INDIANAPOLIS — Spring weather is often a rollercoaster in Indiana, but this year's temperature swings have been more volatile than in previous years.
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One example?
"Tomorrow we have highs in the 80s. Friday is going to be in the 40s, and then Saturday morning might be in the 20s, but then we're right back to 60 on Sunday," shared Cody Moore, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis. "Welcome to spring in Indiana!"
Spring weather already keeps meteorologists like Moore on their toes.
"We're going through a lot of changes in the spring. Our sun angle is getting higher, our days are getting longer," said Moore. "There's a much bigger temperature discrepancy between the tropics and the Arctic."
Moore went on to explain that Alaska has had a record cold winter, while it has been abnormally warm in the tropics.
"That's just causing things to be even more extreme than they typically are," Moore said.
What does this mean for Hoosiers?
"We are caught right in the middle of everything," Moore said.
This explains why we've had such high highs and low lows this March. Specifically, the lowest low temperature so far this month was 16 degrees, and the highest high temperature was 88 degrees.
"As a college student, I think just walking to class every morning, it's like I step onto the porch and I'm like, 'Oh, I need a jacket today. It's snowing.' It was just like 60 degrees yesterday!" Butler student Sarah Pawlowski explained her experience this March.
The quick changes from warm to cold aren't surprising for many Hoosiers.
"In the last one or two years, there was an April where there was a snowy day, and I was surprised and not surprised, because we live in Indiana," shared Ali Hancock, a lifelong Indiana resident.
Even for Indiana, there have been some outliers this March. Like Sunday, March 22.
"88 degrees is an all-time record high for March for Indianapolis," Moore shared. "The previous record was 85, set back in 1981."
Typically, there are around three days in March in Indianapolis with temperatures above 70 degrees. So far in March 2026, there have been nine days.
80-degree days are even more rare in March in Indianapolis.
"Over the past 155 years, there's only been 18 Marches that have reached 80 degrees," Moore stated.
The temperature swing from a high of 88 degrees on Sunday to a low of 38 degrees is also very rare.
"You have to go back to 1934 to see a temperature spread in one calendar day of at least 50 degrees or more, so that was pretty rare to see around here," said Moore.
Should we consider March 2026's weather to be unusual then?
"It's a very volatile month. I think that's a very accurate word to describe what we've been seeing," concluded Moore.
Leaving Hoosiers guessing on how to keep up with the weather each day.
"I've had my heat and the air on within days of each other," shared resident Sarah Riebsomer.
As the whiplash weather continues, keep following along with the WRTV Storm Team for more forecast updates to help you prepare for whatever Mother Nature throws our way next.
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