Rumbles of Thunder followed by Flakes of Snow?

A very dynamic system will impact the area on Friday Night into Saturday. As a cold front sweeps through the area, moisture along the front will increase and some pre-frontal precipitation will develop. With strong dynamics and strong upper-level winds, it won't take much precipitation to transfer down some of the stronger winds to the surface. Winds in some of the "thundershowers" could gust to 50 or 55 mph at times.

As the front quickly swings across the state, a low pressure will develop across the Appalachian Mountains and move Northeast. This will cause a secondary area of precipitation to develop, and more rain and snow will be possible on Saturday. As cold air becomes entrenched in the system, rain will begin to mix with snow from Northwest to Southeast across the state.

Areas close to Lake Michigan will have somewhat of a heat island effect, and could potentially see a slower transition to snow, but most areas in Northwest Indiana will changeover to snow fairly early in the morning on Saturday. Some light snowfall accumulations are possible, and with strong gusty winds, lowered visibilities are possible in the Northern half of the state.

Beyond this weekend's storm, very cold air will remain in place next week as renewed cold air masses swing Southeast out of Canada.

Below is an image from the European Forecast Model for early next week, showing just how cold temperatures will be across a large part of the country.