MILWAUKEE – A Winter Storm Watch has been posted throughout southeastern Wisconsin from Thursday, December 22nd at 6:00 a.m. until Saturday, December 24 at 6:00 a.m. A blizzard is possible across the area.
Stay tuned to FOX6 Weather Experts for frequent updates.
Forecast distribution
Time period: Light snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The snow will really pick up during the day Thursday through the afternoon. Several inches of snow are possible Thursday, BUT strong winds don’t arrive until after 6:00 PM Thursday. Blizzards Thursday night through Friday night. “Earth blizzard” on Saturday.
Amounts: Snow totals in excess of 6 inches across the area, with over 12 inches possible in places.
Snow type: This snow could start out as wetter on Thursday, but quickly become fluffy late Thursday night into Friday.
Affects: Travel will be nearly impossible later overnight Thursday into Friday. Strong winds continue on Saturday, blowing snow on the ground. Bitterly cold air moves in Friday with wind chills as low as -25 Friday night and Saturday morning.
A blizzard is defined as heavy snow with wind gusts of 35 mph or greater and would reduce visibility to 0.25 miles. or less than three hours or more. The last blizzard warning for SE WI (Walworth, Racine & Kenosha Co.) was in 2018. The last blizzard warning in the Milwaukee area was in 2011.
Winds will really pick up overnight Thursday into Friday, creating those blizzard conditions. Expect significant travel delays by both air and car Thursday night and Friday. If you plan to travel by plane, check with your airline. Interstate closures are possible for parts of the upper Midwest Thursday night and Friday.
14:00 on Thursday. The wind will blow slower, but it will snow.
22:00 on Thursday. Windy and very snowy.
Friday noon. Blizzard Conditions
Be aware of the weather
In the meantime, FOX6Now.com has a variety of extremely helpful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. These include:
The FOX6 Storm Center App
The FOX6 News app
The FOX Weather app
MAPS AND RADAR
We have many maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather Page that are updated regularly to give you the most accurate weather assessment. From a county-by-county view to a Midwest regional radar and a state view, it’s all there.
CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES
When the weather turns a bit inclement, schools and businesses may close. Monitor the latest list of closures, cancellations and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
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