Winter Storm Warning In Wisconsin: How Much Snow Can We Expect?

WISCONSIN — Transportation officials are encouraging travelers across Wisconsin to take extreme caution into the holiday weekend after the National Weather Service forecast wind gusts to potentially cause blizzard conditions.

Bitter cold and will move into southeastern Wisconsin Wednesday night and last into Friday, bringing along snowfall varying from 2-6 inches across the region, according to the NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan.

The probability of 4 inches of snow or more by Friday is greater further north from Dane, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, according to the NWS. Far southeast Wisconsin can expect less than 4 inches of snow, the agency said.

National forecasters on Wednesday put a winter storm warning in effect from 9 a.m. on Thursday until 6 a.m. Saturday.

According to AccuWeather, snow totals could be higher across much of Wisconsin between Wednesday and Saturday. AccuWeather meteorologists said there is a potential for 6-12 inches of snow in a band stretching from Kansas into Michigan.

Wind chills are expected to reach the negatives on Thursday as temperatures plummet during the day. Milwaukee is set for a high around 30 that morning, with temperatures reaching 7 degrees by 6 p.m., according to the NWS. Wind chill could make the temps in Milwaukee feel more like the negative teens. Waukesha is expected to have a wind chill down to -14 by 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to the NWS.

Those wind chills could last into the holiday weekend and remain in the negative teens and even negative 20s for Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, according to the NWS.

Travel may be inadvisable on Friday amid the storm system, so the Wisconsin Department of Transportation encouraged motorists to be aware of the weather. You can check road conditions at 511wi.gov.

Here are some precautions from WisDOT to keep in mind when winter driving:

• Snow means slow. Allow extra travel time, following distance, and reduce your speed during winter conditions.
• Be cautious on bridges, overpasses, and entrance and exit ramps.
• Don’t be overconfident in four-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicles. All vehicles require additional time and distance to stop in adverse conditions.
• Avoid using cruise control in winter conditions.
• Buckle up and put your phone down while driving. Every trip, every time.
• Leave room for maintenance vehicles and snowplows. Move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles.
• Stay at least 200 feet behind a working snowplow. Make sure that you can see the plow’s mirrors to ensure the driver can see you.
• In case of a crash or slide off, stay in the vehicle, turn on the hazards, call 911 and move vehicle(s) out of traffic if possible.

See also: Polar Weather: How To Keep Pipes From Freezing; Should You Warm Car?