Forecasters call it the freeze line and on each side, the coming winter storm in central Indiana this week will be very different.
On one side, with Indianapolis, Bloomington and Muncie, the National Weather Service calls for sleet or freezing rain, with ice accumulation of one inch or more. That’s enough ice to add a few hundred pounds to a tree or a power line – and bring them down with winds gusting to 35 mph.
The other side, including Lafayette and Kokomo, will be cold enough that snowfall in excess of 12 inches is possible by Wednesday night.
(The Chicago area is preparing for a blizzard, with a more than a foot of snow and winds gusting over 40 mph.)
The weather service formally put much of central Indiana under a winter storm warning – the first this winter – from this afternoon through Wednesday.
But forecasters warn that Canadian arctic cold, warmth from New Mexico and plentiful moisture from the Gulf of Mexico are still combining – and that freeze line could move and change the amount of snow or ice predicted.
But people are worried. They headed to hardware and department stores Sunday for batteries for flashlights, radios and iPods, or salt and other special chemicals to melt ice.
Officials were concerned. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard both scheduled afternoon press conferences to show their departments are planning for the worst.
Daniels and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman are working with utility companies, emergency responders and many state agencies to prepare for storms expected around the state beginning tonight. The possibility of an ice storm — particularly one followed by strong winds — has triggered extraordinary precautions, the governor said.
“I think we’d rather have a couple feet of snow than a lot of ice,” Daniels said at a press conference.
He urged caution Tuesday. “We think the worst risks probably start late tomorrow.”
Agencies working with the governor’s office include the transportation department, Indiana State Police, the Department of Natural Resources and all 92 county emergency management agencies. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is conferring with the state’s utility companies. The National Guard is also on alert, in case it is needed for rescues or debris removal.
“They will be there 24-7, as long as it takes,” Skillman said. “We want Hoosiers to know that public safety officials will be as prepared as they can be.”
She also recommended that residents have food water, flash lights and batteries on hand, that they know the location of the nearest shelter and that they formulate a plan to stay warm in the event of a power outage.
Even before the first power line falls, communities were making plans.
Lawrence in northeastern Marion County issued a water conservation emergency, urging people to limit water use in anticipation of the loss of electrical power. Without power, water pressure will drop at its treatment plants.
In Hamilton County, Noblesville today announced its fire stations will be opened to local residents who have their power go out.
