More snow, wind and sinking temperatures expected this weekend. Winter returns, for now.
The winter storm that cast a white blanket over Michiana on Tuesday morning will be followed up by more snow — perhaps inches of it — and possibly high winds this weekend.
And then temperatures will continue to plummet as we head into next week, meteorologist Nathan Marsili from the National Weather Service said.
The forecast called for Tuesday’s mix of snow and rain to ease up by the overnight hours, with perhaps an inch or two of snow and lows nearing 30 degrees, Marsili said, speaking from NWS offices in North Webster, Ind.
Some light snow may come again Wednesday night into Thursday morning. But the weather proceeds quietly until late Friday, then into Saturday, when a system is expected to bring blowing snow. Marsili said it’s hard to predict exactly how much at this point, but it could bring several inches of potentially heavy snow. To complicate road conditions, he said, the system could also mean wind gusts of up to 40 mph and drifting snow.
“Current model data has over six inches of snow for most of Michiana, but data is still changing,” WNDU meteorologist Andrew Whitmyer said of the Friday-Saturday snow. “Roads will likely deteriorate once temps fall below freezing on Friday, with roads being snow covered and slick/hazardous through most of Friday and Saturday as snow continues to fall.”
At the same time, Marsili said, temperatures will drop by Saturday morning into the 20s, where they’ll stay through the day, then sink well into the teens Saturday night.
On Sunday, he said, scattered snow could linger, but nothing significant. Some lake effect snow could mix into the mostly system snow that the area will be seeing this week.
The cold will remain, though, with a possible high of 12 degrees on Monday — the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday — and 8 degrees on Tuesday. The low may hit 0 degrees early in the week, and wind chills could approach minus-15 and minus-25 degrees.
"With the combination of wind, it's going to be dangerously cold," WNDU meteorologist Martin Lowrimore said.
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Beyond that, Marsili said, it’s hard to tell if this means that winter weather is here to stay through the remainder of the season. But Lowrimore said it looks as if freezing temperatures could hold on through the next couple of weeks.
Mild temperatures have delayed winter snow sports like tubing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. This weekend may offer a promising chance for them to return.
Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard Area in Jones finally opened for the season Jan. 6 and indeed had decent quality snow. But that was only because of its own snowmaking efforts, which rely on freezing temperatures. This week’s Outdoor Adventures column reports on that with more details, noting that such delays have hurt ski resorts across Michigan because they lost holiday income.
Outdoor Adventures: Swiss Valley and other Michigan ski resorts fight for winter with snowmaking investments
South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Winter storms forecast snow freezing temperatures and wind to Michiana
