The National Weather Service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Advisory:
Webmaster’s note: Make sure to read the second half of the alert as it pertains directly to the Fort Wayne area.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
449 AM EST SAT DEC 4 2010…LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST INDIANA…
…LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHEAST INDIANA…
.CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE FAVORABLE FOR A PROLONGED SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT DEVELOPING TONIGHT AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. AS MUCH COLDER AIR SPREADS SOUTH OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN…LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL INITIALLY SPREAD INLAND OVER LAPORTE AND STARKE COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST INDIANA. AS NORTHERLY WINDS SHIFT MORE TO THE NORTHWEST LATE TONIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY…THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS WILL SHIFT MORE TO THE EAST…AFFECTING BERRIEN AND CASS COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND SAINT JOSEPH…ELKHART AND MARSHAL COUNTIES OF NORTHERN INDIANA. SNOW IN THESE AREAS WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES WITH SNOWFALL RATES AT TIMES OF 1 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR. LESS INTENSE SNOWBANDS WILL AFFECT SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN AND NORTHEAST INDIANA SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.
GIVEN THE NATURE OF LAKE EFFECT SNOWFALL AND INHERENT DIFFICULTIES IN FORECASTING…PRECISE FORECASTS OF SNOW AMOUNTS REMAIN DIFFICULT AT BEST. THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TOTALS BY DAYBREAK TUESDAY AND FOR SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL IMPACT DURING THIS TIME FRAME IS HIGH. INTENSE SNOWBANDS ALONG WITH THE EXTENDED DURATION OF THE EVENT SUGGESTS THAT SOME LOCATIONS WILL RECEIVE IN EXCESS OF A FOOT OF A SNOW. LOCALIZED AREAS WHERE SNOWBANDS PERSIST COULD RECEIVE IN EXCESS OF A FOOT AND A HALF OF SNOW BY DAYBREAK TUESDAY…ESPECIALLY IN BERRIEN AND WESTERN CASS COUNTIES IN MICHIGAN. LESSER AMOUNTS…GENERALLY IN THE 3 TO 7 INCH RANGE…ARE ANTICIPATED IN THE ADVISORY AREA.
WHITLEY-ALLEN IN-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…COLUMBIA CITY…TRI-LAKES… SOUTH WHITLEY…FORT WAYNE…NEW HAVEN 449 AM EST SAT DEC 4 2010
…LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 6 AM EST TUESDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 6 AM EST TUESDAY.
* TIMING…LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL BEGIN AROUND DAYBREAK SUNDAY. CONTINUED LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL PERSIST INTO MONDAY NIGHT AND MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES BY DAYBREAK TUESDAY.
* OTHER IMPACTS…VISIBILITIES WILL BE HIGHLY VARIABLE WITH INTENSE SNOWFALL IN NARROW BANDS. UNTREATED ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. TRAVEL ON AFFECTED PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 69 AND ROUTE 30 COULD BECOME HAZARDOUS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY MEANS LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT IN SOME AREAS. LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TYPICALLY ALIGN THEMSELVES IN BANDS AND WILL LIKELY BE INTENSE ENOUGH TO DROP SEVERAL INCHES IN LOCALIZED AREAS. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING.