Widespread snowfall amounts of a half inch to 2 inches were reported across the area during the overnight hours Friday night into Saturday morning. However, a narrow band of moderate to heavy snow brought localized snowfall amounts in the 4 to 7 inch range. The approach of an upper level trough allowed a frontal boundary in the upper levels of the atmosphere to strengthen during the overnight hours. In addition, some increasing instability aloft also tracked northward into northeast Indiana. These factors led to a narrow band of more intense snow. The following radar imagery highlights the nature of this narrow but intense band of snow at 4am EST from southern Kosciusko county, northwest Whitley county and eastern Noble county:
Storm total snowfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches were reported along some locations which experienced this banding, with the highest amounts reported across the northwest portions of Whitley county where close to 7 inches was reported north of Larwill. Just 10 to 15 miles west of this location, reports from Warsaw indicated generally between 1 and 3 inches highlighting the narrow banded nature of the heavier snow. The following radar imagery from 5am EST, just an hour later from the previous image, shows the initial band weakening, while another weaker band was forming southward:
Visible satellite imagery during the day on Saturday provides a clear indication of where this heavier snow setup. Note the apparent lack of appreciable snow cover across portions of White, Cass, central Miami county which were not affected by either of these two bands.
The following represents an analysis of 24 hour snowfall ending at 9am Saturday morning. These reports include COCORAHS and cooperative observers. A more complete listing of reports follows in a text summary below.
********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************
LOCATION STORM TOTAL TIME/DATE COMMENTS
SNOWFALL OF
/INCHES/ MEASUREMENT
INDIANA
...ALLEN COUNTY...
3 ESE HUNTERTOWN 1.2 700 AM 1/28
4 NE FORT WAYNE 1.1 700 AM 1/28
4 SE FORT WAYNE 1.0 700 AM 1/28
5 SW FORT WAYNE 0.8 700 AM 1/28
...DE KALB COUNTY...
1 SE HAMILTON 2.7 700 AM 1/28
1 NE AUBURN 2.0 700 AM 1/28
...ELKHART COUNTY...
1 SW MILLERSBURG 1.5 1000 AM 1/28
3 SSE ELKHART 1.0 700 AM 1/28
...FULTON COUNTY...
AKRON 1.5 600 AM 1/28
ROCHESTER 1.0 700 AM 1/28
...GRANT COUNTY...
5 NNE MARION 1.5 1000 AM 1/28
...KOSCIUSKO COUNTY...
1 W PIERCETON 4.0 736 AM 1/28
1 SE WINONA LAKE 2.4 700 AM 1/28
2 E WARSAW 1.8 800 AM 1/28
2 SW NORTH WEBSTER 1.7 700 AM 1/28
2 N NORTH WEBSTER 1.2 700 AM 1/28 1 INCH SINCE 1 AM
WARSAW 1.0 700 AM 1/28
...LA PORTE COUNTY...
3 NW LA PORTE 1.5 700 AM 1/28 0.14 INCH LIQUID EQUIV
1 E LA PORTE 1.4 700 AM 1/28
2 SW LA PORTE 1.0 800 AM 1/28
1 SSW LA PORTE 1.0 700 AM 1/28
WNW KINGSBURY 1.0 700 AM 1/28
WESTVILLE 1.0 650 AM 1/28
...LAGRANGE COUNTY...
10 E LAGRANGE 1.5 700 AM 1/28 0.14 INCH LIQUID EQUIV
...ST. JOSEPH COUNTY...
6 ENE WALKERTON 1.2 700 AM 1/28
3 W GRANGER 1.1 700 AM 1/28
...STEUBEN COUNTY...
2 E HAMILTON 2.0 700 AM 1/28
4 NNW HUDSON 1.9 730 AM 1/28 0.17 INCH LIQUID EQUIV
ANGOLA 1.8 700 AM 1/28
4 N ANGOLA 1.0 639 AM 1/28
...WELLS COUNTY...
4 N BLUFFTON 1.0 700 AM 1/28
...WHITLEY COUNTY...
5 N LARWILL 6.5 1000 AM 1/28
5 N COLUMBIA CITY 3.7 700 AM 1/28
COLUMBIA CITY 1.0 604 AM 1/28
MICHIGAN
...BERRIEN COUNTY...
BUCHANAN 2.0 605 AM 1/28
3 W NILES 1.4 700 AM 1/28
STEVENSVILLE 1.2 700 AM 1/28
...CASS COUNTY...
DOWAGIAC 2.2 1000 AM 1/28
...HILLSDALE COUNTY...
JONESVILLE 2.0 730 AM 1/28
...ST. JOSEPH COUNTY...
3 ESE WHITE PIGEON 1.0 855 AM 1/28
OHIO
...DEFIANCE COUNTY...
HICKSVILLE 1.5 830 AM 1/28
...WILLIAMS COUNTY...
1 WSW MONTPELIER 2.1 700 AM 1/28
As you can see from the above example, winter time snowfall patterns can be very localized in nature during particular events. This is one reason why your precipitation reports are so valuable! Thanks to everyone who submitted snowfall reports during this event.
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