La Crosse, WI – Roads across southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa could turn snow-covered within an hour after 8 p.m. Thursday as a fast-moving band of heavy snow sweeps through before daybreak Friday.
According to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 8 p.m. Thursday until 9 a.m. Friday for Grant, Crawford and Richland counties in Wisconsin and Allamakee, Clayton and Fayette counties in Iowa. Snow totals will range from 4 to 6 inches, with snowfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour at times. Wind gusts could reach 40 mph, leading to blowing and drifting snow.
Forecasters stress that the heaviest snow will fall in a narrow corridor, meaning totals could change quickly over short distances. Confidence in higher amounts is greatest in far southwest Wisconsin, including Platteville and Prairie du Chien, and adjacent areas of northeast Iowa such as Waukon and Elkader.
Visibility may drop below a half-mile during peak snowfall, especially between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Highways including U.S. 61, U.S. 18 and Wisconsin Highway 35 could become slick and snow-packed, impacting the Friday morning commute.
Drivers should delay overnight travel if possible, carry emergency supplies and check 511ia.org or 511wi.gov for real-time road updates. Snow tapers between sunrise and mid-morning Friday, but slick conditions may linger beyond 9 a.m.
