2 to 5 inches of snow expected for Milwaukee Friday morning

UPDATE: Milwaukee's snowfall forecast grows; 4 to 8 inches expected, starting overnight

About two to five inches of snow is expected to fall on Milwaukee late Thursday night and into Friday morning.

That’s the latest from the local National Weather Service forecast. In that latest projection, the northern parts of the state are now expected to receive heavier snowfalls, between three and eight inches, while Milwaukee and other central and southern portions of Wisconsin miss the heaviest snowfall.

The snow is expected to fall primarily in the early hours of Friday morning, with chances over 90%, said Ben Sheppard, a local NWS meteorologist.

As the day progresses, the snowfall chance diminishes. In the afternoon, the NWS is projecting a 30-45% chance of snow and then roughly a 5-10% chance into the evening.

“By the evening it is done is our guess,” Sheppard said. “If it will continue in the afternoon, it will probably be a slower rate.”

Friday morning commutes are likely to be affected by the snowfall, particularly the northern portions of the I-94 and US-18 corridors, he said.

Sheppard said that the snow is growing out of a cold airmass in place over the state. A low-pressure system from the Great Plains region is moving in and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is being pulled in with it.

“It’s drawing the gulf moisture in, but not drawing enough warmth that would turn that snow into rain,” Sheppard said.

More snow could be coming this weekend.

Sheppard said the previously forecasted weekend snow has narrowed to Sunday afternoon and evening. There are no total snowfall estimates yet by the service, but it’s forecasted for a 30% chance on Sunday afternoon, with that increasing to 60 to 70% by Sunday night.

The NWS is still forecasting it to be a mix of rain and snow Sunday, depending on the system's movement. It’s currently modeled to be moving northeast from the southwest and the exact track it takes will dictate much of its precipitation type, he said.

“It will start as pure snow and then looking at, as we transition, into late Sunday night and Monday … we might see a transition into snow and rain,” he said.

There’s a mild reprieve from the winter weather coming up, as Sheppard said that early next week, on Monday and Tuesday, Milwaukee should be in the 40s.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Friday snow could impact commutes with two to five inches expected