LACROSSE, Wis. – The most severe storm this winter may hit at the end of week. Or maybe not. Forecasters at the National Weather Service regional office is monitoring signals for a potential intrusion of Arctic air plunging into the region by next weekend. “Exactly how cold temperatures will drop is not yet certain this far out, but it would hold the potential to be our coldest airmass of the season so far,” the Weather Bureau said. In short: Stay tuned. Worse, the Arctic front possibly could run smack into a massive intrusion of super-saturated air from California. A major variable is an “atmospheric river” that has hit parts of California with as much as 10 feet of snow in the Sierras and then moving over the Rockies into the Upper Plains. In the LaCrosse region there could be one to three inches of snow Wednesday, three to five Thursday, and one to three more Thursday night. There could be another inch Friday. The most severe scenario: 12 inches in a 48-hour window. – and then several days of exceeding cold.
