South Bend, Indiana – Bursts of lake-effect snow could rapidly reduce visibility and coat roads across northern Indiana and southwest Michigan starting Monday morning, with conditions worsening into the evening commute.
According to the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 8 a.m. Monday until 11 a.m. Tuesday for portions of northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. The system could produce 2 to 5 inches of lake-effect snow, while northwest winds gusting between 30 and 40 mph blow snow across roadways and occasionally reduce visibility to near zero.
The advisory includes Elkhart, LaGrange, northern La Porte, and St. Joseph counties in Indiana, along with Cass, St. Joseph, and Berrien counties in Michigan. Communities such as South Bend, Elkhart, Niles, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, and LaGrange could see bands of heavy snow developing as colder air pours across Lake Michigan.
Major travel routes including Interstate 94, Interstate 80/90, US-31, and the Indiana Toll Road may experience sudden whiteout conditions where lake-effect bands intensify.
Transportation officials urge drivers to slow down, increase following distance, and monitor 511 road conditions before traveling Monday evening and overnight. Snow showers may linger into Tuesday morning before gradually weakening, though additional lake-effect bands remain possible if cold northwest winds persist.
