Justin Liles: A warm start followed by a winter storm Tuesday- Wednesday

High pressure will slide eastward and begin to create a southerly wind to begin the process of transporting moisture and warming up the upper Midwest. Temperatures Monday will skyrocket into the mid to upper 40s with scattered 50s likely, especially through east central and Wisconsin. The attention will then shift to a Colorado low poised to bring a reasonable winter storm late Tuesday through Wednesday. This messy winter storm arriving is arriving just in time for travel for the Minnesota State Boys Hockey tournament. This storm will come with rain, then freezing rain, snow, and strong winds Wednesday. A light glaze of ice possible early Tuesday as rain falls into sub-freezing temps near the surface. The map below shows the expected problem areas currently.

Northwest Wisconsin is expected to see the most snow & the worst travel conditions. Whiteout conditions possible Wednesday morning in northern Iron, Ashland, & Bayfield counties. Strong winds gusting 30 to 40 mph areawide, with localized gusts to 50 mph possible Tuesday night through Wednesday. Fairly quiet weather in the second half of the week with above normal temperatures persisting.

TONIGHT
Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. South wind around 5 mph.
MONDAY
Sunny, with a high near 45. South wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
MONDAY NIGHT
Rain likely, mainly after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 33. East wind around 5 mph.
TUESDAY
Rain before noon, then rain and snow. High near 39. Breezy, with a northeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Snow, possibly mixed with rain, becoming all snow after midnight. Areas of blowing snow after 3am. Low around 23. Blustery, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
WEDNESDAY
A chance of snow, mainly before noon. Areas of blowing snow before 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Blustery, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
THURSDAY
Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
FRIDAY
Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.