A winter storm warning will take effect in Green County, including New Glarus, at 7 p.m. Sunday and remain in place until 4 p.m. Monday, with heavy snow, a light glaze of ice and wind gusts up to 45 mph expected to create dangerous travel conditions. The National Weather Service says 4 to 7 inches of snow are possible across the warning area, along with blowing and drifting snow and near-blizzard conditions late Sunday night into early Monday morning.

Forecasters say roads, bridges and overpasses are likely to become slick and hazardous, while visibility could fall below a quarter mile at times because of falling and blowing snow. The National Weather Service also warned that strong winds combined with the weight of snow on tree limbs could bring sporadic power outages.

For New Glarus, rain is expected during the day Sunday before conditions turn sharply colder. Overnight, the forecast calls for rain and snow changing to snow and freezing rain, then all snow, with widespread blowing snow developing as northwest winds increase to 25 to 30 mph and gust as high as 45 mph. Another inch of snow is possible Monday before conditions gradually improve later in the day, followed by a low around 3 degrees Monday night and wind chills dipping below zero.

The warning covers Green, Dane, Lafayette, Rock and Jefferson counties. While some social media posts have circulated with much more extreme snowfall projections for parts of the Midwest, the National Weather Service forecast for southern Wisconsin is considerably lower, though still serious enough to make travel dangerous in and around New Glarus.

The National Weather Service urged residents to delay travel if possible and to use extreme caution if they must be on the road. People who need to go outside are advised to dress in layers and cover exposed skin as temperatures and wind chills fall rapidly behind the storm.

– Need the latest on weather delays, cancellations and school closings that could affect New Glarus? Follow New Glarus 360 for local updates when conditions change and check back for coverage tied to the weather, schools and community impacts.

– Sources: National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan, National Weather Service La Crosse, U.S. National Weather Service

– Photo by Todd Klassy