FORECAST: Tonight & Saturday: Sleet, freezing rain and snow moving into the area after 2:30am EST. A few hours of icy precipitation likely through Saturday morning before changing to all rain by late morning/midday. Secondary untreated roads will be slick in the morning. Conditions quickly improve by lunchtime. Temps rise into the upper 30s. Sunday: Cold air wraps around the system, changing rain to light snow by the morning. 1 to 2 of snow is possible. By late evening, lake effect snow develops. Depending on where the bands set up, its possible we see a few inches of accumulation in some spots. Well fine tune this as we get closer. Accumulations likely wont be too significant Sunday evening. Monday: A few lake effect snow showers, otherwise mostly cloudy and cold. Highs will be in the single digits, with wind chill values from -10 to 0°. Winds will be WSW 10-20mph. Monday night & Tuesday: An Alberta clipper system moves through the area. The exact tract will make all the difference with this system, but if it moves near the area (which it likely will), widespread snow accumulation is very likely. In fact, many areas could pick up several inches of snow. Again, this depends on the exact track and will need to be monitored and fine-tuned. Its possible this area of heavy snow falls north of us. Even if we see lighter amounts, any snow will blow & drift. Relatively speaking, the snow will be light & fluffy. Temperatures will be in the middle 20s during the day and fall quick by night. Wednesday: Extremely cold and windy conditions are expected. Daytime temperatures will be in the single digits, lows will be below zero. Wind chill values likely -25° or colder, especially away from Lake Michigan. Winds will howl 15-25mph, with gusts near 35mph. Lake effect snow is likely. Given the temperatures aloft, the snow will be extremely light & fluffy. Its way too early to talk potential accumulations, but this is the kind of snow that creates headaches due to its ability to blow around on roadways. Also, temperatures will be cold enough to prevent giant snow flakes (which accumulate faster). Thursday: Lake snows end as winds switch, although it will still be cold. Morning temperatures will be below zero. Well warm into the single digits by the afternoon. Friday: Slight moderation in temperatures. Highs in the lower 20s.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 23:36:36 +0000