As freezing rain ends, roads will be slick and high winds arrive
By around 6:30 a.m. Thursday, "the freezing rain has ended, but any untreated surfaces may still be slick," said Milwaukee-Sullivan National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah Marquardt. "There was quite a bit of a glaze of ice across southern Wisconsin overnight. ... Surfaces that have been treated should be less impacted."
Much of southern and central Wisconsin, including Milwaukee County, was under a Winter Weather Advisory into early Thursday morning due to slick road conditions. Temperatures are expected to rise to the upper 30s by Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee. Once temps hit above freezing around 11 a.m. or noon, the ice should melt and no longer pose a threat on treated or untreated roads, Marquardt said.
In addition to icy roads, all of central and much of southern and northern Wisconsin are under a Wind Advisory on Thursday.
The Milwaukee-Sullivan NWS office has issued a Wind Advisory for Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Green Lake, Ozaukee, and Washington counties. Winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts between 45 and 50 mph are expected in these areas. The advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday.
"Be cautious of high-profile, taller vehicles that might get blown a little bit," Marquardt said. "Secure any outdoor objects, and be aware of tree limbs and power lines that could come down. Stay away from any downed power lines."
Currently, NWS has not issued a Wind Advisory for Milwaukee County but says winds will increase to 20 to 30 mph by the afternoon with gusts as high as 40 mph.
As for the reason behind the high winds, "we have high pressure moving in from the Plains and low pressure over Canada," Marquardt said. "So, between those two systems, we have these really strong winds."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Icy roads and high winds in the forecast for Milwaukee on Thursday
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