Midwest Storm Spotters League

Event:Blizzard WatchAlert:...SNOW BEGINNING TO WIND DOWN IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN BUT CONTINUES INTO THE EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN... ...MAJOR WINTER STORM ON TAP FOR MUCH OF AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY... .LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS SHOULD GENERATE A FEW MORE HOURS OF SNOW BEFORE MOVING EAST THIS EVENING. SLUSHY ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE EVENING COMMUTE ROUGHLY EAST OF A LINE FROM BEAVER DAM TO WHITE WATER TO RACINE. A MAJOR WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO TAKE SHAPE OVER THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY...AND TRACK NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION ON THURSDAY. THIS STORM HAS BEEN PROJECTED BY MANY OF OUR LONG RANGE COMPUTER MODELS FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT THERE WILL BE A PARALYZING SNOW STORM IN THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION...WITH BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHERE THAT HEAVY SNOW BAND WILL SET UP BUT THE MOST LIKELY AREA WILL BE CENTERED WITHIN A COUNTY OR SO OF A LINE FROM DARLINGTON TO MADISON...BEAVER DAM...AND FOND DU LAC. THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW WILL LIKELY ARRIVE AFTER MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY...DIMINISHING FROM WEST TO EAST IN THE AFTERNOON. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 35 TO 45 MPH BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON COULD CAUSE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THE PRIMARY UNCERTAINTY WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IS NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND HOW WET THE SNOW IS. A WET SNOW WOULD REDUCE THE THREAT FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...WHILE A DRIER AND FLUFFY SNOW WOULD INCREASE THE THREAT FOR WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. IT APPEARS FAR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN WILL SEE TOO MUCH WARM AIR WRAP INTO THE AREA...AROUND THE INTENSE LOW...BRINGING THAT AREA A BLEND OF RAIN...RAIN/SNOW...WITH A TRANSITION TO ALL SNOW TOWARD THE END OF THE STORM. THUS TOTAL SNOWFALL IN THIS AREA WILL BE A LOT LESS THAN FARTHER WEST. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM WEDNESDAY TO NOON CST THURSDAY... ...BLIZZARD WATCH IN EFFECT THURSDAY AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM WEDNESDAY TO NOON CST THURSDAY. A BLIZZARD WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED. THIS BLIZZARD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING. * TIMING...SNOW WILL DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON AND END. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOW WILL BEGIN WEDNESDAY EVENING AND DIMINISH THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED FROM EARLY THURSDAY MORNING TO ABOUT NOON THURSDAY. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...10 TO 16 INCHES. THUNDERSNOW WITH RATES OF 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR MAY BRIEFLY OCCUR. * WINDS...NORTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT BECOMING NORTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH ON THURSDAY...WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH. * IMPACTS...TRAVEL BECOMING DIFFICULT LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND POTENTIAL FOR NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY...WHITEOUTS... AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.