Weather forecast update for 2/18/26 for central Indiana,.

It's a lovely day today! Enjoy Fake-Spring because it wont last long. Strong storms and tornadoes are possible tomorrow along and south of I-70. The time-frame for this looks like it will be between 3pm and 8pm. Rain showers will continue until midnight. Dewpoints will be key in determining how severe the storms will become. Dewpoints above 60 are dangerous and dewpoints below 60 will save us. 

The overall pattern will repeat for the next three weeks. Storms on Thursday and Friday. Cold for the weekends. Warming Monday through Wednesday. Wash, rinse, three-peat.

Winter is not over; not by a long shot!

It will be nice and warm tomorrow with a high of 70 degrees. The wind will pick up tomorrow also.

There are two major concerns right now. One is the strong winds that are whipping up wildfires in Oklahoma so much so that the smoke looks like rain on the radar. Four people are already dead. Red Flag Warnings are posted in several western states. 

The next concern is the severe weather outbreak and possible tornadoes on Thursday.

After that, winter returns on Sunday and so do our snow chances but let's focus on getting through the next 60 hours first.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/17/weather/fire-oklahoma-texas-kansas-colorado-climate

https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-wildfire-forgan-fire-beaver-county/70396179

A wild week of weather this week.

The snow has melted and now we have fog. It will be 70 degrees on Wednesday. Thunderstorms on Thursday and snow on Sunday. 

Just as usual, it looks like we will get snow for Valentine's Day.

Four different models are showing snow for Valentine's Day.  

Warming trend starts on Thursday but the Polar Vortex will return.

Light snow on Tuesday.

12 degrees Tuesday night.

9 degrees on Wednesday night.

22 degrees on Thursday night.

40 degree for a high on Friday.

It's going to be warmer through the middle of February however another SSW (Sudden Stratospheric Warming) event occured about three to four days ago so that means the Polar Vortex will come back by the last week of February and the first week of March. The CFS is forecasting a high of 52 degrees on February 13.

It's also forecasting a temperature of 10 degrees on March 6.

Here is the what the National Weather Service thinks of Rodent Forecasting:

I am a little bit concerned about an ice storm next week as we slowly warm up. It's pretty look at but no one wants ice. 

There will be six more weeks of winter.

That's according to the rodent that saw it's shadow. Happy Groundhog Day 2026!

Others are also hinting at the second week of February as a time to watch.

 

Who's ready for another big Indiana snowstorm?

By the way, if you haven't heard, Bloomington Indiana received 14.5 inches of snow during the January 25th snowstorm. 

There will be a few light snow events for the next two weeks but the next big one coming up could be between February 9 and February 14. There's usually snow on Lover's Day anyway so this is one to watch. See the GFS and EURO below:

Does the upcoming winter storm have you stressed out and worried?

If so then stay away from social media! It will make it worse. What next, an ice storm tornado?

Updates and thoughts on the winter storm setup for central Indiana this weekend.

First off, remember to trust the professionals at the National Weather Service. They just extended the Winter Storm Watch southwards in the state of Georgia while everyone else is talking about northward trends. Kudos to the NWS.

Be very careful and suspicious of snow maps on social media.

The latest GFS model has started shifting the storm south again.

My guess is that the heaviest precipitation is in the far southern Indiana counties and the northern Kentucky counties. All points south of there need to worry about ice and losing power. Go to Lowe's and get a generator if you can afford one. The cold that follows the storm is to dangerous to be without power and heat. 

Are exploding trees a real thing in extreme cold weather?

Well, kind of.