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Light snow, gusting winds will make for a messy Wednesday evening

Published  February 23, 2016 4:54pm CST
Winter Weather
FOX 6 Now Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE -- The FOX6 Weather Experts are keeping close tabs on a weather system that will essentially skirt southeast Wisconsin on Wednesday afternoon and evening, February 24th.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, we are projecting 1" to 2" of snow accumulation from downtown Milwaukee south through eastern Racine and Kenosha counties. Lighter snowfall amounts can be expected to the west. The light snow begins after midday Wednesday and continues through Wednesday night. The snowfall will end and move to our east by Thursday morning.

The strong low pressure system will also generate a strong wind from the north-northeast. We can expect wind gusts greater than 30 miles per hour Wednesday afternoon and evening. Meanwhile to our east over Lake Michigan where there is less friction to slow the wind, speeds could exceed 50 miles per hour roaring down the length of Lake Michigan. This will generate waves of 18 feet crashing onshore in northwest Indiana. Thus a Lakeshore Flood warning has been posted for them.



A winter storm warning is in effect for the Chicago area, downstate Illinois, Indiana, and lower Michigan. 6" to 10" of snow could fall in the warning area.

As always, the exact track of the storm will determine where the heaviest snow will fall. If the storm track drifts back to the west by 30 or 40 miles, we could see heavier snow here in southeast Wisconsin. So our advice is always to keep up with our forecast updates as the storm system approaches the Great Lakes from the south.



Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the wintry mess. They including the following:

FOX6 NEWS MOBILE APP

This app features updated weather coverage of southeast Wisconsin from the team at FOX6 News. It includes weather webcasts, the FOX 6-day forecast and live streaming updates when necessary.


    MAPS AND RADAR

    We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there. All of these images are at the ready — just one click away.

    ROAD TEMPERATURES

    We want you to know about a new tool on FOX6Now.com. We now have a map that taps into the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) road temperatures. WisDOT has sensors on bridges throughout southeast Wisconsin — and they’re monitoring those sensors for potential freezing conditions. CLICK HERE to check out our new road temperatures map.

    WIND CHILL CHART

    FOX6 News invites you to click and print a copy of the National Weather Service (NWS) wind chill chart. Put it up on your refrigerator. The NWS wind chill temperature index provides an accurate, understandable, and useful formula for calculating the dangers from winter winds and freezing temperatures. CLICK HERE to print the NWS wind chill chart.

    FOX6 WEATHER IN SOCIAL MEDIA


      SCHOOL AND BUSINESS CLOSINGS

      When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down for part of a day or altogether. CLICK HERE to monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.

      FOX6Now.com SNOW STICK

      Because the winter months also offer a great opportunity to get outside and play, we try to bring you a lighter side of the weather — with a little help from the FOX6Now.com Snow Stick. It’s our unofficial snow measurement tool sitting on the FOX6 Weather Deck in Brown Deer. Web users can visit the Snow Stick web page and watch the snow accumulate in real time via live streaming video. We’ll stream this web cam live 24/7 whenever there’s snow in the forecast — and invite you to “LIKE” the Snow Stick on Facebook.



      FOX6 FUTURE FORECASTER

      Lastly, FOX6 and Meteorologist Rob Haswell are looking for some smart, fun, outgoing and weather-loving kids to help with the weather forecasts Friday mornings on WakeUp News. If you have a 6 to 12-year-old child who is into weather and wants to show his or her stuff, then we want to hear from you! CLICK HERE to learn more.