Snow will slowly add up to light totals

A Winter Weather Advisory continues for all of Western Wisconsin until Friday evening, though just to our southwest is a Winter Storm Warning west of the Mississippi River and south of the Minnesota River around the south suburbs of the Twin Cities. Further southwest is a Blizzard Warning where wind will be stronger and blowing snow is a concern.

The heaviest snow will fall in the Winter Storm Warning area just southwest of us, with minor accumulations still expected for Western Wisconsin.

The initial burst of wintry mix and snow this afternoon came with temperatures several degrees above freezing, which meant that not much snow stuck to the ground.

After a break in the action, snow will become widespread tonight. This is when we'll pick up the most accumulation from this system, though snow will linger in the form of scattered snow showers possibly mixing with rain at times through Friday.

Even beyond that, light snow showers or flurries will be possible on and off Friday night through Sunday morning.

Total snow accumulations are now 1 to 4 inches for most of the area, with a little less possible east of highway 53. A bit more is possible closer to the Minnesota border.

Overall, this forecast is a couple inches lower than yesterday's. The lower totals should still have the same liquid equivalent we've been forecasting, but higher temperatures mean more compaction and a slushier form of the snow. In addition, there was a lack of accumulation Thursday afternoon and evening as snow melted on contact with the ground.

One to four inches is a decent amount of snow for our area, and is typical for an average system in winter. What's different from normal systems is how long it will last. About 1/2 to 3 inches will fall by 6am Friday morning, then just another 1/2 to 1 inch during the day Friday. A few tenths of an inch are possible Friday night through Saturday, and that's how we got to our overall 1 to 4 inch forecast.

Temperatures look warmer, too, through the weekend and even into next week. This comes with a lot of slight chances for snow, pretty much every day.

It won't snow every day, but at this point snow cannot be ruled out at any time as it looks like several rounds of light snow possible through next week. The increased cloud cover that comes with these chances also keep arctic air away from Western Wisconsin for at least a little bit longer.