Snow is usually an inevitable part of winter for Indiana residents. For some people, snow is one thing they look forward to every winter. For other people, snow is the reason they want to move to Florida. With the falling of snow comes many fun activities. For the few days we usually get every year with multiple inches of snow on the ground, people can participate in activities such as sledding, snowmobiling, and building snowmen. Along with the fun activities, there can also be some challenges that come with snowfall. One major danger is driving. Roads covered with snow and ice can be extremely dangerous to drive on. Sidewalks can also become slick and covered with snow which makes it hard to get around. Whether you hate it or love it, there is no denying Indiana has record-low snowfall for this time in the year. 

     Normally by this time in January, we have had at least eight inches of snow. Fox News said, “We are now over 8″ below normal snowfall for the season. With a total of only .1″ snow, this is the LEAST amount of snow for Indy through January 4th in 127 years! It ties in with 1897 for #1 all-time least snowy to-date on record.” With this record-low snowfall, some usual wintertime activities have not been possible. On the contrary, driving has been fairly pleasant with little snow. Some of the lack of snowfall is being attributed to global warming. According to Fox News, “According to the report, as temperatures rise due to climate change, we may see more precipitation that falls as rain than snow. Rising temperatures could also mean the snowpack sticks around for a shorter period of time, which can, of course, impact runoff for the communities like California and Nevada that rely on it. Projections show that in areas in the West where snow is the dominant source of runoff, total seasonal snow water volume could decrease by 24% by 2050.” We have already seen some of what might normally be snowfall as rain. In the future, we might end up getting no snow at all. 

     The snowfall last weekend might be a sign of more snow to come. In the forecast for this weekend are very cold temperatures and a little bit of snow. With temperatures seeming to be getting lower, more snow might be on the way for late January and February. According to IndyStar, “Indianapolis currently has a 30% chance of seeing snow accumulation more than 3 inches on Friday, Evansville has a 20% chance, while Fort Wayne has a 60% chance.” This could be enough snow for some school delays and some outdoor snow activities. For the people who do not like snow, the coming snow is a bad thing, but for the people who like the snow, they should be happy to at least get a little bit this weekend. Hopefully, this snowstorm will really kick off winter, and we will have more snow to come in the next few weeks.