Green Bay weather update: 2-4 more inches of snow expected today as storm hits northeastern Wisconsin

GREEN BAY – Another 1.5 inches will fall before the snow tapers off around midnight in the Green Bay to lakeshore areas, according to the National Weather Service estimates as of 8:45 p.m.

People Tuesday morning woke up to the first round of snow on the ground in Green Bay in the first big snowstorm of the season. The intensity of the snowfall increased in the afternoon.

The storm system is coming up from the central Great Plains.

The estimated total amount of snow decreased a couple inches from Tuesday’s forecast but will still make for a dangerous commute and low visibility. The most accumulations are expected in the eastern Fox Valley and lakeshore areas.

Stacy Griese shovels the sidewalk in front of her home on Tuesday in Green Bay.

More: Wisconsin weather updates: Live snow totals, school closings, road closures and more winter storm updates Tuesday

8:45 p.m. update

Wisconsin Public Service is looking to restore power to 278 customers in Brown County, according to its outage map. The bulk of the outages are in De Pere, which has 151 customers without electricity.

The next highest amounts are in Green Bay (81) and Wrightstown (38).

Additional outages are reported in Ashwaubenon, where 44 customers are without power, and near Pembine, where 44 customers are also without power.

5 p.m. update

The weather service did not get many reports of snowfall totals earlier in the day Tuesday, but a couple reports showed there was 1 to 3 inches of snow on the ground by noon, Kickbusch said. By 4 p.m., NWS measured 2 inches by their building in Ashwaubenon.

Most of the storm has only just started coming through and is making a strong impact. In a weather statement, NWS said there are “near-blizzard conditions” for the evening commute and heavy snow reducing visibility to a quarter mile across the Fox Valley. Winds are still strong, up to 35 to 40 mph.

The winter storm warning remains in place until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Kickbusch said more snow is expected to come through the area later in the week. A system is coming through bringing 1 to 2 more inches Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

There may be more accumulation from a second storm system reaching Green Bay on Friday that “bears watching” because “it looks really similar to this system right now,” Kickbusch said, though the forecast is still a few days early to be sure how much is estimated to fall in Friday’s system.

Since 4 p.m., over 1,500 Wisconsin Public Service customers reported power outages in Ashwaubenon and downtown Green Bay, according to the WPS outage map. Power is estimated to be back up around 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. for most customers, according to the map.

As of 5 p.m., most roads were slippery or snow-covered in the Green Bay area, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Current road conditions are updated at www.511wi.gov.

9 a.m. update:How much snow did Green Bay get so far?

The impact of the storm hasn’t come through yet. The National Weather Service Green Bay meteorologist Scott Berschback said areas in Green Bay got about an 1½ to 2 inches as of 9 a.m. today based on a few observations.

Dana Lunde dives onto a sled on Tuesday at John Muir Park in Green Bay.

How much more snow is coming?

The bulk of the snow will come in the afternoon around 3 to 9 p.m. Including the snowfall from the morning, the Green Bay area is expected to get a total of 4 to 8 inches throughout the day, Berschback said.

Most of the impact of the snow will hit during the evening commute as the winds kick up speed, reaching 35 to 40 mph.

“They’ll pick up pretty good after the noon hour,” Berschback said.

The strong winds will cause blowing snow and make visibility low and bring heavy wet snow. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday for Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Calumet, and Manitowoc counties.

The snow will taper off around midnight.

A vehicle drives on a snow-covered Thrush Street in Green Bay. The area is expected to get 4-8 inches of snow.

Green Bay-area school districts cancel classes

Green Bay-area school districts — including Ashwaubenon, De Pere, Howard-Suamico, Green Bay, Notre Dame Academy, Pulaski, West De Pere and Wrightstown — announced classes and after-school activities are canceled Tuesday because of the snow.

What do road conditions look like?

Though the snow was pretty light in the morning, the NWS cautions the heavier snow coming in the afternoon will make traveling dangerous. The snow will be heavy and wet, Berschback said. Gusty winds becoming stronger in the afternoon will cause the snow to make visibility patchy.

“The evening commute is what we’ve been concerned about,” Berschback said.

Current road conditions are updated at www.511wi.gov.

Lambeau Field Atrium closed early

All businesses at the Atrium including the Packers Pro Shop, 1919 Kitchen & Tap, Packers Hall of Fame, and Lambeau stadium tours closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Tubing and skating at Ariens Hall also ended early.

The Lambeau Field Atrium and Titletown will reopen for regular hours Wednesday.

Green Bay Corps Community Center closed

The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay announced that the Corps Community Center, 626 Union Court, is closed Tuesday because of the storm.

Children’s Museum closed

The Children’s Museum of Green Bay, 1230 Bay Beach Road, is closed due to the snow and school closings Tuesday.

Neville Public Museum closing early

The Neville Public Museum, 210 Museum Place, is closing early at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The museum will reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday for its normal hours.

This story will be updated.

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 updates: Bulk of snowstorm expected after noon today