6:45 P.M. UPDATE:
A winter storm could dump up to nine inches of snow in the Bloomington area by Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm system will start as rain overnight Tuesday, then turn into a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow by Wednesday evening.
The timing of the transition from rain to snow depends on how quickly temperatures drop.
"There might be a glaze of ice or a tenth of an inch of ice from freezing rain, but then it should switch over to sleet or a mix of sleet and snow pretty quickly and that may continue for a little while until it fully transitions over to snow," said meteorologist Randy Bowers.
Bowers doesn’t expect the ice to cause major power outages. The longer the transition from rain, the less accumulation of snow there will be.
Wednesday at 11am ET (10am CT), I'll host a media briefing with agency heads from @INDOT , @IndStatePolice and @IDHS to update Hoosiers on the anticipated winter weather event. Watch live at https://t.co/NOK2pq5iJg or here: https://t.co/MpHOVJtnYi — Governor Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) February 1, 2022
Bloomington and south central Indiana could see four to nine inches of snow by Thursday night.
Monroe County Community School Corp. announced Tuesday that classes will move to eLearning instruction Wednesday through Friday. Meals will be provided from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at select schools, posted on the MCCSC website.
Many COVID testing and vaccination clinics will close Wednesday evening. The Indiana Department of Health said in a statement that individuals with appointments will receive instructions on how to reschedule.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says the city has 900 tons of salt ready to go and 700 tons on order.
“The demand is pretty consistent across the Midwest and particularly out east. So we're trying to get that stuff delivered. And it's a challenge," Lienhoop said.
We are prepping for the winter storm with a full call out for plows. Please stay off the roads. It takes 2-3 hours for plows to return to the beginning of a route, so roads may become impassable, depending on snowfall rates, wind etc. pic.twitter.com/UQaj4tP3Mo — INDOT (@INDOT) February 1, 2022
The Indiana Department of Transportation will be at full force, with nearly 1,000 trucks treating and plowing state highways.
Central Indiana could receive up to a foot of snow. Northern parts of the state could see more than 18 inches of snow.
A winter storm warning takes effect Wednesday until Friday for most of the state.
Weather status by county as well as delays and closings being reported to WFIU and WTIU News can be found here.
