Blizzard Conditions and Heavy Snowfall from February 13, 2007

...Blizzard Conditions and Heavy Snowfall Created Impassable Roads and Dangerous Conditions Over Much of the Area...

A strong upper level disturbance moved out of the southern plains on Tuesday. This disturbance helped generate an area of low pressure at the surface in central Texas. The surface low pressure moved northeast across central Kentucky while the upper level disturbance moved across central Indiana. Deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was drawn northward ahead of this system which resulted in widespread heavy snow across most of northern Indiana, southwest lower Michigan and Northwest Ohio. At the same time...a very cold arctic high pressure area was settling south across the lower Great Lakes. The pressure gradient between the high and low pressure areas created 20 to 30 mph sustained winds with wind gusts around 45 mph at times. The wind and snow combined to create snow drifts of 4 to 7 feet across the area. Many counties were forced to stop plowing because they could not keep up with the drifting and some trucks were getting stuck themselves. Numerous county roads were closed or nearly impassable Tuesday afternoon and night.

The heaviest snow from this system fell across north central Indiana. Snowfall amounts ranged from 12 to 18 inches in the heaviest band which occurred from Near Lafayette, Indiana...east to Marion and Portland, Indiana. A secondary heavy snow band also occurred from near Laporte Indiana to Goshen Indiana. 10 to 14 inches were reported in this narrow area.

Click here a summary of snowfall amounts from some reporting stations around the area. Note that not all of these amounts are final storm total amounts.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1120 AM EST WED FEB 14 2007

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM BLANKETED MUCH OF NORTHERN INDIANA...FAR
SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO WITH HEAVY SNOW...AS WELL
AS CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THAT CAUSED NUMEROUS
PROBLEMS FOR DRIVERS AND BUSINESSES. HERE ARE SOME OF THE STORM
AMOUNTS FOR THE EVENT.

LOCATION                         STORM TOTAL
                                 SNOWFALL
                                 INCHES
NORTHERN INDIANA

CITY                  COUNTY
AKRON                 FULTON     16.0 AS OF 7 AM
MARION                GRANT      16.0 AS OF 630 AM
HARTFORD CITY         BLACKFORD 16.0 AS OF 900 AM ON THE 14TH
MILLERSBURG           ELKHART    13.0 AS OF 1230 AM
BROOKSTON             WHITE      13.0 AS OF 9 PM ON THE 13TH
MONTICELLO            WHITE      12.5 AS OF 1045 ON THE 13TH LA
PORTE              LA PORTE      12.2 AS OF 430 AM
BLUFFTON              WELLS      12.0 AS OF 10 PM ON THE 13TH
ROCHESTER             FULTON     12.0 AS OF 7 AM
2 SW NORTH WEBSTER    KOSCIUSKO 10.5 AS OF 7 AM
5 W CHALMERS          WHITE      10.0 AS OF 7 AM
DECATUR               ADAMS      10.0 AS OF 10 PM ON THE 13TH
2 N NORTH WEBSTER     KOSCIUSKO 10.2 AS OF 1 AM
PLYMOUTH              MARSHALL   9.0 AS OF 7 AM
MICHIGAN CITY         LA PORTE   8.3 AS OF 3 AM
ANGOLA                STEUBEN    8.2 AS OF 7 AM
1 E WINONA LAKE       KOSCIUSKO 8.0 AS OF 1230 AM
1 N FORT WAYNE        ALLEN      8.0 AS OF 1130 PM ON THE 13TH
2 W ELKHART           ELKHART    7.0 AS OF 7 AM
LEESBURG              KOSCIUSKO 7.5 AS OF 7 AM
KENDALLVILLE          NOBLE      7.5 AS OF 7 AM
3 SW ASHLEY           DE KALB    7.5 AS OF 1230 AM
FORT WAYNE AIRPORT    ALLEN      7.4 AS OF 7 AM
4 E LEESBURG          KOSCIUSKO 7.0 AT 11 PM ON THE 13TH
SOUTH BEND AIRPORT    ST JOSEPH 6.1 AS OF 1 AM

SOUTHERN MICHIGAN

WHITE PIGEON          ST JOSEPH 11.0 AS OF 7 AM
BRONSON               BRANCH     9.3 AS OF 4 AM
BENTON HARBOR         BERRIEN    5.6 AS OF 9 AM
LITCHFIELD            HILLSDALE 4.4 AS OF 705 AM

NORTHWEST OHIO
VAN WERT              VAN WERT   12.0 AS OF 6 AM
DEFIANCE              DEFIANCE   11.5 AS OF 7 AM
LIMA                  ALLEN      11.0 AS OF 7 AM
PANDORA               PUTNAM     10.0 AS OF 12 AM

&&

FISHER/CLICK

Submitted by Sam Lashley - Senior Meteorologist