Lafayette, Indiana 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

696
FXUS63 KIND 060503
AFDIND

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
1203 AM EST Fri Feb 6 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Scattered flurries and a few light snow showers tonight across
  the northeast half of central Indiana

- Swath of light snow northeast of I-74 Friday morning with light
  accumulations possible. Freezing drizzle may mix in west of
  I-65

- Cold and dry late Friday through the first half of the weekend
  with a warming trend to follow through the middle of next week

- Temperatures warm above freezing next week

&&

.FORECAST UPDATE...
Issued at 956 PM EST Thu Feb 5 2026

No major changes to near/short term forecast with biggest attraction
the small and quick-hitting period of snow/mix Friday morning.
Latest data is overall no faster with onset time, or any greater
with total liquid...with most notable trend in proximity of steadier
-SN shifted slightly northeast.  This raises slight concern of band
of light mix/ZL along southwestern side of shield nudging closer to
Indianapolis and possibly into west/south counties of metro`s
doughnut.  Confidence high enough in onset of steadier
precipitation/intensity delayed a bit after 12Z and total
accumulations of snow/any glaze being low enough to not warrant any
headline...but have shifted SPS section for possible thin glaze
farther east for Crawfordsville, Martinsville, and Seymour.

Otherwise in the preceding, near-term overnight period, expect a few
more stray flakes...with temperatures rising slightly through the
low to mid-20s...amid light yet steady southwesterly flow under
thickening stratus.  Light snow should begin around daybreak over
far northern zones, with minor impacts possible here through the
morning commute.

&&

.SHORT TERM (This evening through Friday)...
Issued at 301 PM EST Thu Feb 5 2026

A weak mid level wave within broad NW flow is leading to
widespread cloud cover and scattered snow showers across the
northern half of central Indiana this afternoon. These overcast
skies are maintained through the rest of central Indiana, but the
snow flurries should keep to along and NE of the I-74 corridor. A
few tenths of an inch is possible over the Kokomo region as their
low level saturation duration is maximized.

Overnight, the mean low level wind will shift to the SW ahead of a
much more prominent mid level low. This, along with continued cloud
cover will keep temperatures level tonight, with lows tomorrow
morning only a few degrees colder than highs this afternoon. Lift
ahead of the mid level vort max will lead to widespread
precipitation across the NE half, beginning around 12Z over Kokomo,
and pushing into the Indianapolis region around 13 to 14Z. A
majority of the p-type will consist of snowfall, but there will
likely be a significant warm nose within the aforementioned SW flow,
of which will approach and potentially exceed the freezing mark on
the SW flank of the precipitation shield, leading to a corridor of
freezing rain. This is currently expected to be somewhere near a
line from Greencastle to Bloomington, but ensemble spread on
placement of this narrow corridor still has significant variance.
Total ice accumulation within this narrow swath should remain at or
less than 0.05". To the west of this swath, very light freezing
drizzle is possible as the mid level saturation starts to depart.

As far as snow totals, there is likely going to be a modest gradient
from along the I-74 corridor to far NE portions of central Indiana
due both to QPF differences and lower SLRs the closer you get to I-
74. Peak snow totals are likely to be around 2 inches in the Muncie
to Winchester region where the heaviest banding sets up, with snow
totals of 0.5" or less near Indianapolis.

&&

.LONG TERM (Friday night through Thursday)...
Issued at 301 PM EST Thu Feb 5 2026

The long term will start off with one last shot of arctic air before
temperatures start to trend warmer. Much of next week will see near
to above normal temps.

Central Indiana will sit under upper NW flow, bringing in an arctic
airmass to start the weekend with Saturday morning lows in the upper
single digits to mid teens and warming to upper teens to upper 20s.
At the surface, high pressure will move through with surface flow
starting out from the north and early morning to midday lake
enhanced flurries could be possible.

From the start of the new week to midweek, upper flow will be more
zonal with ridging at times while southerly flow will largely
dominate at the surface. Temps will trend warmer with highs in the
40s to mid 50s probable midweek. Dry weather will start the week off
but by midweek into the end of the week, models are suggesting a
more active pattern to bring additional precipitation to the region.
While there is much uncertainty with the details at this time, will
have to monitor how trends evolve particularly with timing and
temperatures as that will impact the type of precip we get. For now
rain seems plausibly dominate if we stay on the warm side of the
passing systems, but a mix of precip will also be possible.

One hazard to watch for in the long term will be the possibility of
ice jams forming as temperatures warm and flooding concerns along
rivers increase. If we end up with a decent amount of rain late
week, this could further exacerbate river flooding hazards.

&&

.AVIATION (06Z TAF Issuance)...
Issued at 1203 AM EST Fri Feb 6 2026

Impacts:

- Variable ceilings early in the period between VFR/MVFR
- Visibility down to MVFR in -SN within 12Z-18Z at KLAF/KIND
- FZDZ likely at KHUF/possible at KBMG within 12Z-18Z
- Wind shift to northwest Friday afternoon with gusts over 20kt

Discussion:

A system will bring some wintry precipitation to the sites mainly in
the 12-18Z time frame, with MVFR ceilings and visibility. Some brief
IFR conditions cannot be ruled out. Southern sites are the most
likely to see some freezing drizzle with mainly snow at the northern
sites.

Before that arrives, ceilings will vary between VFR and MVFR. After
the wintry precipitation exits Friday afternoon, MVFR ceilings will
persist into Friday evening.

&&

.IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

$$

UPDATE...AGM
SHORT TERM...Updike
LONG TERM...KF
AVIATION...50