2 to 5 inches of snow possible on Thursday from Madison to Milwaukee

Winter weather in Wisconsin isn’t over quite yet.

The local National Weather Service office is forecasting an 80% chance of snow on Thursday in an area from Madison to Milwaukee. Meteorologists from the office are forecasting between two to five inches of snow and the highest chance to come late in the day on Thursday and into the night.

“As far as precipitation type, it’s looking like a no-doubter,” said Ben Sheppard, a meteorologist at the local NWS.

At this time, the NWS is forecasting that a wide swath between the two cities will get hit.

Though, Sheppard said, as more information comes in, the area could shrink and the edges of that area could get less snow.

Another system will be moving northeast from the southwest into the weekend, bringing another opportunity for precipitation in Milwaukee, Sheppard said.

That system has some uncertainty with the path it will take and that will dictate the type of precipitation that falls.

“This is a completely separate system,” he said. “After this system moves out, we see a stronger, more organized system taking shape for the weekend.”

If it travels in a path that takes it directly over Milwaukee, it will be likely close to a 50-50 split of snow and rain, he said. However, if it travels through northern Illinois, it could be closer to a 75-25 split of snow and rain.

The NWS is not projecting total snowfall for that storm system, as the rain “squishes” any snow that falls as part of it, making an estimate difficult.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee could see 2 to 5 inches snow Thursday