Ice ice Baby!

Three of the weather models have been hinting at a New Year's Eve ice storm. And a big one. Two inches of ice? LOL!

A tornado warning was just posted north of St. Louis

There's a strong line of storms pushing eastwards. The the line of storms should be in Bloomington between 5:00 and 6:00pm today. Stay alert for chances of severe weather and very strong winds.

Rain changes to snow after midnight. There is also a chance of a flash freeze. Be careful driving to work tomorrow morning.

The longe range winter temperature forecast for January of 2026 looks terrifying!

Enjoy the warm Christmas Day. I'm so sorry that there won't be a White Christmas in Bloomington  Indiana this year because it will be 55 to 60 degrees. It looks like the teleconnections are supporting a return to cold weather by January 5, 2026. After that, the Polar Vortex will return with a vengeance. The only thing that is unknown for our area is if it is a sustaining cold or if it oscillates. Let's hope it oscillates like it has done in December. Anyway, check out this brutally long range cold prediction from the CFS.

That a real air temperature of -20 degrees not a windchill temperature. And let's hope that is the low temperature for that day rather than the high temperature. And te -52 in North Dakota is like being in Siberia. Let's hope this is wrong.

Winter in Indiana!

Here is what the National Weather Service said for our last storm:

The second snowstorm is happening right now and I think the amounts will be the same. I think we will see three inches of snow. The main problem is the bitter cold. Don't forget to let your faucets drip and open your cabinets. 

And just like always in Indiana, by next Thursday it will be 55 degrees with a rain as the Polar Vortex lifts. The pattern will flatten and oscillate between warm and cold until January 5th. After that, the Polar Vortex returns. 

But here is the good news. The PV only visits us for a maximum of 72 hours. I can remember times when it got cold and stayed cold for several weeks; at least that is not happening.

It's going to be a wild weather pattern for Indiana as we approach Christmas Day of 2025!

We're going to get snow tomorrow night, Thursday (10/11) and then again on Saturday (10/13). The Polar Vortex will be here Saturday through Monday. After that it slowly warms up. 

Currently there is a Winter Weather Advisory out for central Indiana for Thursday night. My prediction and /or guess is 1-3 inches just based on hi-res models. The National Weather Service is saying that we could get 2-6 inches. 

The cold polar air will be brutal this weekend. Please be careful going out to watch the IU v. Kentucky basketball game. GO HOOSIERS! Windchills will be worse.

It looks like the pattern will be split during Christmas week. I'm seeing everything from an ice storm to a snow storm to tornadoes and even heavy rain. Check out this bizarre scenario:

Let's hope this doesn't happen. We like snow, not ice right?

Here is the long term discussion from the National Weather Service:

.LONG TERM (Friday night through Wednesday)...
Issued at 312 PM EST Wed Dec 10 2025

Another round of snow is likely on Saturday. An upper level trough,
surging Arctic air, weak low pressure, and an upper level jet will
all combine to provide forcing across central Indiana on Saturday.
Moisture will have not been cleared out from the previous system,
so this forcing will have moisture to work with.

The result will be snow spreading across the area from west to east
Saturday, ending later in the day (potentially into the evening).
Some differences remain in guidance on the amounts and location of
the higher amounts.

At the moment, another 1 to 3 inches of snow look to be a good bet
for a large portion of the area.  Higher amounts are possible,
especially with some frontogenetical forcing in the area potentially
leading to banding. (Blended guidance`s 24 hour snowfall 25th
percentile is around 1 inch with 75th percentile 4-5 inches in
locations with the highest totals).

Arctic high pressure will build in for Sunday and Monday, providing
bitterly cold conditions. Air temperatures will likely be below zero
across portions of the area early Sunday and early Monday. Before
the center of the high moves nearby, winds will make it feel even
colder Saturday night into Sunday morning. There is the potential
for wind chills from -10 to -20, which would require headlines. Will
continue to monitor closely as the location of the deepest snow
cover will have an impact on temperatures.

The high will provide dry weather through Tuesday. As the area gets
on the western side of the high, warm advection will return
temperatures into the 30s for Tuesday and potentially even the 40s
on Wednesday. A system could bring some precipitation by Wednesday,
but it looks to be just rain if temperatures warm as expected.

 

Who wants sunny and 60 degrees for Christmas?

It probably wont happen but this one model interpretation.

Just say NO!