It’s a foggy morning as mild southwest winds are flowing over a snow covered ground creating reduced visibilities.  At 9 am visibility in parts of our area were a quarter mile or less.  The fog will stick around for the morning hours and the low level moisture may also lead to slippery spots on the roads so drive with care.  Other than that, it’s another mild day is on tap today with highs in the mid 30s.  The normal high is 24° so we’re well above normal once again and even though a cold front is moving through later today, temperatures will still be warmer than normal through Saturday. We do have a storm system moving in tomorrow and for you snow-lovers, it could bring us 1-3 inches of accumulation. Not a named winter storm but at this point with a snow deficit of about 13″  so far, we’ll take it.  It could make your Friday afternoon commute a bit hazardous though.  As for the weekend, Saturday looks good then a cold blast will take hold for Sunday. Watch for fog and slippery roads this morning and Have a great day!

The phone is starting to ring for one of the top prep basketball players in the area — including some long distance, and increasingly high profile calls.  Little Chute forward Turner Botz is getting attention from a number of colleges, including Green Bay and some schools from BCS conferences.

“A lot of Horizon League schools, Boston College, Missouri Valley (conference teams), a lot of mid-majors, starting to get some more high-major looks,” said Botz.

Botz said Boston College first contacted him about three weeks ago, though there has not been a scholarship offer yet.

The 6’6 forward averages nearly 21 points and over 6 rebounds per game for the undefeated Mustangs, currently top-ranked in the FOX 11 Top 11.

“When the lights are really bright and the game is really huge, that’s when he plays his best,” said Mustangs head coach Mickey Martin.

Green Bay appears to be in play for Botz as well, who said he was going to meet with coaches Monday evening after practice.  There’s a possibility of a “5/4″ scholarship offer, where Botz would be asked to redshirt his freshman year, then become a scholarship player his second season at Green Bay when more scholarships open up.  Scott Venci of the Green Bay Press Gazette reports Pulaski’s Cody Wichmann received a similar “5/4″ offer.

Before talking on-camera, I spoke with Botz off-camera about the current Phoenix team, whom he’s been keeping up with.

“I gotta keep my options open,” said Botz.

Good situation to have.  Botz is just a junior, he can shoot, play inside, handle the ball.  At 6’6, he can be a physical, down-low presence in high school play (especially Division 3), but has the handle and outside shot to translate into a collegiate small forward.

Botz isn’t the only Mustang getting collegiate attention: fellow junior Kenneth Lowe told me he’s getting some contact from smaller schools, and visited UW-Stevens Point this past weekend.

A light mist will form over NE Wisconsin today and change to light freezing drizzle.  Ground temperatures are well below freezing after our recent cold snap, so any drizzle or mist that forms will freeze to the ground.  Roads and sidewalks will become slippery later today so take caution when your out and about.  Click here for Wisconsin Road Conditions. Fog moves in tonight with occasional rain showers, low temperatures will stay above freezing.  Monday’s weather starts as rain, but it’ll change over to some light snow as temperatures fall through the afternoon.

Aside from our wet weather the deep south could get hit with severe storms and strong tornadoes.  The Storm Prediction Center has issued a moderate threat for that area tonight.  Thunderstorms tonight in Mississippi could contain 70-80 mph winds, strong tornadoes, and golf ball size hail. 

If we are lucky the Northern Lights could be visible this weekend.  An explosion on the sun called a CME or Coronal Mass Ejection shot high speed material at the Earth (see white arrow below).  When these particles hit our atmosphere it can create the Northern Lights.  Our best opportunity to see the “Lights” will be Saturday night.  Sunday night we’ll be clouded over so there is no viewing opportunity then.  There is a slight chance to see them with mostly clear skies Monday night.  Predicting when and if the Northern Lights occur is extremely difficult, so I can’t give you a specific place or time to see them.  My best advice is to keep an eye to the sky Saturday night, with any luck you’ll be in for a visual treat!

It started to warm up today at about 3 am, that’s when we hit our low of -9° in Green Bay.  With warmer air pushing in (although not too warm) so is the snow.  Expect snow to start falling in Green Bay and the Fox Cities about noon and continue through this evening.  Most of the area will see 2-4″ of accumulation and driving will not be the best as the day wears on. 

The temperature will be near 10° when the snow starts flying and that means it will be the light, fluffy kind of snow so it won’t be a back-breaker as you shovel.  At such low temperatures though, salt isn’t as effective at melting so roads will get slippery.  If you’re traveling to the south you can expect snow all the way through Chicago with the heaviest amounts between Milwaukee and Chicago with a possible 6 to 9 inches of accumulation. Expect sun but cold conditions tomorrow and a wintry mix may make traveling Sunday afternoon a bit tough.

A broken down automobile is inconvenient and in this cold can be a dangerous. Here are a few tips to keep you safe and your car running well in the cold.  For more information on winter weather preparedness Click Here.

It took much longer than normal for Green Bay to see its first sub-zero weather, but we did it this morning with a low of -2 degrees.  January 18th ties us with the 6^th latest sub-zero temperature in a winter season.  Normally we see our first sub-zero temperatures by December 20^th.  The year with the most sub-zero days was the winter of 1976/77 with 48.  The winter of 1920/21 saw the least number of sub-zero days with just 4.  The forecast has another sub-zero morning for us Friday, after that we’ll see warmer weather by the weekend. 

We’re not used to this!  So far it has been a mild winter with January’s  average temperature running about 9° above normal.  No wonder the sub-zero temperatures we woke up to this morning felt even colder.  The morning low in Green Bay was -2° which is the first sub-zero of  this season.  Usually we see our first sub-zero temperature on December 20th.  This cold snap will continue for the next few days.  A quick-moving storm system moves to the north of the state tonight and will bring snow showers and then leave even colder air in its wake.  Expect a high only near 6° tomorrow and strong west winds of 15 to 25 mph which keeps the wind chills below zero all day.  After a morning low on Friday of -5° we’ll see accumlating snow on Friday afternoon and evening  with 1 to 3 inches possible for us.  Find the long underwear and have a great day!

Last night after the Packers loss to the Giants we may have thought that it wouldn’t happen but it has…the sun really has risen again.  It’ll be obscured by the clouds most of the day but it will be mild with a high in the mid 30s. (Normal high for this time of year is 24°)  A storm system pushes through the state tomorrow and colder air filters in.  Expect a high near 24° with light snow accumulating 1 to 2 inches in most areas.  The snow will likely start early tomorrow morning and be done by the late afternoon which means your afternoon commute may be slippery.  Temperatures really cool down in the middle of the week as an Arctic air mass drops in for a quick visit then we warm up to the mid 30s again by Sunday.  Very mild once again and in fact, it has been much warmer than normal so far in January, almost 10° warmer!  Have a great day and remember…there’s always next year!

Mild weather will continue tonight and tomorrow.  We could see very light freezing drizzle after midnight, but the impact on travel will be minimal.  A low pressure system will move through Illinois and Indiana Tuesday, this system will give us light snow with 1-2” expected.  Cold air will follow the snow with highs in the teens and lows near zero by mid week.