Wausau Pilot & Review
A major winter storm system is headed for Wisconsin including Wausau and Marathon County, with potential blizzard conditions snarling travel as the holiday weekend approaches.
The National Weather Service says the intensifying storm system is expected to track from the Plains to the Great Lakes region during the middle to latter part of the week. Several inches of snow is possible from late Wednesday through Thursday, with additional snow from Thursday night into Friday and up to 50 mph wind gusts, resulting in near-blizzard conditions.
The resulting blowing and drifting snow could make road travel very difficult. Air travel will also be greatly affected, weather officials say. Anyone with travel plans during the Wednesday through Friday night period should closely monitor later forecasts. Depending on exactly how quickly the storm exits the region, the travel impacts could linger into Saturday.
Bitterly cold air will settle into the area Tuesday resulting in slowly falling temperatures. Wind chills during the evening will drop to 10 below to 20 below zero in central and north-central, and into the single digits below zero in the east.
Some wintry weather will affect the area prior to the arrival of the storm. Roads across the area are likely to be snow covered and slippery Tuesday due to the light snow that fell overnight. Be sure to allow for some extra travel time and use extra caution when driving.
Wind chills around 20 below zero indicate exposed skin can suffer frostbite in as little as 30 minutes, and anyone outdoors should dress in appropriate winter clothing.
Accumulating snow will continue in the Lake Superior snowbelt Friday night into Saturday, with significant accumulations possible in Vilas County.
