Super Five of February 5


The NFL Super Bowl XLVI will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 5, 2012. What is the climatology of weather
that Indianapolis has experienced on February 5 in past years? The Indiana State Climate Office has
prepared the following list of the most extreme five years by category we call the
"Super Five of February 5".

Period of record: 69 years

 

Number of Years temperature remained above freezing

Number of years temperature remained below freezing

Number of years minimum temperature < 0°F

8(12%)

23(33%)

7(10%)


Number of years Precipitation > 1.00"

Number of years Precipitation zero or trace

Number of years Snowfall > Trace

Number of years Snowfall > 1.0"

3(4%)

42(61%)

18(26%)

7(10%)


Warmest High Temp
°F


Coldest High Temp
°F

Coldest Low Temp
°F

Warmest Low Temp
°F

65 in 2008

10 in 2007

-16 in 1979

44 in 1991

57 in 1973

16 in 1988

-5 in 1966

41 in 2008

57 in 1986

18 in 1947

-5 in 2007

40 in 1946

56 in 1943*

20 in 1995

-4 in 1996

40 in 1986


21 in 1966**

-3 in 2009

36 in 1960

*tied with 1944, 1962, 2005     **tied with 1977


Wettest Day
inches

Snowiest Day
inches

Deepest Snowcover Day
inches

1.83 in 2008

5.3 in 2010

12 in 1979

1.35 in 1976

3.9 in 2011

11 in 1978

1.32 in 1960

1.7 in 1980

10 in 1982

0.41 in 1991

1.4 in 1989

9 in 2009

0.36 in 1955

1.3 in 1985

6 in 1977

Data observed at the Indianapolis International Airport for the interval 1943 through 2011.

Super Bowl Sunday wraps up a full week of activities in Indianapolis starting January 30th. What type of weather can we expect typically during this week of the year? If we consider the last 10 years of weather data as a benchmark, then we would expect our daily high temperature to be about 39° with a nighttime low near 22°.

On average over the 7 days 0.94 inch of precipitation, which includes rainfall and melted snowfall, would fall. Snowfall in the past 10 years during this week in Indy has ranged from 5.3 inches to nothing at all with an average of 2.1 inches. The most snow cover during the 10 years was 8.3 inches in 2009 but normally only about 1.8 inch is on the ground during the week.