Indiana’s Weather For Today

HEADLINES
– Unseasonably warm today amid wind gusts as high as 35-40 mph.
– Strong to severe thunderstorms possible late tonight into early Saturday.
– Multiple rounds of rain expected into the weekend.
– An inch or two of rainfall expected.

WEEKEND RAIN TOTALS

SEVERE STORM RISK OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING

SEVERE STORM RISK SATURDAY DAYTIME AND AFTERNOON/EVENING

TODAY’S MAP

NWS TECHNICAL DISCUSSION

Today and tonight...

Broad and amplified H500 long wave pattern across all of CONUS will
place central Indiana amid vertically-stacked and broad
southwesterly flow. Positive tilt of deep upper trough positioned
from Rockies to south-central Canada will align corresponding,
slowly-advancing surface cold front from Oklahoma to the Quad Cities
by midday. Can not rule out a stray sprinkle or weak shower this
afternoon…especially across northern and western zones, with non-
zero chances trending upward into the early evening.

Robust southerly surface breezes, already gusting to 20-30 mph
through early hours will turn windy by late morning amid the
increasing gradient…with southwesterly gusts to 35-40 mph common
over most of the region through the afternoon, especially across
northern counties. Impressive fetch of moisture off the western
Gulf, especially below 700mb…will boost the system`s precipitable
water maximum into a 1.25-1.75 inch SW-NE axis across Indiana by
early evening. This will be reflected at the surface by late-spring
levels of humidity as dewpoints climb above 60F, and possibly above
65F over several southern counties.

Chances of convection will increase through this evening, albeit
with lower confidence in exact location/timing given weak forcing
aloft and the slow advance of the surface front…although overall
chances for precip/thunder will be lower over far southeastern
counties. Similar to over convective episodes this spring, the
potential will be driven by the arrival of widespread 60-80KT of
bulk shear…with diminishing instability and lapse rates likely
still having just enough of a kick to offer at least isolated
strong/severe storms for portions of the CWA. Late day initiation
over central Illinois could translate to evening cells being favored
over northern zones…before the overnight threat possibly shifts
southward towards central, if not southern areas with the front
expected to start crossing central Indiana by pre-dawn Saturday.
Potential severe threat would be mainly straight line winds and
large hail…with overall low/moderate low-level helicity values
bringing a non-zero, yet overall lower risk of tornadoes.

Rain coverage is expected to reach widespread by the overnight hours
as the arriving cold front provides lift into the moist column,
mainly light to moderate rainfall totals by dawn Saturday could
include isolated 1.00+ inch areas, especially within west-central
counties. While corresponding isolated ponding of low-lying areas
is certainly possible, the greater threat for flooding will be
through the early long term period. The warm advective winds will
hold readings to unseasonably warm marks…with highs today nearing
to around 80F, and Indianapolis potentially recording its third 80+
day this year. Lows tonight will almost mimic mid-April normal
highs, with minimums ranging from upper 50s along the Upper Wabash
to mid-60s across far southern counties.

&&

.LONG TERM (Saturday through Thursday)…
Issued at 255 AM EDT Fri Apr 18 2025

Saturday and Sunday…

The conditional threat for severe weather Friday night will linger
into early Saturday morning followed by heavy rain which likely
leads to renewed minor river flooding. Overall thoughts on
precipitation amounts and location of heaviest rain remain generally
the same. Models have continued to trend towards a later timing for
severe weather spanning the short and long terms…with the main
threat from 06-13Z Saturday.

The concern then flips to the flooding threat over the weekend once
an associated frontal boundary stalls across the region. Aloft, a
ridge remaining anchored off the southeast coast and broad troughing
over the west/central CONUS will continue to push gulf moisture
towards the area. This along with the stalled boundary supports the
threat for subsequent rounds of convection. Guidance suggest the
potential for 1-3 inches of rain with locally higher amounts
possible.

The heaviest axis of precipitation where 3+ inches of rain could
fall is dependent on where the front stalls. Models still differ on
the exact location of the front, but generally guidance has favored
the northwest half of central IN. Latest river ensembles continue to
suggest widespread minor river flooding developing along with a
chance for low-end moderate flooding for lower portions of the main
stem rivers. There is a low threat for additional strong to severe
storms late Sunday though uncertainty remains high due to convection
earlier in the weekend.

Monday onward…

Rain chances begin to taper off Monday as the system moving in late
Sunday helps push the stalled front eastward. Expect dry conditions
late Monday into Tuesday as subtle upper ridging and surface high
pressure builds in. Guidance suggest another system approaches mid-
late week resulting in increasing rain chances once again.
Temperatures should generally remain above normal during this period
due to increasing heights and S/SW surface flow.
INDY SEVEN DAY FORECAST
Today: Partly sunny. Windy and warmer. High 80.

Tonight: Showers and storms possible in the late evening and likely overnight. Some storms could be severe. Low 61.

Saturday: Periods of rain, and some thunder possible early morning and afternoon, especially south of Indy. High 68.

Saturday Night: Scattered showers. Low 52.

Easter Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with spotty showers. High 75.

Sunday Night: More showers and storms. Low 60.

Monday: Scattered showers and storms in the morning. Mostly cloudy in the afternoon. High 66.

Monday Night: Clouds decreasing. Low 47.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High 69.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Low 52.

Wednesday: Partly sunny. High 75.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 56.

Thursday: Partly sunny. Spotty showers. High 78.

NWS CHARTS FOR TODAY/TONIGHT