Northeast Indiana is headed for some harsh weather beginning this evening and continuing until Thursday.
In advance of the storm, Fort Wayne city officials announced the closure of all city offices Wednesday and Thursday. Emergency services and 911 and 311 services will continue to operate normally.
The National Weather Service is predicting an onset of rain beginning this evening, which will change into snowfall Wednesday morning, likely just before sunrise.
The heaviest snowfalls are expected to be late morning tomorrow, through the evening hours, with a second round of moderate snowfall Wednesday night through Thursday.
By Thursday night, the National Weather Service is predicting an accumulation of 15-20 inches of snow in the Fort Wayne area. Further north, areas such as Auburn could see as much as 23 inches of snow accumulation.
Due to the predicted rain, the City of Fort Wayne cannot pretreat roads in preparation of the snowfall, but crews are prepared to plow around the clock during the snow from Wednesday until Friday. The street department is urging residents to avoid travel while streets are being plowed.
The Fort Wayne Police Department issued a handful of safe-driving tips Tuesday afternoon ahead of the predicted storm. They include:
- Only travel in adverse weather conditions when it is absolutely necessary!
- If you must travel, leave plenty of time to get to your destination.
- Carry jumper cables/jump box in your vehicle.
- Slow vehicle speeds way down.
- Put all electronic devices away, so your completely focused on the road.
- Carry a blanket, shovel, and kitty litter in your vehicle, in case you get stuck.
- Stick to main arterial roadways, as they get plowed first.
- Make sure your fuel tank is topped off.
For INDOT travel advisory information, visit https://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/
Additional closure information include:
- Fort Wayne Community Schools is planning an e-learning day on Wednesday.
- Parkview Health will be announcing closures via its message center at http://www.parkview.com/weather
- Allen County Public Library will be closed on Wednesday.