain event for southern Indiana.

Image courtesy of tropicaltidbits.com

The ECMWF (European model) is a colder solution.  It tracks the low from central Tennessee up through central Kentucky.  This would be a very favorable track for accumulating snow for much of Indiana. 

Image courtesy of Penn State's weather models site.

The GEM (Canadian model) is the coldest/most suppressed solution tracking the system farther south.  Taken literally, this would put the heaviest snow swath across southern Indiana and Kentucky.  

Image courtesy of tropicaltidbits.com

Remember this is just guidance.  The models will continue to waffle around over the next few days.  Right now it is feasible to say the potential is increasing for wintry weather this weekend, but many, many details to be ironed out in the days ahead.  

Have a great Tuesday!!