We had a fantastic end to September with sunshine and pleasant temps! We hit 70 degrees, just shy of the average of 72. Now, get ready for a whole lot of changes as we start October. High clouds began pushing in late Sunday and the clouds will thicken through the night. Rain isn’t too far behind with a large system drenching parts of the Deep South.

Rain moves into Southern Indiana Monday morning and nudges into Central Indiana Monday afternoon to evening. The rain could linger off and on through Wednesday bringing storm totals of 1/2″ or more to the Indy Metro, 1″+ for Southeastern Indiana, and much lighter totals north and west of the Metro.

This rain piggybacks on what was officially the 5th wettest September on record for Indy. We ended the month nearly 5″ above average with 7.73″, behind 10.27″ (2003), 9.33″ (1926), 8.17″ (1896), and 8.06″ (1989). We also had the 8th wettest August on record in Indy.

Along with the rain, we’ll also have cool temperatures for most of the week. The exception is Thursday which looks like the brightest and driest in the next 7 days. But late Thursday night into Friday morning, a strong front barrels through the state and could bring strong storms along the way. Friday’s our transition day with cool temps in the 60s and a chance of scattered rain. That paves the way for the coldest temps since Spring for next weekend! Highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s (frosty morning – coldest yet for Indy – possible Sunday morning). Those temperatures are more typical of Mid November!

Finally, our Hoosier Pic at 6 courtesy of Levi Shrader who captured the Full Harvest Moon overlooking an Elwood wind farm. Great shot! Share your pic here: https://www.facebook.com/ChikageWindlerFanPage or here: https://www.facebook.com/WTHR13?ref=ts&fref=ts

Hope you have a great week!
-Chikage
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What a great way to start the day!  Another beautiful sunrise in Central Indiana this morning, and my advice is to enjoy our last bright day for awhile.

Afternoon highs will be nearly identical to Saturday afternoon… with readings topping out in the lower 70s under a blanket of sun.  September ends sunny and it appears that October gets started with rain.

There is high model consensus on painting a wet scenario across the Hoosier state late Monday into Tuesday.  Clouds and showers will hold daytime highs into the mid 60s both days… but will pale in comparison to what may be lurking next weekend.

Showers will linger into Wednesday with this system, before dry weather returns Thursday.  Some, but not all, long range models suggest the coldest air of the young fall season arrives next weekend.  If those models verify the first freeze will be possible next Sunday morning.

If you look outside tonight, you can’t miss the sight of the full moon. It’s the Full Harvest Moon and it reaches its fullest at 11:19pm. We’ll have clear skies for a great view. Temps fall through the 60s and we’ll wake up to low 50s in town and 40s in outlying areas in the morning.

Tomorrow’s temps will be slightly cooler than today’s. We hit 73 (average is 72) today, but tomorrow most spots will land in the upper 60s to around 70, courtesy of a slightly cooler northeast flow. Skies will remain mostly sunny, so it will be a great day for a trip to your nearest pumpkin patch.

After the 5th wettest September on record, it looks like October may start on a wet note as well! Monday, clouds increase and by late day into the evening, FutureTrak13 is showing rain pushing in to Central Indiana. The best chance (and heaviest amounts) of rain Monday and Tuesday look like they’ll be in Southeastern Indiana, but Central Indiana could get up to 1/4″ if the moisture makes it this far north.

The track of the system that’s bringing the rain isn’t clear-cut just yet, but it has been dumping heavy rain on parts of Texas and Louisiana already.

Here’s your WTHR-TV 7-day…which includes a MAJOR cool-down by the end of the week. Signs are pointing to the coldest air of the season by far moving in next Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 50s and frost possible both Sunday (Oct. 7th) and Monday (Oct. 8th) mornings. For some of the coldest spots, a hard freeze may be possible!

Finally, here’s our WTHR-TV Hoosier Pic of the day for Saturday. This gorgeous rose in New Palestine was captured by Teresa Zimmerman. Share your pic! Post it here: https://www.facebook.com/ChikageWindlerFanPage or here: https://www.facebook.com/WTHR13

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-Chikage

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Some of the best weather across the country will right here at home in Central Indiana.  Abundant sunshine will quickly push temperatures into the 60s by midday, and 70s this afternoon.

Typical of dry, fall days…. there will be a 20-25 degree diurnal swing from highs to lows.  Sunday morning temperatures will be back down into the upper 40s/lower 50s.  Should be a perfect evening for bonfires and hanging outdoors.

Sunday will be equally as nice and bright…with temps returning into the 70s.  Our next rain-maker could possibly show up Monday night into Tuesday.  But there isn’t high confidence due to the system remaining over southern Texas at the moment.  Long-range guidance suggests Thursday will be the warmest day of the week, and some of the coldest air of the season may be arriving next weekend.

Enjoy your day and weekend!

Sean Ash

It was a frosty morning across most surburban and outlying spots in Central Indiana! Low temperatures include 39 for Indy officially (2nd straight day), 32 for Zionsville and 33 for Lafayette.

This map from the National Weather Service shows the range of lows across the state.

And here’s a map with more lows.

Here’s a list of some lows from cooperative observing stations:
– NORTHWEST –

Valparaiso (Porter County) 37
Wanatah (Porter County) 28
Francesville (Pulaski County) 32
Chalmers (White County) 37

– NORTH CENTRAL –

Rochester (Fulton County) 36
Plymouth (Marshall County) 36

– NORTHEAST –
Decatur (Adams County) 34
Woodburn (Allen County) 33
Garrett (De Kalb County) 34
Huntington (Huntington County) 33
Angola (Steuben County) 32
Bluffton (Wells County) 36

– WEST CENTRAL –
Crawfordsville (Mongtomer County) 33
Spencer (Owen County) 34
Greencastle (Putnam County) 32
West Lafayette (Tippecanoe County) 31
Perrysville (Vermillion County) 32

– CENTRAL –
Columbus (Bartholomew County) 38
Greensburg (Decatur County) 36
Marion (Grant County) 35
Carmel (Hamilton County) 35
Greenfield (Hancock County) 37
Jamestown (Hendricks County) 35
Franklin (Johnson County) 39
Elwood (Madison County 35)
Middletown (Madison County) 33
SE Indianapolis (Marion County) 37
Martinsville (Morgan County) 33
Rushville (Rush County) 37
Shelbyville (Shelby County) 37
Tipton (Tipton County) 36

– EAST CENTRAL –
Hartford City (Blackford County) 37
New Castle (Henry County) 33

– SOUTH CENTRAL –
Bedford (Lawrence County) 35
Oolitic (Lawrence County) 34
Bloomington (Monroe County) 39
French Lick (Orange County) 37

Milder air with sunny skies and southwest winds will continue to help our temperatures rebound. This afternoon, temps should reach upper 60s.

Tomorrow, we’ll turn milder with more clouds and rain. Scattered showers and storms are likely through Wednesday, then there’s a chance of showers and storms Thursday and Friday – though the best chance is south of the Metro. Rain totals could reach 1/2″ to the north, 2″ through the end of the week.

Finally, our Hoosier Pic at noon courtesy of Harold Atkinson who says it was a very busy weekend at Anderson Orchards. Fall is in the air…and apple lovers are taking advantage! Share your pic here: https://www.facebook.com/ChikageWindlerFanPage or here: https://www.facebook.com/WTHR13

Take Care!
-Chikage

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The entire Hoosier State will be under a Frost Advisory early in the morning with clear skies and calm winds expected to drop most outlying areas into the low to mid 30s. The city of Indianapolis may stay warmer (mid to upper 30s). It’s a good idea to protect your plants!

Here’s a look at our actual lows Sunday morning. We fell to 39 officially for Indy, making it the coldest since April 27th! Many outlying areas were cold enough for a patchy frost…but widespread frost will be likely for Monday morning.

It is unusually early to get frost in September! The chart below (thanks to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis) shows a frost threshold of 36 degrees or lower.  Check your location to see just how early the frost will be:

Low Temperature of 36 degrees or lower (Patchy frost possible in outlying, low areas)

Some outlying areas could see their first FREEZE of the season, which is even more unusual this early.  Here’s the chart from the National Weather Service: