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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAs snow piled up in central Indiana on Sunday, dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at Indianapolis International Airport and most school districts called off in-person classes for Monday. Courts in Marion County will also take a day off.
A major winter storm reached the Indianapolis area late Sunday morning and picked up intensity as the day progressed, producing heavy snow in some areas.
As of late afternoon, snowfall accumulations around the city ranged from less than 3 inches to almost 5 inches. The National Weather Service said the official snowfall in Indianapolis as of 7 p.m. was 4.1 inches.
Another 2 inches to 5 inches of snow was forecast for central Indiana overnight amid winds gusting up to 40 mph and the possibility of freezing drizzle in some areas. The NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning until 7 p.m. Monday and warned people to “delay all travel if possible.”
In Indiana, snow fully covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as plows worked to keep up with the pace of the precipitation.
“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sgt. Todd Ringle said.
State police reported more than 100 crashes in Indianapolis between noon and 7 p.m. Sunday, including more than 20 slide-offs.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to more than 80 traffic incidents between noon and 8 p.m., according to WXIN-TV Channel 59.
On Sunday morning, Gov. Eric Holcomb activated the Indiana National Guard through Tuesday to provide winter storm support and assistance to state and local responders. Indiana National Guard Highway Assistance Teams were made available to assist stranded motorists and help with other types of winter emergencies. The teams are made up of 122 Guardsmen working from armories in Bedford, Edinburgh, Evansville, Indianapolis, New Albany, Shelbyville and Washington.
Air travel
On Sunday, 40 flights originating from Indianapolis International Airport were called off, accounting for 23% of scheduled outgoing flights. Another 43 flights originating from the airport were delayed.
Another 73 flights scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis were off on Sunday, or 43% of incoming flights. Another 24 incoming flights were delayed.
At least 39 flights originating from Indianapolis were already canceled for Monday and 11 incoming flights had been called off as of early Monday morning.
School cancellations
Some local school districts will still be on winter break on Monday, while almost all others decided to cancel or delay classes or switch to remote learning.
Indianapolis Public Schools called off all classes, athletic events and other activities on Monday. It plans to use Tuesday, which had been scheduled as a teacher-only day, as a makeup day for students.
Butler University planned to delay classes by two hours on Monday, while Martin University planned to close for the day.
Indiana State University said it would be closed Monday for classes and events.
Courts and libraries
Several courts plan to be closed on Monday, including U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, Marion County Circuit, Court, Marion County Superior Court and Marion County Small Claims Court.
The Indianapolis Public Library system closed all locations on Monday.
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Would be good to note city services such as trash schedule. Nothing out yet!