Cities in Northern Indiana broke all-time records for low temperatures this morning as temps dipped into the double-digit negative readings, The National Weather Service said. South Bend shattered its all-time low temp at -14 by 7:45 a.m. The old record of -9, which was set in 1983, was surpassed at 3 a.m. In Fort Wayne, temps dipped to -9 at 7:45 a.m., outdistancing the old record by 1 degree, the weather service reported from its northern Indiana offices north of North Webster. Wind chills across the region dove down into the -20 range, according to Mark Frazier, meteorologist in North Webster. Temps at the weather office fell to -11 at 7 a.m., but the office does not have historical records to compare. Frigid temps forced many area schools to close or delay the start of school today. The bitter cold set records across parts of the Midwest as the season’s second blast of arctic air passed through the county’s midsection. Look for a sharp turnaround in the next day, though. Today’s high was expected to reach 10 above and tonight’s low was predicted to be around 5 degrees above. Tuesday will see a high of 27 and a low near 15. After that, daytime highs for the next three days will hover near the freezing mark, with low temps in the mid 20s. With a few inches of snow already on the ground, Frazier predicted a white Christmas on Sunday despite the fact there might be some melting in the next few days. “We’ll have enough snow pack to some degree when Christmas arrives,” Frazier said. In fact, there is a looming chance of snow on the weekend. He said there is some potential for significant weather activity and that they are monitoring data. Parts of northern Indiana – including Warsaw – have already seen significantly more snow than normal. Fort Wayne and South Bend have seen twice as much snow as normal at this point in the winter season, with 21.1 inches recorded in South Bend and 10.8 inches in Fort Wayne, according to data from the weather service posted online.
