Michiana is officially in for a a blizzard, according to the National Weather Service, as freezing rain on Thursday night is expected to lead into nearly a foot of snow over the course of Friday and Saturday.
The winter storm will hamper holiday travel ahead of Christmas, though local officials say they're well prepared for the adverse weather.
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As of Wednesday afternoon, National Weather Service projections indicate that rain on Thursday afternoon will quickly turn to snow causing "flash freeze" roads that will become very slick Thursday evening. The bulk of the snow is expected to fall on Friday, with strong winds up to 45 miles per hour blowing the snow around and lowering visibility. All told, the South Bend area could receive 6 inches to more than a foot of snow, with northern areas closer to Lake Michigan likely to see more precipitation.
Temperatures are also expected to plunge on Friday into the mid to low single digits and wind chills reaching -20 degrees.
In South Bend, director of Public Works Eric Horvath said the city has finished the process of fitting its fleet of trucks with plows and has begun pre-treating roads with a mixture designed to prevent the asphalt from freezing over.
Even with adequate preparation, Horvath encouraged residents to stay home if they can help it, as plows will be unlikely to reach residential areas when the snow starts falling.
“It’s going to get bad out there Thursday into Friday. If you don’t have to be somewhere, stay home. Our crews will start on the main [roads]. Because we have so many miles of road and because we have 60 plows, we can’t hit every single road immediately," Horvath said.
Both Horvath and Mishawaka streets Commissioner Tim Ryan say they have enough road salt and are fully staffed on plow drivers, thanks to proactive measures to hire employees with commercial drivers licenses.
Ryan said Mishawaka normally doesn't ramp up its round-the-clock snow coverage until after the new year, but it will have plows running 24/7 this weekend through the rest of the season.
“This is a difficult path to keep up with, no matter how many trucks you have out on the road. We’re going to be out. We’re going to be doing our jobs," he said.
Ryan said the freezing rain at the front of the storm worries him the most, as the ice could create slick conditions that won't be able to be effectively melted by salt because of the snow coming in right after. Like South Bend, Mishawaka crews are pretreating roads with a brine solution that will hopefully stave off major ice patches.
“Just that little glaze or black ice is the toughest to deal with," Ryan said.
Al Kirsits, director of St. Joseph County's Emergency Management Agency, agreed and hopes the strong winds and cold temperatures don't cause power outages. Named director of the agency in July, Kirsits' role is to coordinate between various governmental departments and other agencies, like power or state governments, when needed.
A longtime South Bend firefighter, Kirsits said planning for the blizzard has been going smoothly, but even with good planning, the weather will likely cause havoc.
“I’m worried; I’m always real worried," Kirsits said. “We’re hoping for the best but planning for the worst.”
That's precisely the advice offered up by Indiana Michigan Power.
The utility encourages customers to have plans in place for dealing with power outages that could last "up to and through the holiday weekend."
The utility is preparing crews and other resources to respond to possible outages, including mutual aid agreements with other utility companies across the region.
Still, customers are advised to have blankets, water, non-perishable food and other emergency supplies on hand.
The Indiana National Guard was also deployed Thursday morning with the army saying it will send 150 guardsmen to northern Indiana to help patrol highways and help motorists who get stranded.
Warming centers
South Bend will have warming centers set up at the Charles Black Community Center, Howard Park Event Center and the O'Brien Park Fitness Center.
Charles Black Community Center, 3419 W Washington St.
Monday-Thursday:9 a.m.- 9 p.m.Friday:9 a.m.-5 p.m.Closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Howard Park Event Center, 219 S St Louis Blvd.
Monday-Thursday:8 a.m.- 9 p.m.Friday:8 a.m.-10 p.m.Saturday:10 a.m.-10 p.m.Sunday:11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.Christmas Eve 12/24/22 : 11am - 6:30 p.m. (unless there is inclement weather, then closed)Closed on Christmas DayNew Year's Eve 11a.m- 8:30 p.m.New Year's Day 11a.m-10:30 p.m.
O’Brien Fitness Center, 321 E. Walter St.
Monday- Friday:5 a.m.- 9 p.m.Saturday:7 a.m.- 4 p.m.Sunday:9 a.m.- 2 p.m.New Year's Eve 7 a.m.- 12 p.m.Closed on New Year's Day
Miracle Revival Church, 415 W. Lasalle Ave.
Open everyday (including holidays) from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter:@marek_mazurek
