The sun is shining...

...the winds are calm...

And they are already closing schools - for tomorrow.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI
10:54 am CST, Thu., Dec. 18, 2008

... WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM CST FRIDAY...

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM CST FRIDAY.

A WINTER STORM WILL GATHER STRENGTH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON... THEN TRACK ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI... REACHING NORTHERN INDIANA BY FRIDAY MORNING. WIDESPREAD SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF LATE FRIDAY MORNING.

SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 7 TO 11 INCHES ARE EXPECTED... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE... WHICH WOULD RESULT IN SNOWFALL RATES EXCEEDING 2 INCHES AN HOUR.

IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW... STRENGTHENING EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH... WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH... WILL PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN OPEN AREAS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW IS ISSUED WHEN HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO COMBINE WITH STRONG WINDS OF 25 MPH OR MORE TO CAUSE MAJOR IMPACTS TO COMMERCE AND SOCIETY. TRAVEL WILL BECOME DANGEROUS THURSDAY NIGHT... AND WILL BE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

This might get interesting...

And of course I am supposed to travel tomorrow - not terribly far, but still. Country Roads with blowing snow will be waaaaay worse than this.

Yikes.