Friday night forecast for Saturday snow storm

The National Weather Service has increased the totals from yesterday for snowfall for this longer duration storm.

This is based on three conditions. One is the increased amount of moisture the storm will be able to work with, but more significantly is the Lake Michigan enhancement that will play a part in the second half of the storm, as well as models having the storm restrengthening slightly as the center of the low passes to our east. This strengthening adds to the lake enhanced snowfall as the winds at this time will be stronger from the east, bringing that cold air over the warmer waters of the lake.

Yesterday, forecast models were having trouble grasping on lake effect snow being added to the totals, but tonight’s runs are showing this as being more of a factor.

This leads to isolated heavier totals scattered in with the overall totals. As can be seen in this forecasted model image where the darker blues are heavier snow, it’s not a widespread factor, rather a scattered impact.

So as the National Weather Service says the totals have the potential of 10-14 inches for the Fond du Lac area, I think the overall total from the storm itself will be more in the 7-9 inch area, but then depending on where some of these heavier lake effect snow bands reach in, could enhance totals another 4 inches. The likelihood of the enhanced snow totals is fairly high, and if and when this enhanced snowfall comes in, will be in the Saturday afternoon to evening time frame.

So overall this will be a longer duration snowfall, and luckily the winds won’t be much of an impact with blowing snow.

We are still looking at about a 24 hour snowfall going roughly from a 6 a.m. Saturday to around 6 a.m. Sunday.

As always, please only go out if you absolutely have to, especially in the more rural areas in the county. Give the snowplow drivers time and space to do their jobs

After the snow has stopped, get ready for some bitter cold air into the first half of next week, including some windy conditions Sunday morning into mid day.