An arctic front will bring snow, high winds and bitter cold to Wisconsin on Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for southern and central Wisconsin and a winter storm warning for far northern Wisconsin.
The advisory for southern and central Wisconsin runs from midnight to 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the cold front expected to move west to east across Wisconsin in the early morning hours, bringing light snow and winds gusting to 40 to 45 miles per hour, according to Cameron Miller, National Weather Service meteorologist.
In southern Wisconsin, 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected over areas generally north of Interstate 94, and an inch or less in areas along and south of I-94, where blowing snow will be the main hazard with the strong winds, potentially causing poor travel conditions.
More snow is expected to the north, with a trace to 2 inches in La Crosse, 2 to 5 inches in Eau Claire, 4 to 7 inches in Rhinelander, 12 to 16 inches in Hurley, and 2 to 4 inches in Green Bay. Milwaukee and Madison both should see an inch or less, and Kenosha just a trace, the Weather Service said.
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The Alberta clipper storm will help set the stage for a larger storm later this week that could bring accumulating snow south of Wisconsin, AccuWeather said.
The storm will bring a period of snow and plunging temperatures from Colorado to parts of the central Plains from later Wednesday to Wednesday night, then move on the eastern U.S. later in the week.
In Madison on Tuesday, look for mostly cloudy skies, a high near 31 and south winds at 10 to 15 mph, gusting to 30 mph, the Weather Service said.
There’s a 40% chance for snow overnight, mainly after midnight, with patchy blowing snow after 2 a.m. as winds blow out of the south and then west at 15 to 25 mph and gust to 40 mph. Skies will be cloudy, with a low around 11 and wind chill values between zero and 10.
Wednesday’s forecast features a 20% chance for snow before 2 p.m. then flurries between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., mostly cloudy skies, a high near 12, west winds at 20 to 25 mph and gusting to 45 mph, with wind chill values of 5 below to 10 below.
Mostly quiet weather will follow into early next week, with just a 20% chance for snow Saturday night before midnight.
Skies over Madison should be partly sunny Thursday, mostly sunny Friday, mostly cloudy Saturday, mostly sunny Sunday, and sunny Monday, with highs near 12, 10, 30, falling to 14, and 13, and lows Wednesday night through Sunday night around 4, 7 below, 2, 16 and zero.
27 Storm Track meteorologist Max Tsaparis forecasts spotty, light snow developing overnight; an inch or less of snow for most of the Madison area, 1 to 2 inches to the north, and winds gusting to 40 mph on Wednesday; then quiet and generally cold weather into early next week.
Tsaparis said highs for Madison Tuesday through Monday should be near 31, 18, 12, 10, 30, 22 and 15, and overnight lows around 15, 4, 7 below, 7, 14 and zero.
Monday’s high in Madison was 20 at 3:28 p.m., 8 degrees below the normal high and 37 degrees below the record high of 57 for Jan. 3, set in 1874.
Monday’s low in Madison was zero at 5:19 a.m., 14 degrees below the normal low and 23 degrees above the record low of 23 below for Jan. 3, set in 1887.
No precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Monday, leaving Madison’s January and 2022 total at 0.04 inches, 0.1 inches below normal. The meteorological winter (December through February) precipitation total (rain plus snow converted to liquid) stayed at 1.73 inches, 0.04 inches below normal.
Madison’s record precipitation for Jan. 3 is 0.7 inches, set in 1906.
With no snow on Monday, Madison’s January and 2022 snow total stayed at 0.8 inches, 0.3 inches below normal. For meteorological winter, Madison has received 7.3 inches, 5.8 inches below normal. For the snow season (since July 1), Madison has received 7.9 inches, 8.8 inches below normal.
Madison’s record snowfall for Jan. 3 is 8.3 inches, set in 1971.
Madison’s official snow depth is 3 inches.
Photos: A look back at the frigid blast of 2014 caused by the 'polar vortex'
2014 polar vortex
Kristy Gruley of Madison is bundled against the cold weather while making her way along East Johnson Street on Jan. 3, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Horses and other livestock need to keep warm, too. This group of coat-clad horses forage in a field at Sunrise Stables on Highway 138 outside of Oregon on Jan. 3, 2014. Experts say nutrition requirements for all livestock increase as the temperatures decrease.Â
2014 polar vortex
Madison resident John Morgan contends with the cold weather in Downtown Madison on Jan. 3, 2014.Â
2014 polar vortex
2014 polar vortex
Braving frigid temperatures, a man runs through a crosswalk at East Washington Avenue and Pinckney Street in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Troy Coogan, left, and Dave Laux, employees of Madison's water utility, shut off a water on the Far East Side on Jan. 6, 2014, after a main break. The utility kept busy, as its five crews dealt with nine water main breaks amid frigid temperatures.
2014 polar vortex
Steam rises from broken ground as Madison Water Utility crews dig around a water main break on Atlas Avenue in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Water gushes up from a water main break on Atlas Avenue in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
With temperatures well below zero, Wisconsin & Southern Railway workers Stacey Hurda, left, and Brady Whipple work with bare hands to thaw a frozen power switch near John Nolen Drive in Downtown Madison on Jan. 6, 2014. A "polar vortex" of bitterly cold air closed schools and businesses in Madison and elsewhere Monday, and forced another day of closures Tuesday.
2014 polar vortex
Cindy Lundey walks to her job at UW-Madison's Memorial Library on Jan. 6, 2014, braving subzero temperatures and using two cups in an effort to insulate her coffee from the cold. Madison saw a low temperature of 18 degrees below zero on Monday and only managed a high of minus 11.
2014 polar vortex
Anyone who was out and about on Jan. 6, 2014, like this man delivering packages on State Street, had to contend with subzero temperatures and wind chills as low as 43 degrees below zero.
2014 polar vortex
Basketball fans make their way to entrances at the Kohl Center for a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center on Jan. 5, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Contending with bitterly cold temperatures, Dan Wepking of Alliant Energy works to restore power to a transmission pole near the intersection of County Highways N and T near Sun Prairie after a guide wire gave way Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
A wrapped-up pedestrian walks past Walgreens on the Capitol Square on Jan. 6, 2014. Temperatures in the Madison area dipped to nearly 20 below as a blast of Arctic air moved into the area early Monday.
2014 polar vortex
A pedestrian moving up Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Capitol Square. Temperatures in the Madison area dipped to nearly 20 below zero as a blast of Arctic air moved into the area early Monday, Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Nancy Dvorak of Madison contends with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills while making her way through Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Wisconsin and Southern Railway worker Brady Whipple shovels snow from between the rails of tracks along John Nolen Drive in Madison. Residents of the Upper Midwest are contending with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills Jan. 6, 2014. Workers from the company were on the scene to thaw a frozen power switch, which is used to operate apparatus.
