Less Snow, More Freeze: Winter Whammy Still Packs a Punch Despite Slower Arrival

(KNSI) — The National Weather Service says the system headed our way that was going to dump up to five inches of snow has slowed down, delaying the onset of snowfall and lowering potential totals. It’s still going to be dangerously cold, however.

The northern edge was supposed to clip us, but it has remained south and fairly stationary. Instead of the 2″ to 5″ we were expecting, we’ll get anywhere from a trace to 3″. Snow chances ramp up as we move through the day on Friday.

A winter weather advisory is in effect from 6:00 Friday night until 6:00 a.m. Saturday. As of Friday morning, there is a 40% chance of snow starting around noon and a 60% chance by 6:00 p.m., but an 80% chance starting at 9:00 p.m. Snow chances diminish Saturday, and the system should be out of here by 3:00 p.m. The wind will be a factor, as any snow that does fall will be the light, fluffy, powdery kind and can easily be blown around by the northwest winds we’re going to get. We’ll see gusts around 25 to 30 miles an hour.

After the snow, here comes the cold.

The area is set to see around 60 hours of the coldest weather we’ve had in a while. A wind chill watch starts at 9:00 p.m. Saturday and lasts until at least Tuesday morning. Wind chills are expected to be in the 30s below zero overnight Saturday into Sunday and stay until around lunchtime Tuesday.

With temps that cold, it only takes about ten minutes for frostbite to set in. Learn more here.

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