Weather Alert in Wisconsin
Winter Storm Watch issued March 12 at 2:30PM CDT until March 16 at 1:00PM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI
AREAS AFFECTED: Buffalo; Trempealeau; Jackson; La Crosse; Monroe; Juneau; Adams; Vernon; Crawford; Richland; Grant
DESCRIPTION: ...TWO MAJOR WINTER STORMS TONIGHT INTO FRI MORNING AND SAT NIGHT INTO MON MORNING... .The first winter moves through northern Wisconsin tonight into Friday morning bringing snow to areas along and north of US Highway 10 in central Wisconsin with expected amounts rising rapidly north of Wisconsin Highway 29. With wind gusts ramping up overnight to 45 to 50 mph by Friday morning, unsheltered areas will see blowing and drifting snow leading to hazardous driving conditions. Light snow and blowing snow are expected to linger through the morning before winds begin decreasing Friday afternoon. The second winter storm could approach historic levels as a large band of 12 to 18 inches of snow falls across the region with localized amounts up to 24 inches. The main uncertainty in the forecast is exactly where this band sets up with the highest confidence currently from southeast Minnesota to between I-90 and Highway 29 in Wisconsin. There will be a relatively sharp gradient in snow amounts on the southern side of the snow band over northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. In addition to the heavy snow, winds increase Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, with gusts of 35 to 50 mph possible west of the Mississippi River. These winds could lead to widespread blowing and drifting of snow and blizzard conditions, especially west of the Mississippi River. Regardless of exact snow amounts, expect widespread major travel impacts regionwide with some roads possibly becoming impassable. * WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Highest total snow accumulations between 12 and 18 inches with localized amounts approaching 24 inches possible. Lesser amounts of 6 to 12 inches of snow possible outside of this band. A glaze of ice is also possible if the storm trends further north. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central, southwest, and west central Wisconsin. * WHEN...From Saturday evening through Monday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
INSTRUCTION: Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.
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Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?
Home - Education - Precipitation - Precipitation
Next Topic: Rain
Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that
may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to
the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.
In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for
precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface.
When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga.
Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog
and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which
constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.
Next Topic: Rain
Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Shelf Clouds
Next Topic: Sleet
A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front
of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.
A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing
storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen.
As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it,
because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud,
it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.
Next Topic: Sleet
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