A messy wintry mix arrives tonight with travel impacts through Wednesday

TRAVEL Amine 02 Jan , 2023 0

EAU CLAIR, Wisconsin (WEAU) – With only days to go until 2023, the first winter storm is already set to move into western Wisconsin. Despite being January, the lack of significant cold will again result in a slow-moving system that will bring various types of precipitation over the next day or two. Light snow showers are likely until early tonight, but much of our area will remain dry until 9pm tonight. The precipitation front then expands eastward, leaving parts of the region covered with a small amount of snow before transitioning to freezing rain. Precipitation is unlikely to be widespread tonight, and northern areas are likely to remain mostly dry. Temperatures in the high 20s will slowly warm to near freezing by dawn Tuesday. The winter weather warning will go into effect later tonight and will continue through Tuesday.

Snow, Ice and Rain Arrive Tonight, Continues Tuesday(Er)

Then, a broader rainfall belt is expected to work its way across the region on Tuesday morning and afternoon. This will be mostly rain, then transition to mixed precipitation, with only snow in the north and west and a little colder. It is during this period that most of the expected snow cover occurs north and west of Eau Claire. This band of precipitation then moves northwards, giving way to a patchy drizzle for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Here’s a look at the expected snow and ice accumulation in the area.

A mix of winter-like snow and freezing rain expected Tuesday night(Er)

Much of the remaining forecast uncertainty centers around these precipitation types and how quickly they transition from snow to ice or rain. In any event, travel is heavily impacted, so please exercise extreme caution as roads, sidewalks and driveways may be icy and snow covered in some areas. More precipitation is expected again late Tuesday night as the storm is nearly stationary just to the south. This, too, could be a winter mix with various types of precipitation at first, but that turns to snow only early Wednesday. Snow showers are likely to fill most of the day before the storm finally breaks out, with an additional 1 to 4 inches of potential snow cover. The forecast is still subject to change. Stay up to date on weau.com, the Skywarn13 weather app and WEAU social media platforms.