Winter weather mess *Edit*

Looks like we’re going to get a winter weather mess…We had a winter storm watch issued around 2pm today…

…MAJOR SNOW AND ICE STORM EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON…POLAR HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE MIDWEST ON FRIDAY… BRINGING A FRESH SURGE OF COLDER AIR ON NORTHWEST WINDS INTOSOUTHERN WISCONSIN. MEANWHILE…A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE PLAINS WILL SPREAD COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE OVER THIS COLD DOME SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL START AS SNOW SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN CHANGE TO SLEET AND EVENTUALLY FREEZING RAIN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SIGNIFICANT GLAZING IS POSSIBLE ON TOP OF SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW…PERHAPS EXCEEDING ONE HALF INCH OF ICE. TEMPERATURES WILL FINALLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY AS THE PRECIPITATION TAPERS OFF TO LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE.

…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. SNOW AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO SLEET AND THEN EVENTUALLY FREEZING RAIN. HIGHEST SNOW AMOUNTS SHOULD BE IN THE FOND DU LAC AND SHEBOYGAN AREAS WITH LESSER AMOUNTS TOWARD THE ILLINOIS BORDER.

OF MORE CONCERN IS THE AMOUNT OF GLAZE THAT COULD ACCUMULATE ON TOP OF THE SNOW BY SATURDAY NIGHT. CURRENT INDICATES ARE THAT WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN TOTALING ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH WILL FALL ON TOP OF THE SNOW. NEEDLESS TO SAY…TRAVEL CONDITIONS COULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT. THE POTENTIAL FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO DAMAGE TREES AND POWERLINES ALSO NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED. ICE ACCUMULATIONS WOULD LIKELY BE HIGHEST AWAY FROM THE WARMER SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

For those who are unaware, winter storm watches are typically issued about 48 hours before the storm system starts to affect the area.  By Friday night I imagine we’ll be under a winter storm warning.  Certainly by the time we wake up on Saturday morning we’ll be under a winter storm warning.  The worst part of this storm will be the ice, should it happen as described above.  That’s the amount of ice that causes big problems – brings down tree limbs and power lines.  I’d definitely rather be getting the gobs of snow that central and northern parts of Wisconsin are going to get.  They aren’t going to get any of the mix or ice and instead will have all snow…lots of snow, but all snow.  This is one of those storms where you go nowhere once it starts unless it’s an emergency requiring the fire dept, an ambulance, or the police.  Other than that, it’s not a good idea to go out. So it’s going to be a mess here….

Just got the latest update to the wInter storm watch and it hasn’t really changed.  The weather people, however, appear to be very concerned with the amount of freezing rain/ice that could accumulate Saturday evening through the overnight.  Travel is going tobe very difficult starting mid-day Saturday through probably Sunday morning.  Talk about a mess!