8 to 10 inches, plus wind to cause poor travel conditions

It looks like Austin could get hit with a large amount of snow and blizzard-like conditions tomorrow, followed by extreme cold starting Saturday. So what’s new?

The National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis., now expects 8 to 10 inches of snow — downgraded from as much as 18 inches, according to one computer model — for the Austin area on Thursday, with 35 to 45 mph winds causing significant visibility issues throughout the day and evening. The weather service has a winter weather advisory in effect from 3 to 9 a.m. Thursday, and a blizzard warning issued from 9 a.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday.

NWS Meteorologist Zach Taylor said the storm will bring the heaviest snow rates Thursday afternoon, with 1 to 2 inches falling per hour.

The winds could cause whiteout conditions throughout the day Thursday and Friday morning, with visibility less than a quarter mile and near zero at times, Taylor said.

Friday should be better, with visibility clearing up throughout the day and a high near 22 degrees. But the tail end of the storm will bring more arctic temperatures by Saturday, Taylor said, with a high of 14 and a low of 1. The weather services predicts a high of 13 on Sunday and a low of 2 below.

Taylor said the temperatures should be colder than normal through the first half of March.