Indianapolis Bracing For Messy Morning Commute

A wintry mix of rain, ice, sleet and snow is expected to complicate the Friday commute for Indiana motorists.

David Tucek, a meteorologist for NWS in Indianapolis, said temperatures will drop from the 50s to below freezing in the span of a couple of hours Thursday night.

“The change will be dramatic and it will be occurring overnight,” Tucek said. “And will take place before rush hour tomorrow.”

The tumbling temperatures will cause the rain to transition to freezing rain, before it changes over to snow just in time for the morning rush hour. The result is expected to be around a tenth of an inch of ice on surfaces and 1 to 3 inches of snow enough to make streets and sidewalks difficult to travel.

Dan Parker, director of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, said city trucks will be on the streets beginning at 11 Thursday night.

“We will be treating the streets with our salt that’s mixed with magnesium chloride, which allows the salt to stick to the pavement,” Parker said. “However, we won’t be able to drop the salt until it actually stops raining because we do not want the salt to just wash away.”

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett urged residents to plan ahead and keep an eye on family members and neighbors.

“Frankly, weather like this may very well affect your entire day tomorrow and that means allowing extra time to travel to and from necessary destinations,” Hogsett said. “And if you do not need to be outside, don’t go outside.”

A winter weather advisory is in effect for central Indiana from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Part of southern Indiana is under a winter storm warning for the same time period.