Snow & NWS Headlines

Snow

Here is a map of the storm total snowfall from the event (February 8th-February 10th, 2018). A list of official snow totals for specific locations can be found under the "Storm Reports" tab.  

Figure 1. Storm Total Snow Map February 8th-10th, 2018

NWS Headlines

For this event, the NWS Northern Indiana had winter storm warnings for the counties shown in pink, and winter weather advisories for the counties shown in purple (Fig. 2). For current headlines, please visit our webpage.

Figure 2. NWS Headlines for the February 8th-9th, 2018 Winter Storm.

Photos:

Here are some of the photos sent to NWS Northern Indiana throughout the event. Thank you to those who submitted them! If you want to send us a unique or scenic photo from this event, you can send it via Twitter (@NWSIWX), Facebook (US National Weather Service Northern Indiana), or email (w-iwx.webmaster@noaa.gov). 

Figure 1. I 94 near Chesterton, IN around 10 am EST February 9th, 2018 (INDOT).	Figure 2. US 33 near Benton, IN. Photo by: Tim Yoder	Figure 3. Enjoying the snow with the llamas at a farm in LaPorte, IN. Addie Acres	Figure 4. Image from US 30 & US 31 area around 11:15 am on February 9th, 2018 (INDOT).

Figure 5. Snow at IWX on February 9th at 11 am ET. Megan Dodson	Figure 6. Snow at IWX on February 9th at 11 am ET. Megan Dodson	Figure 7. Snow at IWX on February 9th at 11 am ET. Megan Dodson	Figure 8. Snow at IWX on February 9th at 11 am ET. Megan Dodson

Figure 9. New Carlisle, IN. Clinton Griffiths	Figure 10. New Carlisle, IN. Clinton Griffiths	Figure 11. Steve Kinnett.	Figure 12. Michigan City, IN. Judy Sekerka Small.

Radar:

A radar loop of the event, which started Thursday Evening (2/8), and continued through Friday (2/9).

Fig. 1. Radar loop of the event from Thursday Evening (2/8), and continued through Friday (2/9).

Storm Reports

Here are the final storm total reports we received as of February 10th at 12:15 PM EST.

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1215 PM EST Sat Feb 10 2018

...February 8th and 9th Storm Total Snowfall...

Location                     Amount    Time/Date       Lat/Lon              

...Indiana...

...Allen County...
2 NW Leo Cedarville          3.5 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.24N/86.05W
4 SE Huntertown              3.0 in    1021 AM 02/10   41.20N/85.12W          
Fort Wayne 4.1 NE            2.3 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.12N/85.09W        
2 W Woodburn                 2.2 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.12N/84.91W              
2 ESE Huntertown             2.0 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.21N/85.12W          
1 WSW Maples                 1.2 in    0700 AM 02/10   40.99N/85.00W

...De Kalb County...
Auburn                       4.0 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.36N/85.06W        
Garrett                      2.5 in    0750 AM 02/10   41.34N/85.13W        

...Elkhart County...
1 NE Osceola                 14.0 in   0632 PM 02/09   41.68N/86.06W        
4 SSW Bristol                12.5 in   1133 AM 02/10   41.67N/85.85W
Dunlap                       11.0 in   0358 PM 02/09   41.64N/85.92W        
4 NNW Millersburg            10.5 in   0441 PM 02/09   41.58N/85.71W        
6.5 E Goshen                 10.5 in   1100 PM 02/09   41.50N/85.71W     
3 W Middlebury     10.0 in   0700 AM 02/10   41.67N/85.77W
3 NNE Wakarusa               8.7 in    1034 AM 02/10   41.57N/85.99W  
5 SW Elkhart                 8.5 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.64N/86.04W
Nappanee                     9.0 in    0735 AM 02/10   41.45N/85.98W        
2 WSW Goshen                 9.1 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.56N/85.88W                
Millersburg                  6.9 in    0835 PM 02/09   41.52N/85.70W                                

...Fulton County...
Akron                        4.0 in    1215 PM 02/10   41.04N/86.03W

...Kosciusko County...
Dewart Lake                  6.8 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.38N/85.78W        
2 WSW Syracuse               6.5 in    0130 PM 02/09   41.41N/85.79W  
1N Milford                   6.1 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.42N/85.85W      
James Lake                   4.4 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.31N/85.72W
Northern Indiana WFO         3.9 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.36N/85.70W                             
1 N Warsaw                   2.8 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.26N/85.85W
1 NNW Warsaw                 2.3 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.25N/85.86W      

...La Porte County...
Westville                    16.0 in   0700 PM 02/09   41.54N/86.91W        
2 NNW Hudson Lake            11.0 in   0815 PM 02/09   41.74N/86.55W               
2 WSW Springville            10.0 in   0735 AM 02/10   41.67N/86.78W        
2 SW LaPorte                 8.5 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.59N/86.74W
1 SW La Porte                7.1 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.59N/86.73W  
Wanatah                      5.0 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.43N/86.93W
1 W Hanna                    4.0 in    0900 AM 02/09   41.41N/86.81W      

...Lagrange County...
1 ENE Lagrange               3.5 in    1035 AM 02/09   41.65N/85.39W        

...Marshall County...
Plymouth                     8.0 in    0800 AM 02/10    41.34/86.30W    

...Noble County...   
2 E Rome City                4.9 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.50N/85.31W
1 S Ligonier                 3.0 in    0725 AM 02/09   41.45N/85.59W             

...St. Joseph County...
1 SW Granger                 15.0 in   0801 PM 02/09   41.72N/86.15W        
Granger                      14.5 in   0851 PM 02/09   41.74N/86.14W        
4 ENE Chain-O-Lakes          11.0 in   0510 PM 02/09   41.73N/86.32W        
1 ENE Gulivoire Park         11.0 in   0800 AM 02/10   41.62N/86.22W        
South Bend International Ap  10.9 in   0700 AM 02/10   41.71N/86.32W  
1 N Osceola                  10.0 in   0358 PM 02/09   41.68N/86.08W        
1 E Indian Village           9.0 in    0350 PM 02/09   41.71N/86.21W        
Roseland                     9.0 in    0358 PM 02/09   41.72N/86.25W        
1 N South Bend               9.0 in    0524 PM 02/09   41.69N/86.27W        
Walkerton 6ENE               8.3 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.50N/86.34W
New Carlisle                 8.0 in    0856 AM 02/10   41.70N/86.51W        
1 NE Osceola                 7.0 in    0405 PM 02/09   41.68N/86.07W                           

...Starke County...
Knox WWTP                    6.0 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.31N/86.63W 
3 ESE San Pierre             5.0 in    0715 AM 02/10   41.18N/86.83W             
North Judson                 4.0 in    0750 AM 02/10   41.21N/86.78W    


...Steuben County...
Long Lake                    12.0 in   0630 PM 02/09   41.58N/85.03W        
Angola                       7.0 in    1107 AM 02/09   41.64N/85.00W     
4 NNW Hudson                 5.9 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.59N/85.11W
2 WSW Golden Lake            5.9 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.59N/85.10W     
Pleasant Lake                5.0 in    1124 AM 02/09   41.58N/85.02W        
1 W Golden Lake              4.5 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.60N/85.09W   
2 NE Crooked Lake            4.3 in    0126 PM 02/09   41.70N/85.00W        
1 SE Pleasant Lake           4.1 in    0330 PM 02/09   41.56N/85.00W            
1 E Hamilton                 3.8 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.53N/84.89W        
Hudson                       3.0 in    1118 AM 02/09   41.53N/85.08W        
1 E Salem Center             2.4 in    0709 AM 02/09   41.59N/85.11W        

...Whitley County...
Columbia City                2.0 in    0700 AM 02/09   41.15N/85.49W        

...Michigan...

...Berrien County...
Buchanan                     12.5 in   0358 PM 02/09   41.83N/86.37W        
2 ESE Buchanan               12.4 in   0900 AM 02/10   41.82N/86.34N
3W Niles                     11.7 in   1000 AM 02/10   41.84N/86.30N
Niles                        11.5 in   0358 PM 02/09   41.83N/86.25W        
1 NW Three Oaks              10.8 in   0530 PM 02/09   41.80N/86.62W        
Saint Joseph                 8.9 in    0700 AM 02/10   42.10N/86.49W        
2 SE Stevensville            9.4 in    0730 AM 02/10   41.99N/86.51W    
1 W Fair Plain               10.4 in   0700 AM 02/10   42.08N/86.48W          

...Branch County...
Coldwater                    14.0 in   0800 AM 02/10   41.94N/85.00W        
1 WNW Coldwater Lake         11.0 in   0645 PM 02/09   41.83N/84.99W        

...Cass County...
Dowagiac                     15.0 in   0550 PM 02/09   41.98N/86.11W        
2 W Cassopolis               14.0 in   0804 PM 02/09   41.91N/86.05W        

...Hillsdale County...
Litchfield                   11.5 in   0645 AM 02/10   42.04N/84.76W 
2 SSE Montgomery             7.6 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.76N/84.79W   
1 NE Moscow                  6.0 in    0302 PM 02/09   42.06N/84.50W                    

...St. Joseph County...
Three Rivers                 5.5 in    1048 AM 02/09   41.95N/85.63W        
2 E Constantine              3.0 in    0757 AM 02/09   41.84N/85.63W        

...Ohio...

...Fulton County...
3 NW Tedrow                  4.0 in    1023 AM 02/10   41.64N/84.25W        
Wauseon                      3.0 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.54N/84.14W
2 WNW Winameg                2.5 in    1000 AM 02/09   41.63N/84.10W        

...Henry County...
Napoleon                     3.5 in    0745 AM 02/09   41.40N/84.13W        
3 SE Mcclure                 3.4 in    0700 AM 02/10   41.33N/83.91W
Gallup                       1.8 in    0800 AM 02/10   41.46N/84.15W

...Paulding County...
Paulding                     2.5 in    0800 AM 02/10    41.12N/84.60W

...Putnam County...
1 N Ottawa                   1.1 in    0700 AM 02/10    41.04N/84.04W

...Williams County...
Bryan                        5.5 in    0114 PM 02/09   41.47N/84.55W        
Montpelier                   3.0 in    0930 AM 02/09   41.58N/84.60W        
1 NW Bryan                   2.8 in    0830 AM 02/09   41.48N/84.56W        

Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying
equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers 
for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.

Environment

Surface maps below (Fig. 1-9) show the initially stationary front to our southwest that gradually lifted northward as warm front. Warm, moist air was transported over this frontal boundary (Figs. 12, 13), leading to the initial light to moderate snowfall, with accumulations of 1-5" observed through 7 am EST on February 9th. Soon after, an upper level jet (Fig. 10) and mid level shortwave (Fig. 11) brought additional forcing to the low pressure system, inducing a frontogenetic response (Fig. 15). This forcing combined with steep mid level lapse rates (Fig. 14) aloft led to the heavier snowfall observed from roughly 7 am EST February 9th onward. 

Figure 1: Sfc Weather Map: 7pm ET Feb 8, 2018. WPC	Figure 2: Sfc Weather Map: 11 pm ET Feb 8, 2018. WPC	Figure 3: Sfc Weather Map: 1 am ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC

Figure 4: Sfc Weather Map: 4 am ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC	Figure 5: Sfc Weather Map: 7 am ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC	Figure 6: Sfc Weather Map: 10 am ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC

Figure 7: Sfc Weather Map: 1 pm ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC	Figure 8: Sfc Weather Map: 4pm ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC	Figure 9: Sfc Weather Map: 7 pm ET Feb 9, 2018. WPC

Figure 10: Upper Level Jet, Divergence in Pink (SPC)	Figure 11: Mid-Level (500mb) Shortwave approaching the area (SPC)	Figure 12: 850mb Moisture Transport into the area (SPC)

Figure 13: 850mb Warm Air Advection during the morning of Feb 9th (SPC)	Figure 14: Mid Level Lapse Rates at 1 pm EST February 9th (SPC)	Figure 15: 700mb Frontogenesis, 1 pm EST February 9th (SPC)

Frontogenesis

Frontogenesis (FGEN) is an atmospheric phenomena that leads to the genesis of a front or intensification of a pre-existing frontal zone. It occurs beneath the exit region of upper level jet streaks where converging winds amplify the horizontal temperature gradient across the frontal zone. This in turn leads to enhanced uplift across the frontal zone and is often accompanied by heavy precipitation.

Figure 1: Conceptual model of atmospheric circulations that develop in response to upper level jet streaks.	Figure 2: 300mb Jet Circulations (pink contours): 1 pm ET Feb 9, 2018.	Figure 3: GOES-R Visible Image (yellow contour denotes frontogenesis with shallow convection/enhanced precipitation taking place): 12 pm ET Feb 9, 2018.