A major winter storm will affect travel later this week

• Little snow tonight
• Major snow accumulation from Thursday to Friday
• Very cold rotation

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A very active week of winter weather is expected in southern Wisconsin and much of the north-central part of the country. As we approach the holiday weekend, one small system and one large system will affect us. Our first disturbance will be a weak disturbance tonight into Tuesday morning. Right now, it looks like it could be about an inch of soft snow. Enough to create some soft spots on the Tuesday morning commute.

A much larger system will begin to move in late Wednesday and into Friday. This will come in many waves and will be a major travel headache for the Midwest. Model data suggests snow accumulations of up to a foot in some areas. We have already released early warning dates for both Thursday and Friday. Winds are likely to pick up significantly and continue to blow into Saturday. Keep an eye on the forecast as the holiday weekend approaches.

Increasing clouds with a chance of snow showers in the afternoon and evening. Highs in the low 20s with a light south wind. Periods of light snow Tuesday night with steady or gradually increasing temperatures in the low and mid 20s. Half inch to inch stocks. The snow will push through Tuesday morning with mostly partly cloudy skies the rest of the day. Highs falling into the mid 20s in the afternoon.

Wednesday will start calmly, but the snow will increase in the afternoon and evening. Periods of snow expected Wednesday night, through Thursday and most of Friday. The snow can be heavy at times so there can be high accumulation. Strong storms are also possible in areas with blowing snow. The temperature will be low for high and single digits in the teens.

As snow pushed in earlier this weekend, arctic air moved in. Highs into the single digits with overnight lows below zero. Sometimes the weather can be dangerously cold as the deep snowpack ensures a white Christmas. Another possibility is that the snow may return early next week.

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