Earliest measurable snow came 29 years ago Thursday

Imagine heavy, wet snow falling -- in the middle of October -- in central Indiana.

Twenty-nine years ago this week, no imagining was necessary.

On Oct. 18, 1989, Greencastle and west-central Indiana witnessed 0.2 inches of slushy snow, marking the earliest recorded snowfall ever for the area, according to National Weather Service records.

That historic day marked the first of three consecutive days of snowfall in central Indiana. Indianapolis recorded a total of 9.3 inches of snow during the period, while Kokomo reported 10.5 inches of snow.

The average first measurable snowfall for the Indianapolis area is Nov. 19.

Since we now have snow on our minds, here are several other notable dates for Hoosier snowfall:

Maximum in 24 hours -- 12.5 inches on Feb. 24-25, 1965.

Maximum in a single storm -- 16.1 inches on Feb. 16-17, 1910.

Maximum in one month -- 30.6 inches in January 1978.

Maximum in one season -- 58.2 inches on 1981-82.

Maximum depth measured -- 20 inches on Jan. 26-28, 1978.

Average date of last measurable snowfall -- March 30.

Latest date of last measurable snowfall -- May 9, 1923.

And since 1948 ...

Day of the year which has received the most snow -- Feb. 25 with 40.8 inches.

Day of the year with greatest average snow depth -- Jan. 31 with 1.7 inches on the ground.

Day(s) of the year with most number of snow days of a trace or greater -- Jan. 9, 15 and 30 with 29 days.