Some of the models are coming in to better agreement, enough so that the local Weather Service Offices upgraded the previous watches, and added warnings and advisories.
The exact location of the heaviest snow is still unknown, a small deviation in the low pressure can swing the heaviest snow band one direction or the other. So, as snow gets closer, the forecast will be fine-tuned.
Far western Lake Superior is under a Gale Warning, with wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph, with waves of 6 to 10 feet.
In the more open waters of Lake Superior Storm Warning has been posted, winds of 44 mph with gusts of 56 mph are forecast. Waves between 17 and 25 feet are expected from the strong NW winds.
As of this morning, it looks like most of far northern Wisconsin will see up to 8" of snow.
As the low pressure moves away on Sunday afternoon, winds will strengthen from the northwest, allowing lake-effect snow to move across the Bayfield Peninsula and Penokee and Gogebic Ranges.
With the snow from the storm system, combined with lake-effect snow, the higher terrain may likely see some totals over a foot.
Forecasting exact snow amounts and locations is difficult, so the National Weather Service offices will be monitoring the situation and make changes as needed. The wind and the snow will likely make US-2, Hwys 13, 51, 53, and 63 difficult to drive on.
Winds along the South Shore will begin to pick up Sunday morning, with gusts of 35 mph throughout Sunday and Sunday night. It won't be until Monday morning that the winds begin to subside.
I took a screenshot of the forecast winds at 16:00 on Sunday, 1/1/2012.
A couple things stick out... Des Moines Weather Service seems to be forecasting higher winds than their neighboring counterparts, while Duluth Weather Service & Marquette Weather Service are under-forecasting the winds compared to their neighboring offices.
Regardless, wind gusts between 35 and 40 mph are likely across the entire region during this storm. These winds will make any snow blow and drift, compounding the difficulty of the storm.
