ALERT DAYs: Friday for strong winds, the weekend for winter storm A significant weather event is expected to impact Wisconsin this week, with strong winds forecast for Friday and a winter storm set to arrive over the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued alerts for both events, urging residents to prepare for potentially hazardous conditions. The first major development will be a rain/snow mix moving into the state later Thursday afternoon, lasting through Friday afternoon. This system will bring breezy conditions with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour in southern Wisconsin from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Winds will shift from the southwest to the northwest during the day, creating challenging travel conditions. While the precipitation will be light, the high wind warning highlights the potential for widespread power outages and downed trees due to the damaging gusts. The more severe weather system will arrive over the weekend, bringing a large winter storm to the Midwest beginning Saturday night. The storm’s path will affect Chicagoland and northwestern Indiana, placing southern Wisconsin in a prime location for significant snowfall. The freezing line will play a critical role in determining precipitation types, with areas north of the line likely to see snow throughout the weekend. South of the line, a rain/snow mix may transition to all snow by Sunday evening. Snowfall amounts are still uncertain, but southern Wisconsin should prepare for at least 6 inches of wet, heavy snow. Some regions, particularly in the northeast, could receive between 1 and 2 feet of accumulation. Wind chills will drop to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees during the day. Visibility may become severely reduced due to blowing snow, and travel could become nearly impossible.#national_weather_service #wisconsin #chicagoland #interstate_94 #winter_storm
