Winds today, weekend snow may affect Thanksgiving travel in Milwaukee
High winds and light snow could make Thanksgiving travel windy in the Milwaukee area on November 26.
Taylor Patterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan, said wind gusts Wednesday, Nov. 26, in southeastern Wisconsin are expected to reach 45 or 50 mph — and potentially higher for lakeshore areas like Sheboygan and Port Washington. With temperatures hovering in the 30s, the air feels noticeably colder than in recent days.
The day before Thanksgiving, it also snows across most of Wisconsin. While the Milwaukee area can expect less than an inch of snow accumulation, parts of the state further north will get more, Patterson said.
“If you head north toward Fond du Lac or Sheboygan, you’ll find yourself in snow amounts of 2 to 3 inches, maybe locally higher than 4 inches,” Patterson said. “For anyone heading north, use extreme caution today as wind will be a secondary issue with our snow.”
While southeastern Wisconsin is only expected to receive less than an inch of snow on Nov. 26, anyone traveling further north in the state for Thanksgiving can expect more accumulation. Combined with high winds, roads can be dangerous, meteorologists say.
Anyone planning to travel to northern Wisconsin for the holidays will need to take even more safety precautions. Far northern Wisconsin, including Ashland and Iron counties, is under a blizzard warning until Thanksgiving morning.
In the Milwaukee area, winds will decrease by Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, to gusts around 20 to 30 mph, Patterson said. Conditions will be dry and temperatures will drop to near freezing.
More snow is expected this weekend. Patterson said Friday, Nov. 28, would be “kind of like the calm before the snow,” and then Nov. 29 would kick off a “long-lasting snow accumulation event” in southern Wisconsin.
“For many people, it will start before they wake up in the morning, and it will probably snow all Saturday and into Sunday morning,” she said. “For counties bordering the lake, this could linger until Sunday afternoon and evening.”
Patterson said it’s still too early to predict exactly how much snow accumulation is expected over the weekend. However, she said all of southern Wisconsin can expect measurable snow accumulation.
“Just make sure you stay on top of the forecast, especially for the next 24 or 36 hours. There will be a lot of information on snowfall amounts and rates,” she said. “Even if you’re traveling today and you’re going to be busy, take a second to check the forecast for when you’ll be home for the weekend.”
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Winds today, weekend snow in Milwaukee weather forecast
