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If you're 25 or younger and live within a large swath of the Midwest — from Minneapolis to Chicago — this week will feature the coldest temperatures of your life as a lobe of the polar vortex plunges south out of the Arctic.
Why it matters: The frigid outbreak, which has already begun in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, will be life-threatening and disruptive for tens of millions of people this week. Wind chills on Wednesday morning in parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota are likely to approach the minus 50s°F to minus 60s°F. Such conditions can cause frostbite in just minutes and will likely force the cancellation of schools across the region.
Details: Weather forecasters across the Midwest have begun using words and phrases like "historic" and "all-time coldest" in association with the Arctic outbreak heading for the region. From Tuesday to Thursday, temperatures about 5,000 feet above the surface, which forecasters look to as an indicator of potential surface temperatures, may reach the coldest values ever observed in the lower 48 states.
By the numbers: The National Weather Service is warning that wind chills will plunge to the lowest readings since the mid-1990s across the Upper Midwest.
The bottom line: The NWS forecast office in Des Moines put it starkly: "This may be the coldest air in a generation."
Southern Wisconsin on Saturday will get a potentially record-setting wintry blast more common in the middle of winter than late April, according to forecasters.
A winter storm warning took effect at 7 a.m. and runs until 10 p.m. Saturday, with 3 to 8 inches of snow and winds gusting to 35 miles per hour predicted.
The National Weather Service said snow will overspread the region from west to east, with snowfall rates of an inch per hour or more possible in the late morning and early afternoon, and the heaviest snow in the southern portion of southern Wisconsin.
“Significant travel impacts are likely, as several inches of wet, heavy slush accumulates on area roadways,” the Weather Service said.
Wisconsin travel conditions are available online or by calling 511.
In Madison on Saturday, 3 to 5 inches of snow is possible during the day and another inch at night, the Weather Service said.
Rain and snow is likely through 10 a.m., then snow after 10 a.m. that could be heavy at times and include some thunder.
The temperature is predicted to fall to around 33 by 4 p.m., with northeast winds of 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon and gusting as high as 25 mph.
27 Storm Track meteorologist Guy Brown forecasts 1 o 2 inches of snow north of Dane County, 3 to 5 inches in the Madison area, and 5 to 8 inches to the south.
To bad people don't listen to weather warnings!
Massive chain-reaction crashes are not new to Wisconsin. Here are some of the worst.
Yesterday we had an ice storm and sleet along with a quick drop in temperature.
In the late evening we heard a thump on our roof and our first thought was that an ice coated branch landed on the roof. A little later there was another thump and aother. With everything ice coated we couldn't go outside
This morning I went outside and I couldn't see anything on the roof or ground. When I came inide Mary said that on the weather report they said we had ice thunder last night. Well I was surprised and happy to find out there was no damage.
Now ice thunder you say:
Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thundersnowstorm, is an unusual kind of thunderstorm with snow or sleet falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. It typically falls in regions of strong upward motion within the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone. Thermodynamically, it is not different from any other type of thunderstorm, but the top of the cumulonimbus cloud is usually quite low. In addition to snow, graupel or hail may fall.
After about two weeks of bitter cold and snow storms here is a Winter view of one of my favorite places to visit in the Summer! Cana Island, Door County, Wisconsin February 2, 2019 - Photo by Jason Schroeder
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