Today is the 20th anniversary of incapacitating snowstorms in Indiana. What are the chances of a white Christmas in Indianapolis in 2024?

What is a white Christmas?

It need not snow Dec. 25 to fit the weather service’s definition of a white Christmas: There just needs to be at least 1 inch of snow on the ground. A trace amount of snow does not count. On average, about 38% of the contiguous 48 states has an inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day, according to 21 years of data compiled by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Will it snow in Central Indiana this Christmas?

On Christmas Eve,  there’s a 20% chance of rain after 1 p.m., with patchy fog before noon, according to the National Weather Service. The high is expected to be near 41 degrees. There’s a 50% chance of rain at night, mainly after 1 a.m.

It will be a mild Christmas Day. Expect rain, mainly before 1 p.m. The high will be near 42 degrees. At night there’s a 20% chain of rain before 1 a.m., with the low around 39 degrees.

Indianapolis this year experienced its third warmest fall on record, according to a recent report by NWS. Average temperatures hovered near 60 degrees, roughly four degrees above normal.

Record-breaking pre-Christmas snowstorms’ 20th anniversary

Christmas 2024 will be quite a bit different from Christmas Day twenty years ago when pre-Christmas back-to-back snowstorms dumped a total of more than two feet of snow on central Indiana, shut down highways and resulted in Blackhawk helicopters being resued to find stranded motorists.

According to the National Weather Service, two separate snowstorms started in the Central Plains and eventually hit southern and central Indiana on December 22 and December 23. They brought record or near record snowfall to parts of south central and east central Indiana and significant snowfall to the rest of central Indiana. 

Snowfall totals exceeded 20 inches across most of southeastern Indiana with Seymour reporting a two-day record of 29 inches. The area bounded by Vincennes, Terre Haute, Muncie and Kokomo saw a general eight to 12 inches with snowfall amounts diminishing to just a few inches northwest towards Lafayette. 

The weather closed Interstates 64, 65 and 74 in various locations across the state, crippled Interstate 70, and caused a train derailment and collision in southern Indiana. 

One hundred National Guardsmen were called out in some areas, particularly in those areas where motorists were stranded. Two Blackhawk helicopters and 47 Humvees were used in searching for stranded motorists.

Snowfall: Are we seeing fewer white Christmases due to climate change?

What is the average temperature on Christmas Day in Indianapolis?

Average highs across the Indianapolis area on Christmas Day are in the mid-30s, according to the NWS, with a normal high of 38.

Average low temperatures range from the low-20s with a normal temperature of 22.

IndyStar reporter John Tufts and USA TODAY reporters Doyle Rice and Elizabeth Weise

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:@cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Migration in Indiana is balanced for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to a new study released by Atlas Van Lines.

The Indiana-based moving company uses shipping data to analyze global moving patterns every year. The nearly 30-year study gathers Indiana data.

“We measure all moves globally,” Lauren Piekos, vice president of business development at Atlas, says. “So that’s interstate, in between states, in between provinces and Canada, and in between countries.”

The team then uses those numbers to look at two factors: how many people moved out of each state or area and how many people moved to each state and area.

If a higher percentage, or over 55%, moved out of the state, it is considered “outbound.” If a higher percentage moved to the state, it is considered “inbound.” Areas with a similar percentage for each are considered “balanced.”

By looking at data gathered between Nov. 1, 2023 and Oct. 31, 2024, the team determined Indiana’s migration was balanced. Atlas says the state has not been balanced since 1995.

“This is a change because historically, Indiana has been an outbound state,” Piekos said.

The findings align with data from the Census Bureau, Atlas says.

The change is not unique to Indiana.

“What is interesting this year is that we have the most amount of balanced states across the country,” Piekos said. “There’s actually only six outbound states, and the six outbound states have been pretty consistent, namely, some of the more populated states, California, Illinois and New York. Those consistently remain on the outbound list, but, for the most part, a lot of states are balanced and that’s historically more than what we’ve seen.”

The company surveyed several consumers that chose to move in the past three years.

In Indiana, many people chose to moved to the Carmel and Anderson area. Experts say that choice is mostly due to the affordability the areas offer as opposed to some of their neighbors.

“When we look at Illinois, which is a neighboring state, they are consistently an outbound state,” Piekos said. “When you dig into other data sources, we know that 44% of people from Illinois that are moving out are coming to Indiana and we think it’s really based on affordability.”

To take a look at the study’s other findings, click here.