A winter storm warning, previously scheduled to end this morning, remains in effect until 4 p.m. EST this afternoon. In addition, a wind chill warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. EST Tuesday. There’s a link above to the full statement as of 6:59 a.m. but here are the highlights:

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

 * MOST OF THE ACCUMULATING SNOW HAS ENDED BUT GUSTY NORTHWEST
   WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE
   EXPECTED TODAY. THIS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND
   DRIFTING SNOW WHICH WILL LIKELY KEEP MANY ROADS IMPASSABLE OR
   RESTRICTED TO SINGLE LANES.

 * TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY THROUGH THE DAY WITH
   READINGS DROPPING INTO THE TEENS BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND
   CHILLS BETWEEN 30 BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED
   THROUGH TUESDAY.

IMPACTS...

 * ROADS ARE SNOW COVERED...SLICK AND HAZARDOUS. SIGNIFICANT
   DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE ROADWAYS TO BE PARTIALLY OR FULLY
   IMPASSABLE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

 * VISIBILITIES MAY BE REDUCED AT TIMES DUE TO THE BLOWING SNOW.
   NEAR WHITEOUT CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR.

 * FROST BITE AND HYPOTHERMIA WILL OCCUR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES
   WITH THESE EXPECTED WIND CHILLS. DEATH WILL ALSO OCCUR IF
   PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

Official conditions at Fort Wayne International Airport at 7:54 a.m. EST.

As of 7:54 a.m. EST, the official temperature at Fort Wayne International Airport was -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind was 20 mph gusting to 30 mph, producing a wind chill factor of -35 degrees F.

Indiana Michigan Power outage map as of 7:52 a.m. EST Jan. 6. Orange indicates 501 to 2,000 customers affected. Yellow indicates 100 to 500.

Unfortunately, some homes are without electricity in this extreme cold. Indiana and Michigan Power reported nearly 1,000 Allen County customers without power as of 8 a.m. EST. It wouldn’t hurt to give friends and relatives a call to make sure they have power and sufficient heat. Personally, I’m also praying for all the utility workers who must be out in this dangerous cold today to restore power.

Allen County and all surrounding counties (except Wells County) all have travel “warnings” (code red) in effect, according to the website of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. According to state law, a “warning” level is the highest level of local travel advisory and means that travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only. During a “warning” local travel advisory, individuals are directed to:

1. refrain from all travel;
2. comply with necessary emergency measures;
3. cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and
4. obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

According to the website of the Wells County Sheriff Department, Wells County has declared a “level 3 snow emergency,” which, according to the website, means “only emergency personnel should be on the roadway.”

A representative of the Allen County Office of Homeland Security informed me yesterday that the Allen County Highway Department pulled its plows off the road overnight and did not resume planning until 4 a.m. EST. Apparently, the department lacks the budget for 24-hour operations.

The Indiana Department of Transportation reported on its Facebook page at 8:35 a.m. EST that drifting and stranded vehicles have closed many highways. Read the post for a complete list. DOT is also sending road closure updates on its Twitter feed, which you can read, even if you don’t have a Twitter account: @INDOT. For information more specific to northeastern Indiana, check out @INDOTNortheast, for tweets like this:

Alert: I-69 southbound – INDOT Traffic Mgt Ctr in Indy is reporting accidents at the 291 & 281 mile markers. All lanes closed. Up to 4 hours
— INDOT Northeast (@INDOTNortheast) January 6, 2014

Finally, if you must go outside today, take steps to protect yourself from hypothermia and frostbite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following:

Adults and children should wear:

• a hat
• a scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth
• sleeves that are snug at the wrist
• mittens (they are warmer than gloves)
• water-resistant coat and boots
• several layers of loose-fitting clothing

Be sure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton. Stay dry—wet clothing chills the body rapidly. Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. Also, avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing and fueling your car or using a snow blower. These materials in contact with the skin greatly increase heat loss from the body. Do not ignore shivering. It’s an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors.

Indiana state police issued the news release below. You can find the original version online here.

State of Emergency for Areas of Interstate I-65 and I-80/94 – Portions of Interstate Closed

Northern Indiana – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Indiana State Police have mutually determined the following interstates are impassable the result of the ongoing winter snow storm:

• I-65 north and southbound from State Road 26 (172 mile marker) to U.S. 30 (253 mile marker); and
• I-80/94 east and westbound from U.S. 421 (34 mile marker) to the Illinois State Line (0 mile marker)

This action has been taken in the interest of public safety to preserve life and property. Based on this joint assessment, the Indiana State Police, with assistance from the Indiana National Guard, are assisting stranded motorists. Motorists forced to abandon their vehicle will be transported to places of shelter.

Once closed, persons that choose to ignore the notice and attempt to travel on the affected portions of the interstate do so at their own risk. Deliberate disregard of this notice places the motorist and all occupants of the vehicle at risk of serious injury or death. It also jeopardizes the safety of public safety personnel who engage in rescue efforts of stranded motorists.

With portions of the interstate closed, INDOT resources will be able to take aggressive action to clear entry and exit ramps as well as the main line of the interstate. It is not possible to estimate when the interstate will be reopened, as it will be weather and condition dependent. It is reasonable to expect the interstate will not reopen the rest of January 5th. Updates on the status of the closed portions of the interstate system will be made starting the morning of January 6, 2014. Citizens should tune to local media for future updates.

People living in the affected areas are urged to stay home and avoid travel unless there is a life threatening emergency that necessitates travel. Indiana residents residing in areas around and south of the affected closed interstate should postpone travel plans to the affected areas as local roads are also in poor condition.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has extended the Winter Storm Warning for Allen County, Indiana to 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6. Also included in the extended warning are the Indiana counties of Lagrange, Steuben, Noble, De Kalb, Whitley, Huntington, Wells and Blackford, the Ohio counties of Williams, Fulton, Defiance, Henry and Paulding and the Michigan counties of Branch, Hillsdale. Here are highlights of the latest warning statement:

 * HEAVY SNOW WITH RATES OF 1 INCH PER HOUR WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
   MID EVENING BEFORE ENDING. STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 16
   INCHES ARE EXPECTED.

 * NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING. WIND
   GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS WILL
   CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT INTO MONDAY
   WHICH COULD PRODUCE NEAR WHITE OUT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT
   TIMES.

 * TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY TONIGHT WITH LOWS BETWEEN
   7 BELOW AND 20 BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30
   BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH
   TUESDAY.

For other nearby counties, NWS has upgraded to a blizzard warning until 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6. Counties covered by the blizzard warning include the Indiana counties of: La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Starke, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, Kosciusko, White, Cass, Miami, Wabash and Grant.

 * HEAVY SNOW WILL TAPER OFF THROUGH MID EVENING. STORM TOTAL
   ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 16 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.

 * NORTH WINDS WILL SHIFT NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH
   WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH THIS EVENING. THIS WILL CAUSE SEVERE
   BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OVERNIGHT WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.

 * TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY OVERNIGHT WITH LOWS BETWEEN
   5 BELOW AND 15 BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30
   BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH
   TUESDAY.

The infographic above, issued by the northern Indiana National Weather Service office, shows the location of heavy snowfall and single-digit temperatures as of 2:30 p.m. today.

At 4 p.m., the NWS issued an updated Winter Storm Warning and Wind Chill Warning. Below are some highlights. Note the increase in maximum snowfall to 16 inches!:

 * HEAVY SNOW WITH RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL CONTINUE
   THROUGH THE EVENING. STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 16
   INCHES ARE EXPECTED.

 * NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED BY THIS EVENING.
   WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. THIS WILL CAUSE
   SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT INTO MONDAY WHICH
   COULD PRODUCE NEAR WHITE OUT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES.

 * TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY TONIGHT WITH LOWS BETWEEN
   7 BELOW AND 20 BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30
   BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH
   TUESDAY.

As of 5 p.m., the INDOT website indicates that travel conditions on all state, U.S. and Interstate highways in northern Indiana are “difficult,” as indicated by the purple roads on the sample map below.

Governor Mike Pence has directed the Indiana National Guard to stage Highway Assistance Teams in response to the heavy snow and low temperatures forecasted across the state. A total of 24 teams, consisting of 96 individuals, have been deployed across the state to assist in life saving and rescue operations. Each team has four individuals and two vehicles. See the governor’s news release.