Overview: For this evening we have a slight risk for severe storms and mild temperatures in the upper 60s. The chance for showers and thunderstorms continue on through Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday. As the showers and storms come through we are looking at temperatures to cool off by the end of the week.

Tuesday: Severe storms are possible and temperatures for Tuesday will be in the lower 80s for Central Indiana The lows for Tuesday will be in the mid 60s.

Rest of this Week: We can expect scattered showers and thunderstorms again for Wednesday and Thursday. High temperatures in the lower 80s and low temperatures will fall into the 50s. By Friday we have mostly sunny skies with cool temperatures in the lower 70s.

Race Weekend: Saturday we are looking at clear skies and mild temperatures back in the mid 70s. For Sunday temperatures will stay in the mid 70s . Also, for Sunday night we are expecting a slight chance for showers and storms to pop up in the afternoon.

Indiana enjoyed a much warmer day!  Temperatures reached the lower 70s for most…Indianapolis had an official high of 72 degrees.  This evening we remain dry and warm with temps in the 60s.  Overnight tonight lows will be mild in the lower 50s.

High temperatures on Monday reach the 60s to the north, 70s to the south.  Most of the day should stay dry with a few spotty showers and mostly cloudy skies.  More showers and thunderstorms will develop in the late afternoon, into the overnight hours.  Tuesday through Friday scattered thunderstorms remain in the forecast.  Temperatures stay in the 60s to 70s until Friday-that is when a big cool-down takes over and temps only reach the mid 40s.

There’s enough sunshine to help warm the temperatures a bit, but strong northwest winds continue to bring in more cool air.

Temperatures made it into the low to mid 40s across much of central Indiana. Mostly clear skies will continue into the evening, allowing temps to drop quickly.

-Robb

Tonight :
Partly cloudy to mostly clear skies are expected tonight with lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday :
Overall, Saturday should be a very nice day. Sunshine will be plentiful, though a few clouds may pass throughout the day. By late evening clouds will increase as the next rainy system approaches. Rain may arrive in western Indiana by late evening, but the majority of the precipitation should be overnight Saturday night. Temperatures overnight will stay very mild. Highs in the mid 50s with lows barely dropping, if only briefly into the upper 40s.

Easter Sunday : Easter Sunrise : 7:30AM
Most of the rain should have moved out by Sunday sunrise, however there may be a few lingering showers early morning. By the afternoon, skies will clear a bit with a mix of sun and clouds. Winds will be breezy, especially during the afternoon. Most of the cold air will not arrive until later Sunday evening, so highs should top out in the mid 50s before dropping quickly Sunday night.

Monday :
Much colder air will continue to filter in and highs will struggle to 40 degrees. A wintry system may also bring a chance for a mix of rain and snow through the afternoon.

Midweek :Skies will clear through midweek with abundant sunshine. However, cold air will remain firmly in place, and highs will remain in the 40s with lows in the 20s.

Plenty of sunshine today and I love it! Our downtown cam looks beautiful with the blue skies. Temperatures have warmed with all of that sunshine and most numbers are in the mid 40s.

Through this evening, temperatures will drop out of the 40s and cool into the 30s by midnight. Lows aren’t expected to be as chilly tonight, and a subtle warm up is on the way. All the details on WISH TV starting at 5pm.

Temperatures are on track tonight to fall into the mid 20s by daybreak. Despite a chilly start to Thursday, sunshine will help to move the numbers quickly out of the 20s, through the 30s and into the 40s. Highs will top out in the mid 40s for most locations.

The warming trend continues into the weekend. Partly cloudy skies will accompany relatively dry conditions. The next round of rain won’t arrive until late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Scattered showers may linger into Sunday afternoon.

Monday could bring the possibility of a wintry system, however, there has been discontinuity in the computer models as to just if, and when we’ll see any precipitation. For now, we’ll call it mostly cloudy skies, but keep it tuned to the Forecast 8 team for any changes to next week’s forecast.

Eric Holcomb is the Republican participant today.   The Indiana Week in Review panel will discuss the following:

• The state Senate abortion debate focusing on invasive ultrasound procedures
• The mass transit bill passes the Indiana House
• The call for Constitutional Convention
• Ritz renovations
• Bucshon
• A teenager’s 10 mile walk to get a job

The latest run of Forecast 8 Futurecast indicates the accumulating snow should end in the Indy Metro area by around 3pm this afternoon. It will end before that to the west, and afterward to the east, where a Winter Weather Advisory continues for Richmond eastward.

Get ready for another battle over same sex marriage in Indiana and look for it to be a big fight.  State lawmakers will take up the proposal for a constitutional ban on same sex marriage in January and a statewide referendum on the ban is likely in 2014.  It could become the toughest referendum fight in recent memory.

Support for same sex marriage is growing across the country and that’s why supporters of gay marriage produced a study done by the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.  It finds that a ban would create conflicts of interest with 614 existing Indiana laws.  “We now have 614 reasons to show you that your laws could be affected,” said Rick Sutton of Indiana Equality Action.  “Pick one, pick any one.  Does it concern you?”

It’s just one of the factual arguments that will be presented to lawmakers.  Don Sherfick of Indiana Equality Action makes another.  “Clearly the amendment would keep not only same sex marriage but also civil unions and domestic partnership legislation out of the hands of Hoosier lawmakers,” he said.

But the proposed ban on gay marriage won 70 votes in the Indiana House in 2011 and there is little reason to believe that a 2013 vote will have a different outcome now that Republicans have won super majorities in both Houses of the General Assembly.

That sets the stage for a statewide referendum and the supporters of same sex marriage say they already have a campaign plan in place.  “I believe we’d see a large scale effort,” said Sutton, “not unlike a statewide political campaign.”

The backdrop for this debate is the November election where 3 states voted to legalize gay marriage and a referendum on a constitutional ban failed in Minnesota.  The supporters of gay marriage say that if Indiana goes the other direction it will make it more difficult for employers to attract young people from other states.  They hope to make this an economic development issue.

Representative Eric Turner, the author of the constitutional ban, declined an interview request.

Now that the cold front has pushed through, much colder temperatures have arrived!  It is currently 37º in Indianapolis, and down into the 30s in most areas across the state.  Wind chills are down in the 20s. The temperature change over the past 24 hours is 29 degree in Indianapolis, while Kokomo and Muncie and have dropped over a 30 degree.

Storm Tracker is showing the showers almost completely out of the state at this time.  Clouds are moving out with this system, and the sunshine is taking over!