The National Weather Service has extended the Winter Storm Warning until 7 am tomorrow morning:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
716 PM EST SUN JAN 5 2014…WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST MONDAY…
…WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 8 PM EST TUESDAY…
THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST MONDAY.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
* HEAVY SNOW WITH RATES OF 1 INCH PER HOUR WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MID EVENING BEFORE ENDING. STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 16 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING. WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT INTO MONDAY WHICH COULD PRODUCE NEAR WHITE OUT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES.
* TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY TONIGHT WITH LOWS BETWEEN 7 BELOW AND 20 BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30 BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY.
IMPACTS…
* ROADS ARE SNOW COVERED AND BECOMING IMPASSABLE IN MANY AREAS DUE TO SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
* VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS IN HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW THIS EVENING.
* FROST BITE AND HYPOTHERMIA WILL OCCUR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES WITH THESE EXPECTED WIND CHILLS. DEATH WILL ALSO OCCUR IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.