Another polar cold front will sweep through the Midwest on Wednesday, and it may bring another round of snow squalls with it.
Warnings were issued for snow squalls across Wisconsin and Michigan a week ago as a similar front blasted through the area. The front itself brings blustery winds and a sharp decline in temperatures, but ahead of the front I expect to see intense, shallow snow showers develop.
These snow showers can look and behave similar to springtime showers and thunderstorms, bringing a sudden burst of heavy precipitation and blustery winds. The National Weather Service has begun issuing "Snow Squall Warnings" that will trigger a wireless emergency alert notification on your smart phone if you're within the warning polygon.
This is especially necessary for folks on the road - encountering a snow squall while driving can be dangerous as visibility and traction are often reduced rapidly as heavy snow and blustery winds overtake the highway. The best course of action if caught on the road in a snow squall is to pull over off the road completely and wait for conditions to improve - often only taking a matter of minutes.
Snow squalls are possible Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning across the Dakotas into eastern Nebraska, Iowa, and northern Missouri, but I think a more significant risk is likely from central Illinois mid-day Wednesday across Indiana and Ohio Wednesday afternoon, along the I-70 and I-80 corridors.
Widespread snow accumulation is not expected, but narrow corridors of minor snow accumulation are possible where heavier snow squalls occur. Temperatures turn sharply colder behind the front Wednesday night into Thursday morning with wind chills falling below zero in many areas.
