By Shereen Siewert
Right on the heels of a winter storm that swept through central and northern Wisconsin ahead of Thanksgiving, a second blast of ice and snow is on the way for the weekend.
In Wednesday’s storm, six to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow, in concert with strong winds, downed trees and power lines, knocking out power for thousands. Strong winds, heavy rain, and high lake levels also caused flooding along susceptible lakeshore communities.
Now, another storm will bring a wintry mix of precipitation to the area. Most of the precipitation will fall as snow across the north, where the highest snow totals are expected. A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain over east-central Wisconsin will change to mainly snow during the course of the storm. Although lighter snow totals are expected in this area, strong northeast winds may combine with the snow to produce difficult travel conditions.
The National Weather Service in Green Bay has issued a winter storm watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning for Marathon, Clark, Waupaca, Taylor, Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Florence, Langlade, Lincoln, Menominee, and Shawano counties. Several northern Wisconsin counties are under a winter storm warning.
Expect heavy snow and mixed wintry precipitation with total snow accumulations of between 6 and 13 inches. Some minor icing is also possible, with winds gusting as high as 30 mph. Travel could be very difficult.
In addition, a light wintry mix of precipitation may develop Friday night and continue into Saturday morning, before the main storm system hits.
A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant snow accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.
