Meteorological winter recap: A season of extremes across Indiana INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Meteorological winter, defined as December through February, delivered an unusually dynamic stretch of weather across Indiana this year. From nighttime tornadoes to one of the biggest snowfalls in more th an a decade, the season was anything but quiet. The first major headline came on the night of Dec. 28, when two confirmed EF-1 tornadoes touched down in southern Indiana after dark. One tornado near Linton produced peak winds around 100 mph and tracked just over a mile. A second EF-1 moved nearly 4-1/2 miles near Owensville and Fort Branch. Nighttime tornadoes are statistically more dangerous because they are harder to see and often catch people while they are sleeping, making this late December event especially notable for winter. Winter then shifted dramatically in late January. On Jan. 25-26, Indianapolis recorded 11.1 inches of snow. It was the most snowfall from a single system since Jan. 5-6, 2014. For many communities across central Indiana, it marked the biggest snow event in more than a decade. Roads became snow-covered and slick, schools closed, and plow crews worked continuously to keep major routes passable. The storm helped erase early-season snowfall deficits and firmly reestablished winter across the state. Just weeks later, winter reminded Hoosiers once again that severe weather is not limited to spring. On Feb. 19, a powerful long-track supercell thunderstorm developed and tracked more than 150 miles across portions of Illinois and Indiana. The storm produced three confirmed tornadoes in Indiana. The first touched down near Paxton. The second formed west of Bloomington. The third developed west of Greensburg. While February tornadoes are not unheard of, a long-lived supercell capable of producing multiple tornadoes across such a long path underscores how active and volatile Indiana’s cold season can be. From severe storms in December, to heavy snow in January, and back to tornado-producing thunderstorms in February, this meteorological winter will be remembered as one defined by sharp contrasts and high impact events across the Hoosier state. ...read more read less