Winter weather advisory issued for Friday as winter storm sets sights on Wisconsin for second weekend in a row

For the second straight weekend, a winter storm is headed to Wisconsin, with accumulating snow and gusty winds expected to drive wind chills well below zero and again bring a chance for shoreline flooding along swollen Lake Michigan, forecasters say. 

A winter weather advisory for 3 to 6 inches of snow has been issued for all of southern  and eastern Wisconsin beginning Friday.

The advisory begins at 5 p.m. Friday and runs until 6 p.m. Saturday for Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Dodge, Jefferson and Walworth counties.

Early Friday, forecasters said there could be higher snow totals in Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties due to possible lake effect snow along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Forecasters also said there could be a potential for a glaze of ice, mostly south of I-94, late Friday and early Saturday. 

"Confidence is increasing for a period of snow mixed with sleet, or change over to a period of light freezing rain or drizzle for a time later tonight into early Saturday morning, especially along and south of I-94," according to a statement from the National Weather Service. "Light ice accumulations up to 0.10 inches are possible during this period." 

Meanwhile, for areas to the west, including Madison, a winter weather advisory begins at 2 p.m. Friday and lasts until 6 p.m. Saturday.

For northeast and central Wisconsin, including Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Wausau, Manitowoc, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point and Marshfield, a winter weather advisory kicks in at 6 p.m. Friday and continues until 6 p.m. Saturday.  

A winter storm warning has been posted for northwest Wisconsin.

Heaviest snow north of Milwaukee

Accumulating snow is expected to begin late Friday afternoon or evening for the Milwaukee metro area. "But the real heavy stuff looks like it is going to be focused on northern Wisconsin," said Paul Collar, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan. 

As of early afternoon Thursday, forecast models were indicating a 3-to-6-inch snowfall across southern Wisconsin, "with the emphasis being 6 farther north," Collar said. 

Those totals could vary widely, depending on whether the storm system whips up any lake-effect snow as well as how warm it gets in southern Wisconsin. 

"We think there will be a north to south gradient with accumulations with the highest amounts toward central Wisconsin and the lowest amounts toward the Illinois border," Collar said.

For areas of metro Milwaukee roughly south of I-94, forecasters are thinking maybe 3 to 4 inches of snow, with the potential for a mix of winter weather that could drive snow totals lower. The track of the storm was also uncertain Thursday. 

Even with the uncertainties, "it will still have an impact in southern Wisconsin," Collar said.

"We're going to be dealing with accumulating snowfall and possibly a mix at times in the south and then it's going to turn windy and colder on Saturday afternoon into Saturday night and Sunday morning," Collar said.

"We could have some pretty nasty wind chills for those who are up early on Sunday," he added. 

Meanwhile, gusty southeast winds on Friday could whip up Lake Michigan, potentially leading to additional lakeshore flooding. 

Lake Michigan is at its highest water level ever.

"There's a lot going on here," Collar said. "It's winter in Wisconsin."