The permanent gates will be used to close roads that frequently flood to prevent drivers from going into floodwaters.

The state must take such a step before requesting assistance from the federal government.

The St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers have both peaked and are starting to recede. Still some residents living in the flood zone continue to battle water.

The American Red Cross says it has opened eight shelters in northern Indiana, where crews used boats to help residents evacuate their homes.

There were 20-foot snow drifts, 40 mph winds and temperatures that plummeted from 34 degrees to zero overnight.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from late Sunday through Monday afternoon for all but Indiana's far southwestern counties.

Temperatures will drop from the 50s to below freezing in the span of a couple of hours Thursday night.

In Indianapolis, it's against the law to keep your pet outdoors if the temperature is below 20 degrees, or if a wind chill advisory is issued.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says wind chills could be approaching minus 20 in some spots Saturday night.

The tornado covered 31 miles Sunday in eastern Indiana's Delaware, Blackford and Jay counties before crossing the state line and ending west of Celina, Ohio.