January 8, 2024 | Posted in News
BRACING FOR A WINTER STORM. RIGHT. AND I HAVE THE TIMING KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LAID OUT HERE FOR YOU SO YOU GUYS CAN GET AN IDEA ON HOW TO PLAN. SO AS WE LOOK HERE, 11 P.M. TONIGHT, THAT’S WHEN I REALLY EXPECT SOME SNOW TO START TO FALL IN THE METRO. IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE EARLIER SOUTHWEST A LITTLE BIT LATER NORTHEAST. BUT THAT’S GENERALLY THE TIME THAT THE SNOW IS GOING TO START TO MOVE IN BETWEEN SEVEN AND NOON. YOUR MORNING COMMUTE. THIS IS LIKELY GOING TO BE VERY MIXING NEAR THE LAKEFRONT, BUT THERE WILL BE BURSTS OF HEAVY SNOW AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE FURTHER WEST. SO YES, THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT YOUR MORNING COMMUTE. IT’S GOING TO IMPACT THE EVENING COMMUTE. I THINK THE MOST FROM NOON TO NINE. THIS IS MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL, ESPECIALLY TO THE WEST. NOW, IF THE SNOW FALLS FAST ENOUGH, IT CAN OVERCOME THAT WARMER AIR AT THE LAKEFRONT. AND I DO EXPECT SOME ACCUMULATION AT THE LAKEFRONT, JUST NOT AS MUCH IF YOU’RE FURTHER WEST OVERNIGHT, THE LIGHT SNOW WILL TAPER OFF AND THEN WE ARE BASICALLY GOOD TO GO. THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LARGEST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON, NO MATTER HOW WAY YOU SPELL IT. THE LARGEST WE’VE HAD HAD SINCE THEN WAS 3.3 ON AUGUST 31ST AND JANUARY 6TH. WE TECHNICALLY DID GET 1.6IN, SO WE HAVE UPGRADES TO THE WINTER STORM WATCH WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN THE PURPLE WINTER STORM WARNING, AND THIS PINK COLOR. AND THAT BASICALLY MEANS WE’RE TRYING TO GIVE YOU THAT HEADS UP THAT THIS IS ON THE WAY. THE ROADS ARE DRY AND NICE RIGHT NOW. THAT WILL BE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY 24 HOURS FROM NOW. IT WILL BE LIGHT TO START AND THEN IT WILL REALLY START TO PICK UP. AS THAT LOW GETS CLOSER AND BRINGS IN THAT MOISTURE. WE’RE SITTING AT FREEZING RIGHT NOW IN MILWAUKEE, 27, IN WAUKESHA. SO TODAY TODAY’S EASY PEASY HIGH OF 38 LIGHT WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST. BUT THOSE WILL EVENTUALLY TURN TO THE EAST. AND THIS ENTIRE EVENT IS GOING TO HAVE VERY GUSTY EASTERLY WINDS, EVEN UP TO 30 MILES AN HOUR. THAT LOW HAS A TON OF MOISTURE WITH IT, YOU CAN SEE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NEAR KANSAS CITY. ALSO GETTING INTO KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. THAT PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN OUR FORECAST WITH OUR NUMBERS AS WELL. SO THERE’S A LOT OF MOISTURE COMING IN FROM THE DEEP SOUTH AND SOMETIMES THAT CAN STEAL AWAY THE AMOUNT OF SNOW THAT FALLS. SO THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO BRING UP, BECAUSE IF THAT HAPPENS, THE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE’S THE SNOW STARTING TO BUILD ITS WAY IN FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST, EASTERLY WIND ALL DAY LONG, VERY BREEZY, LIKELY LIMITING VISIBILITY. YOUR MORNING COMMUTE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE IMPACTED BY THIS. THERE’S A LITTLE BREAK IN THE ACTION RIGHT HERE. NOT A LONG ONE BY ANY MEANS, AND IT’S STILL GOING TO BE SNOWING. IT’S JUST THE INTENSITY OF THE SNOWFALL WILL CHANGE. THEN HERE WE GO. WATCH THIS BY NOON. THEN THINGS REALLY GET. THEY REALLY GET NASTY. THEY START TO PICK UP. YOU SEE NEAR THE LAKEFRONT THERE’S WARMER AIR COMING IN AND THAT WILL KEEP THINGS A LITTLE BIT MORE MIXING NEAR THE LAKEFRONT. EVENTUALLY WE OVERCOME THAT WARMER AIR. IT GETS COLD FOR EVERYBODY AND WE ALL DO GET SOME KIND OF AMOUNT OF ACCUMULATING SNOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY. IT ENDS OVERNIGHT LEADING INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. SO THE IMPACTS OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE THE SNOW. WE HAVE THE WIND THAT MAKES VISIBILITY TOUGH AND THE ROAD IMPACT IS GOING TO BE HIGH AT THIS POINT. SO HERE’S OUR MAP. THE ONLY THING I CHANGED WITH THIS MAP IS RIGHT HERE. THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPTICK, I THINK, IN AREAS IN SHEBOYGAN AND OZAKI COUNTIES. THIS WINTRY MIX RIGHT HERE DEFINITELY IS GOING TO BE KIND OF THE BIGGEST OUTLIER, BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH WARM AIR CAN STAY AT THE LAKEFRONT. THE LAKE IS STILL IN THE 40S, 4 TO 7 EVERYWHERE ELSE I MAY ADD ANOTHER SMALL CONTOUR RIGHT HERE THAT’S STILL YET TO BE DETERMINED. I’VE SEEN SOME TRENDS ON THE WEATHER MODELS THAT KIND OF PICK UP A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THIS AREA. I’LL KEEP YOU GUYS POSTED FOR 12 NEWS AT 11. SO OVERALL TRAVEL WILL BE TRICKY, BUT MANAGEABLE. THIS IS A LONG DURATION EVENT, SO THERE WILL BE TIMES FOR DPW TO GET OUT THERE AND CLEAR THINGS IN BETWEEN THESE HEAVY BURSTS. THE EVENING WILL BE THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO TRAVEL, AND THIS WILL BE OUR BIGGEST SNOWFALL SO FAR THIS SEASON. THAT’S WHY TOMORROW IS DEFINITELY AN ALERT DAY. I’M GOING TO GO IMPACT DAY ON WEDNESDAY FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SLICK ROADS IN THE MORNING. ANOTHER CLIPPER ROLLS THROUGH ON TH