The early bird gets the best temperatures today. It was 66 at 4am. We will fall to the 40s by lunch time. Blame a cold front. Ahead of said front, southwesterly winds will gust to 35 mph, and there will be a period of steady rain. A little thunder is likely, but severe weather isn’t. The chance of showers could linger until late afternoon. You’ll know the front has passed by you when the wind shifts to the northwest. High pressure’s on the case from tonight through Saturday, providing a period of clear weather.
Temperatures will go below normal this afternoon,and stay there ’til Saturday. Speaking of normal: Up until today’s rain the year-to-date precipitation total in Indianapolis is 5.69 inches. Normal is 5.68 inches! Even though snow totals are way below average, rain has easily made up any moisture deficit. Good news for Farmers.
Airlines and astronomers are on alert today. The biggest solar storm in five years is hitting our little corner of the universe today. It could disrupt satellites, power grids and communications networks. Two strong solar flares are blasting a wave of plasma and charged particles toward Earth. Duck!
This eruption of material — called a coronal mass ejection, or CME — sped through space at 4 million mph. The solar flare that triggered it wasn’t the largest, but the combo platter of intense magnetic, radio and radiation emissions should make it the strongest overall solar storm since December 2006.
On the bright (and beautiful) side, the storm could cause aurora at low latitudes, or what are sometimes called the Northern (and Southern) lights. These light shows will be especially visible for people in northern latitudes, though the full moon of March may interfere.
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INDY ALMANAC:
The average high today is 48, and the average low is 30. Record high for March 8 is 80, and the record low is -6. Sunrise time is 7:07, and sunset is 6:45.
DETAILED INDIANAPOLIS FORECAST:
Today: Breezy, rainy, with some thunder in the morning. Chance of more showers and storms until late afternoon. Temps fall to 45 by 5pm. Winds gusting to 35 mph.
Tonight: Clearing and cooler. Low 31.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High 44.
Friday Night: Clear. Low 28.
Saturday: Sunny. High 55.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 40.
Sunday: Chance of showers. High 58.
Sunday Night: Rainy. Low 50.
Monday: Partly cloudy. Chance of showers and storms. High 65.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Chance of showers and storms. Low 54.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Chance of showers and storms. High 72.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 55.
Wednesday: Partly sunny. High 72.
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