At 10:27 p.m. EST, the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service (NWS) issued an updated Winter Storm Watch, which reads pretty much the same as previous versions, with one small exception. The latest version of the watch (see below) reduces the maximum snowfall forecast by an inch to a storm total of nine inches. As for when or if the NWS might replace the watch with a warning, meteorologists say they’ll take another look at the situation during the overnight shift to decide whether the change the snowfall forecast and whether or when to upgrade the watch to a warning.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1027 PM EST MON FEB 3 2014

...WINTER STORM DEVELOPING...

.A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE QUICKLY FROM THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS
COAST EARLY TUESDAY AND INTENSIFY AS IT LIFTS NORTHEAST THROUGH
THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THEN INTO SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA BY
DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. SNOW WILL QUICKLY OVERSPREAD THE REGION
TUESDAY AFTERNOON FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHEAST AND BECOME
HEAVY AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT. A PERIOD OF HEAVY SNOW WITH
SNOWFALL RATES OF 1...TO POSSIBLY 2 INCHES PER HOUR IS POSSIBLE
TUESDAY EVENING WITH GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES. TOTAL SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE GENERALLY IN THE
5 TO 9 INCH RANGE WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE
HIGHWAY 24 CORRIDOR. IN ADDITION...NORTH WINDS WILL INCREASE AND
LIKELY CAUSE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW TO DEVELOP AFTER
MIDNIGHT TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY IN
OPEN AND RURAL AREAS...PRIMARILY AFFECTING WEST TO EAST ROADWAYS.

THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS BASED ON THE LATEST INFORMATION AND IS
SUBJECT TO CHANGE...DEPENDING ON THE STORMS EXACT TRACK AND
STRENGTH. LISTEN FOR LATER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WINTER
STORM.

LA PORTE-ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB-
STARKE-PULASKI-MARSHALL-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN-
WHITE-CASS IN-MIAMI-WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS-GRANT-BLACKFORD-
JAY-BERRIEN-CASS MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE-WILLIAMS-
FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-HENRY-PAULDING-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...SOUTH BEND...
MISHAWAKA...NEW CARLISLE...WALKERTON...ELKHART...GOSHEN...
NAPPANEE...LAGRANGE...TOPEKA...SHIPSHEWANA...ANGOLA...FREMONT...
KENDALLVILLE...LIGONIER...ALBION...AUBURN...GARRETT...KNOX...
NORTH JUDSON...BASS LAKE...WINAMAC...FRANCESVILLE...MEDARYVILLE...
PLYMOUTH...BREMEN...CULVER...ROCHESTER...AKRON...WARSAW...
WINONA LAKE...SYRACUSE...MENTONE...COLUMBIA CITY...TRI-LAKES...
SOUTH WHITLEY...FORT WAYNE...NEW HAVEN...MONTICELLO...BROOKSTON...
MONON...LOGANSPORT...ROYAL CENTER...PERU...GRISSOM AFB...MEXICO...
WABASH...NORTH MANCHESTER...HUNTINGTON...ROANOKE...BLUFFTON...
OSSIAN...DECATUR...BERNE...MARION...GAS CITY...UPLAND...
HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND...DUNKIRK...NILES...
BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS...
MARCELLUS...STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...WHITE PIGEON...MENDON...
COLDWATER...BRONSON...HILLSDALE...LITCHFIELD...JONESVILLE...
BRYAN...WAUSEON...ARCHBOLD...FAYETTE...SWANTON...DEFIANCE...
SHERWOOD...HICKSVILLE...NAPOLEON...DESHLER...LIBERTY CENTER...
PAULDING...ANTWERP...MELROSE...OTTAWA...PANDORA...KALIDA...
FORT JENNINGS...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...OHIO CITY...LIMA...
SPENCERVILLE

...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

 * SNOW OVERSPREADS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

 * SNOW HEAVY AT TIMES TUESDAY EVENING.

 * TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY OF 5 TO 9 INCHES
   POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A MONTICELLO TO DEFIANCE LINE...WITH
   4 TO 7 INCHES POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE.

 * AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW DEVELOPS TUESDAY NIGHT AND
   CONTINUES ON WEDNESDAY.

IMPACTS...

 * SNOW COVERED ROADS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN OCCASIONAL
   HEAVY SNOW WILL PRODUCE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS
   BY TUESDAY NIGHT.

 * DIFFICULT MORNING COMMUTE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY MORNING.

 * INCREASING NORTH WINDS WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL CAUSE
   CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING... PRIMARILY ON EAST TO
   WEST ROADS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.