Blizzard warning issued for Green Bay area; 10-15 inches of snow in forecast; list of closings, snowfall totals

GREEN BAY - Snowfall and high winds picked up throughout the day Friday as blizzard conditions arrived in greater Green Bay in a daylong storm that has prompted closings and snow emergencies.

A blizzard warning is in place for much of northeastern Wisconsin including Green Bay starting Friday afternoon. The warning is from 3 p.m. Friday to noon Saturday. The following counties included in the warning were Brown, Door, Outagamie, Kewaunee, Winnebago, Calumet, Manitowoc. Shortly before 1 p.m., the weather service expanded the blizzard warning to include Shawano, southern Marinette and southern Oconto counties and along the lakeshore.

The National Weather Service Green Bay had initially put out a winter storm warning starting at 6 a.m. Friday but upgraded it into a blizzard warning for most of Friday because of the high winds and increase in snowfall. The winter storm warning still remains in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday.

The snow will start to taper off Friday night, but winds will remain strong and lingering snow showers will bring another inch or two through the day Saturday, said Scott Berschback, a meteorologist with NWS Green Bay. Low temperatures over the next week will make the snow stay for a while.

“Winter has arrived and it’s going to stick around for at least a week or two,” Berschback said.

Due to the expected blizzard, most schools in the Green Bay are ending the day early or are closed for the whole day.

It's the first blizzard warning issued for Green Bay since 2018.

Here's what to know about the possible blizzard, which schools are canceled, and how the snow is affecting flights at local airports. This story will be updated with more event and business closings throughout the day.

Current road conditions can be found at 511wi.gov.

What makes a blizzard?

The weather service issued a blizzard warning based on certain criteria including visibility and length of the storm. With the amount of snow and gusty winds, visibility will reach near zero for at least three hours, Berschback.

A winter storm needs to go on for that amount of time to qualify it as a blizzard, he said.

The snow was on the wetter side Friday morning and winds started to slowly start picking up around 10 a.m., Berschback said. The winds will start to pick up through the late morning and afternoon.

"That’s when the snow will become fluffier and that’s when the blizzard conditions are expected,” Berschback said.

10 p.m.: Snowfall totals continue to rise in Green Bay, northeast Wisconsin

Here are snowfall totals as reported to the National Weather Service:

Stockbridge: 12 inches (as of 7:20 p.m.)

Green Bay: 11 inches (as of 9 p.m.)

Appleton: 10.1 inches (as of 8:25 p.m.)

Sobieski: 9.5 inches (as of 6 p.m.)

Clintonville: 8.5 inches (as of 5:08 p.m.)

Wrightstown: 7.8 inches (as of 5:45 p.m.)

De Pere: 7.8 inches (as of 5:45 p.m.)

Ashwaubenon: 6.8 inches (as of 6 p.m.)

7 p.m.: Another foot of snow expected in Brown, Door and Kewaunee counties

Another 2 to 12 inches of snow is expected to fall between 6 p.m. through noon Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The highest snowfall will be in the eastern half of Green Bay to Lake Michigan, including Kewaunee and Door counties, which is projected to receive another 8 to 12 inches.

The western half of Brown County, eastern half of Shawano County and most of Oconto County is expected to receive another 6 to 8 inches.

Lower total are expected in north-central Wisconsin.

4 p.m.: Green Bay gets 5 to 6 inches, on track to get a total of 10 to 15 inches

The area is on track to get around a foot or more of snow in the storm.

By 3:45 p.m., the National Weather Service Green Bay had received snowfall reports between 5.5 to 7.5 inches in parts of Green Bay. That means the city is on track to get as much snow as the forecast estimated Friday, said Phil Kurimski, a meteorologist with NWS Green Bay. Most areas in the northeast region reported around 5 to 6 inches of snow, similar to Green Bay.

4 p.m.: Marcus Theatres close early

The last movie at Bay Park Cinema in Ashwaubenon will start at 5 p.m. Friday. Marcus Green Bay East Cinema is closed and will reopen at 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

3:15 p.m.: Green Bay Metro Transit ending service early

Green Bay Metro Transit will end all service, including the city bus, paratransit, and GBM on demand at 4:45 p.m. Friday. Anyone in need of a ride home should call Metro Transit as soon as possible at 920-448-3450 to set up a ride.

Call ahead tomorrow to see if there are any delays or changes in service Saturday due to the storm.

1:45 p.m.: Bellin Health closes clinics, urgent care early

Bellin Health's Ashwaubenon and Bellevue urgent care centers will close at 4 p.m. Friday. Most clinics in the Green Bay area close at 2 p.m. FastCare clinics close at 4 p.m.

1:30 p.m.: Green Bay Water closes early

Green Bay Water's billing office closed at 1:30 p.m. Friday. All payments can be made online. Call (920) 448-3483 in case of a water emergency.

1:30 p.m.: Neville Public Museum reopens Sunday

The Neville Public Museum closes early at 2 p.m. Friday through Saturday. It will reopen at noon Sunday, the museum said in a Facebook post.

1 p.m.: UW-Green Bay closes several buildings early

• The UWGB library closed at 1 p.m.

• University Union closes at 3 p.m.

• The Kress Events Center closes at 3 p.m. and will stay closed Saturday, though anyone going to the women's basketball game will have access.

• UW Credit Union is closed all day Friday.

• Marinette, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan campuses closed at noon.

1 p.m.: Green Bay YMCA closes early

All programs and classes at YMCA sites in the Green Bay area are canceled Friday. The east- and west-side facilities close at 3 p.m. and all others closed at 1 p.m.

All facilities reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday.

11:30 a.m.: Brown County Library closes early

All Brown County library branches closed at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Online resources are still available.

11:30 a.m.: Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, Lambeau Field Atrium closes early

The wildlife sanctuary, including all buildings, parking lots, and skiing/hiking trails will close at 1 p.m. Friday. It may also open late Saturday. Updates can be found on its Facebook page.

All businesses at the Lambeau Field Atrium will close at 1 p.m., including the Pro Shop, Hall of Fame, stadium tours and 1919 Kitchen & Tap.

11 a.m.: MLK celebrations moves to virtual only

Brown County's 29th annual Dr Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will now be a virtual-only event Saturday. Updates and how to join can be found on its website.

10:45 a.m.: NEW Zoo closes early

The NEW Zoo and the Neil Anderson Canopy Tour closed at noon today. The animals are all safe and zookeeping staff are on-site to provide any care needed, the zoo said in a Facebook post.

10:45 a.m.: Prevea Health closes early

All Prevea Health clinics and urgent care centers will close at noon Friday. Some urgent care centers will reopen at noon Saturday.

If you need emergency medical care, go to your nearest emergency department.

10:40 a.m.: City Hall closes early

Green Bay City Hall will be closed starting at 1:30 pm Friday and will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday.

10:30 a.m.: Allouez, Ashwaubenon, Green Bay, De Pere, Howard, Wrightstown issue snow emergencies

Under a snow emergency, cars cannot be parked on village or city streets so snow can be cleared. Any parked cars will be ticketed and may get towed. Here's when the snow emergencies start.

• Ashwaubenon: noon Friday to midnight Sunday.

• Wrightstown: noon Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday.

• De Pere: noon Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday.

• Howard: 7 p.m. Friday to noon Saturday.

• Allouez: 7 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday.

• Green Bay: 7 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday.

10:20 a.m.: The Wedding Show rescheduled

The Wedding Show at the Resch Expo is canceling Friday's show and is rescheduled for Sunday. The show on Saturday is still on schedule. Any tickets purchased previously can be used Saturday or Sunday.

New Wedding Show hours:

• Saturday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fashion show at 1 p.m.

• Sunday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cake dive at 11 a.m.

9:50 a.m. Community First Credit Union closes early

All locations of Community First Credit Union will close at noon Friday.

9 a.m. update:

How much snow will Green Bay get?

The area could see over a foot of snow this weekend.

Green Bay will get between 10 to 15 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service Green Bay. The highest amounts will be in the northeast region and along the lakeshore. Snow will get heavier Friday afternoon and evening. With temperatures below freezing, meteorologists expect the incoming snow to accumulate.

Brown, Door, Outagamie, Kewaunee, Winnebago, Calumet, Manitowoc, Shawano, southern Marinette, and southern Oconto counties are part of the blizzard warning.

What about winds?

Winds will reach 50 mph in Green Bay and the Fox Valley and visibility could drop below a quarter mile during the blizzard, according to the blizzard warning.

With possible "whiteout" conditions and tree damage, the weather service warns people to avoid traveling as the weather will affect commutes Friday.

Winds will be gustier by the bay, Berschback said.

"The plows just won't keep up and certain roads will become impassable because there’s just too much blowing snow," Berschback said.

Live cameras of roadways are at 511wi.gov.

Which schools are closing early or canceled for the day?

Area schools will either have an early release or will be closed today.

Here are area schools that have a two-hour early release. All after-school activities are canceled.

• Green Bay School District

• Ashwaubenon School District

• De Pere School District

• West De Pere School District

Here are area school districts that are closed Friday.

• Howard-Suamico School District

• Wrightstown Community School District

• Pulaski Community School District

• Oneida Nation School District

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay campus will close at 1 p.m. Employees are working remotely.

Several UW-Green Bay buildings are also closing early.

Flights are delayed or canceled

Most flights from the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport and Appleton International Airport have been canceled Friday and tomorrow morning. Check their websites for updates. If your flight has been affected, the airports say to contact the airline you are traveling with for rebooking.

First blizzard warning for Green Bay since 2018

Friday is the first time the weather service has issued a blizzard warning for the area in five years. The last warning was for the three-day "Doozy" blizzard from April 13-15, 2018, according to the weather service. Green Bay got two feet of snow in the historic blizzard late in the winter season.

It is still the second largest snowstorm on record for Green Bay. The snow caused several barn roofs to collapse in Brown, Oconto and Outagamie counties and brought down part of the roof at the Econo Lodge hotel in Ashwaubenon.

RELATED Four years ago an April blizzard sets snow records across Wisconsin, shut down roads, power

This story will be updated.

Danielle DuClos and Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report.

Benita Mathew is a health reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at bmathew@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay weather: 10-15 inches of snow forecast, blizzard warning