The Indianapolis Friday morning low fell to 36 degrees. Terre Haute also went down to 36. It was 35 in Lafayette, Shelbyville, and Bloomington. Lows were right at freezing in Muncie and Ft. Wayne. South Bend’s low was 31, and it fell to 30 degrees in Valpo and Kokomo. Saturday morning lows should average about the same or a couple degrees milder.
Indianapolis wind chills fell below freezing this morning, but the wind is our friend when it comes to frost. Less wind, more chances of widespread white. That will be the case early Saturday morning. We will duplicate this morning’s clear sky, but with the center of high pressure closer to us the breeze will be lighter. There’s a Freeze Watch for late Friday night into Saturday morning, mainly north and east of Indianapolis.
Easter Weekend looks good to me, other than a slight shower chance overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning. The highs will be above average, and it may be a week before that happens again.
This has been the kind of month you expect during an Indiana Spring. Little bit of this, little bit of that… In the first 5 days of April Indianapolis has had highs in the 50s (Thursday,) 60s (Monday and Wednesday,) 70s (Sunday,) and 80s (Tuesday.)
The next weather question: can April keep up with March? The average Indianapolis temp for March was 56.6 degrees, easily a record. So far in April, “just” 60.4 degrees. And likely to go lower by a few degrees next week, during a week long cool spell. The 6-10 day forecast puts Indiana a little below average, although we go “normal” again in the 8-14 day outlook.
The Pro Golfers still haven’t Mastered their weather domain. There’s one more day of shower and storm chances in Augusta, Georgia, along with a gusty wind. The weekend, however, looks great. Light winds, bright skies, and mid 70s.
Remember how hot it was in Chicago in March? That incredibly nice weather? Add “Cubs Effect” to “Lake Effect.” They start the season, they lose, and the chills are in the 30’s:) The Wrigley Field opening day has featured a high of 49. Brisk northeast winds gusted as high as 27 mph. White Sox players will fare better toda. They open the season in Texas, and highs in the low 80spen their season with a game in Arlington, Texas where afternoon highs are to reach the low 80s.
Hurricane season may seem distant to you, but meteorologists at Colorado State University are already forecasting a quieter-than-average season in the Atlantic. They are predicting 10 tropical storms, of which four would be hurricanes. The reasons for the less-than-active season include a cooling of the ocean and a developing El Niño in the Pacific, both of which tend to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
An average season? 12 tropical storms, of which six are hurricanes.
The forecast calls for a 42 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline (the long-term average probability is 52 percent). A major hurricane has wind speeds of at least 111 mph and is classified as Categories 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir/Simpson hurricane scale.
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INDY ALMANAC:
The average high today is 60 and the average low is 40. The record high of 83 came two years ago. Record low is 22. Sunrise time is 7:21 and sunset is 8:15.
DETAILED INDIANAPOLIS FORECAST:
NORTH HALF OF INDIANA OUTSIDE OF MARION COUNTY: FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9AM | FREEZE WATCH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING
Today: Sunny. High 60.
Tonight: Clear & frosty. Low 36.
Saturday: Sunny. High 65.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a slight shower chance overnight. Low 46.
Easter Sunday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 65.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 43.
Monday: Partly to mostly cloudy, with a slight chance of showers. High 57.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a slight shower chance. Low 39.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. High 54.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 36.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High 53.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Low 35.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 56.
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