Winter Storm Warnings Issued for 36 Inches of Snow, 'Damaging Winds' in Dangerous Spring Storm

Spring begins on Friday, March 20, but amid the preparations for the warm season, areas of the country are facing blizzard conditions and winter storm warnings. Michigan's Upper Peninsula and areas of Wisconsin are getting hit hard going into spring, with areas breaking record snowfall totals and meteorologists calling this a historic blizzard.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and blizzard warnings for areas of Wisconsin and Michigan, with a new storm window lasting from Tuesday, March 17, through Wednesday, March 18. Snow totals of up to six inches are expected, and that's on top of the already record-breaking snow this area has seen.

Michigan and Wisconsin Break Records With More Than 3 Feet of Snow, Dangerous Winds

Areas of Michigan and Wisconsin have already broken snow records with the storm this week. "A major storm has impacted the eastern half of the United States this week, with blizzard conditions being observed in Wisconsin and Michigan, where feet of snow accumulated," the weather experts at AccuWeather told Men's Journal in a statement. "The storm brought severe weather to portions of the South and the Eastern Seaboard, where damaging winds caused power outages."

According to research from the National Weather Service office, Marquette, Michigan, got 36.3 inches of snow over the weekend into this week. Also, on Monday, March 16, Marquette recorded a daily record snowfall of 21.7 inches. That breaks the record of 7.7 inches that was set in 2013. Other areas that got hit hard include Negaunee, Michigan, at 33.7 inches and Shawano, Wisconsin, at 33 inches. For Shawano, that number broke the all-time highest one-day snowfall in Wisconsin. Moreover, Green Bay, Wisconsin, got snow totals not seen since the 1800s with 17.1 inches.

These same areas are in line for the second snow storm running through Wednesday, March 18, so more cleanup will be needed to get roads safe and clear of snow and ice. Neighboring states are also expected to get at least a dusting of snow.

The good news is that just in time for the first day of spring, these areas, and the erst of the Midwest, will experience a warmup. "By late week, a warmup is expected to move into the area with temperatures rising well above the historical averages in spots," AccuWeather notes. "Any snow that fell will melt away."

But, until the warmup hits, the best advice is to stay safe off the roads and watch for high winds. Additional weather alerts for Michigan and Wisconsin include winter storm warnings, blizzard advisories, high wind warnings and winter weather advisories.