Northern Wisconsin expecting heavy snow, wind

Wisconsinites traveling for Thanksgiving could face heavy snow and high winds across some parts the state on Wednesday.

For far northern Wisconsin, the National Weather Service predicts peak snow totals of between 1 and 3 feet with potential blizzard conditions near Lake Superior.

A large low pressure system over the Dakotas will move across central Wisconsin Tuesday evening through Wednesday and bring a heavy dose of winter conditions for much of the state.

Meteorologist Ketzel Levens with the National Weather Service office in Duluth, Minnesota told WPR that rain showers in northern Wisconsin will transition into “pretty heavy snow” Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

“So, we are expecting that snow to continue through most of the day tomorrow, most notably in those areas that are going to be getting that lake enhanced snow along the south shore,” Levens said.

A winter storm warning has already been issued for Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer and Price counties.

The weather service estimates snowfall totals could top out at between 12 inches in places like Spooner and Hayward to between 30 and 36 inches in Hurley due to ongoing lake effect snow. Combine that with Wednesday’s expected wind gusts of between 25 and 40 miles per hour, and Levens said there’s a strong chance of blizzard conditions along U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. 63.

While heavy snowfall isn’t rare for parts of the south shore of Lake Superior and along the border with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Levens said the snowfall near Hurley could top the city’s two-day record.

“This is a situation where there’s a lot of snow that is falling in a very short period of time for that kind of area, and it will likely be the most amount of snow they’ve seen in that kind of time period for at least a decade,” Levens said.

If people in the region are able to adjust their travel plans, Ketzel suggested they hit the road on Tuesday afternoon or wait until Thanksgiving day.

Conditions are expected to be less extreme farther south. The National Weather Service office in Green Bay is projecting snowfall totals of between 4 and 9 inches in places like Florence, Laona and Irma.

Wausau could see between 2 and 5 inches. The region between Oshkosh and Wausaukee could see up to 3 inches of snow. Green Bay NWS Meteorologist Gus Kaiser said the biggest snowfall totals will be north of Rhinelander.

“But pretty much everywhere, from Oshkosh to Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield northward, we’ll see at least some periods of snow tomorrow,” Kaiser said.

He said if people must travel on Wednesday, they should allow extra time to reach their destination and pack emergency supplies in their vehicles like jumper cables, warm clothes, water and snacks in case they get stranded.

In western and southern Wisconsin, totals are also expected to be far lower. Places like Eau Claire and Medford could see between 2 and 8 inches of snowfall Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Near Milwaukee, the weather service is expecting less than half an inch of snow. 

The weather service is also tracking another storm system that could bring additional snow to Wisconsin between Friday and Sunday, when Thanksgiving revelers head back home. Forecasters told WPR it’s too early to say where the system will track, but the state could see a few more inches over the weekend.