29 years ago Indianapolis set all-time record low

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A big area of arctic high pressure set the stage 29 years ago for temperatures to plummet to all-time record lows.

To see how these temperatures dropped, we first have to go back a couple of days.

On Jan. 16-17, 1994, a major winter storm brought several inches of snowfall to central Indiana. This significant snowfall set a record for the most snow in a 24-hour period of 6 inches in Indianapolis.

A couple of days later, a big area of arctic high pressure moved across Indiana. This set the stage for ideal radiational cooling conditions. This is when skies are clear, winds are calm, a fresh snowpack has fallen, and temperatures are allowed to fall. All the heat from earlier in the day escapes.

Early in the morning on Jan. 19, 1994, temperatures started to dramatically drop. Indianapolis set an all-time record low of 27 below zero. New Whiteland dropped even farther and currently holds the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state of 37 below zero.