Snowfall in area could total 3-5 inches
Much of the state will wake up to shoveling
Almost all of Wisconsin should wake up to snow on the ground Tuesday morning.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for snow were in effect Monday night into early Tuesday for all but the southernmost counties in the state.
Forecasts were calling for areas immediately north and west of Milwaukee to receive 3 to 5 inches of snow by the time the storm moves away from the area Tuesday morning.
Those amounts could vary depending on whether any bands of moderate to heavy snow set up across the region, said Kevin Wagner, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sullivan.
Washington and Ozaukee counties were included in a winter weather advisory until 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Cities under the advisory include Mequon, Cedarburg, Grafton, Thiensville, Germantown, Richfield, Jackson, West Bend and Slinger.
Dane County was also placed under a winter weather advisory.
Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties were not included in any advisories.
As of Monday afternoon, Milwaukee was forecast to receive 1-3 inches of snow from the storm. Waukesha was forecast to receive 3-4 inches. Madison was expecting 2-4 inches.
The snow was crawling toward the Milwaukee metro area late Monday afternoon.
For southeast and south central Wisconsin, snow was expected to accumulate “from northwest to southeast with the greatest accumulations occurring this evening between approximately 6 p.m. and midnight,” the weather service said in a statement. “The entire outlook area will see some snow, with the highest totals expected to occur north of I-94.”
Crews in Milwaukee were treating roads in advance of the weather.
More snow north
The snow totals were increasing in the northern part of Wisconsin.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, Rhinelander had received 6.6 inches of snow and Wausau had received 3.5 inches.
Winter storm warnings for 5 to 11 inches of snow were in effect roughly north and west of a line from just north of Green Bay to just north of La Crosse.
Some of the cities included in the warning are Rhinelander, Wausau, Marshfield, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Plover, Eau Claire, Black River Falls and Hayward.
All of this is the result of a large storm system that was located over northern Michigan on Monday. The snow across Wisconsin was being generated on the backside of that storm.
This type of storm is common in Wisconsin in late December.
“This time of year we do get those low-pressure systems coming in,” Wagner said. “Seeing snow on the backside of these lows is not uncommon this time of year.
“We’re kind of getting back into winter after those nice warm temperatures over the holidays.”
The state Department of Transportation was reporting that roads and highways across the northern two-thirds of the state were either snow-covered or had slippery stretches on Monday.
There could be some reduced visibilities with the higher winds as the snow
falls, Wagner said.
New Year’s forecast
Expect a chilly night if you are headed out for New Year’s Eve festivities Tuesday.
The temperature at midnight Tuesday is expected to be 24 degrees with a wind chill of 14 in Milwaukee, according to the weather service.
In Madison, the temperature at midnight Tuesday is forecast to be 17 with a wind chill of 11, according to the weather service.
For New Year’s Day on Wednesday, expect warmer temperatures in the Milwaukee area, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the mid-30s.
Rain and/or snow chances return for the coming weekend, according to the weather service.