MILWAUKEE - The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for much of western Wisconsin as a huge snowstorm moves in from the Pacific Northwest and threatens Christmas travel.

"It'll be very messy by the end of the week," said Storm Team Forecaster Brian Gotter.  "I think a lot of this storm will be rain, sleet, and freezing rain before it eventually turns into snow on Christmas Eve night."

The following is the winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service: 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI

334 PM CST MON DEC 21 2009

...A BAND OF SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...A

SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA FROM

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY...

.AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING EAST ACROSS NEBRASKA AND SOUTH

DAKOTA...COMBINED WITH MOISTURE BEING PUSHED NORTH OVER A WARM

FRONT ACROSS NEBRASKA AND IOWA...WILL PRODUCE A BAND OF SNOWFALL

ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW AMOUNTS OF

2 TO 4 INCHES...LOCALLY UP TO 5 INCHES...ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND

SOUTH OF A LINE FROM DODGE CENTER...ROCHESTER AND CALEDONIA

MINNESOTA TO RICHLAND CENTER WISCONSIN.

A MUCH STRONGER AND MORE MOIST SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN

PLAINS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THEN LIFT INTO SOUTHERN IOWA BY

FRIDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING A WINTRY MIX OF

PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA STARTING WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING INTO

FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION TYPES REMAIN UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...AS IT

REMAIN UNCLEAR HOW MUCH WARM AIR AND HOW FAR NORTH THE WARM AIR

WILL GET WRAPPED INTO THE SYSTEM. SNOW...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN AND

RAIN...AND VARIOUS MIXES OF IT...ARE ALL POSSIBLE AS THIS LOW LIFTS

TOWARD THE REGION. THIS WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO

CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL AND TRAVEL DELAYS FROM LATER WEDNESDAY

THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY.

IAZ008

011-018-019-029-030-MNZ086-087-094

096-WIZ053

055-061-

220545-

/O.NEW.KARX.WS.A.0005.091223T1800Z-091226T0000Z/

/O.CON.KARX.WW.Y.0014.091222T0000Z-091222T1500Z/

MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-

CLAYTON-DODGE-OLMSTED-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-VERNON-CRAWFORD-

RICHLAND-GRANT-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DECORAH...WAUKON...CHARLES CITY...

OELWEIN...ROCHESTER...AUSTIN...VIROQUA...PRAIRIE DU CHIEN...

RICHLAND CENTER...PLATTEVILLE

334 PM CST MON DEC 21 2009

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST

TUESDAY...

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH

FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A WINTER

STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH

FRIDAY AFTERNOON. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT

UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY.

.. SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...

WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW FROM AROUND 9 PM TO 3 AM. A WINTRY MIX OF

PRECIPITATION...SOME OF IT HEAVY...IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS

THE AREA FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY.

.. SNOW AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY

MORNING...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 5 INCHES NEAR THE MINNESOTA-

IOWA BORDER. PRECIPITATION TYPES AND AMOUNTS REMAIN UNCERTAIN

FOR LATER IN THE WEEK...HOWEVER SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ALONG

WITH SOME SLEET...FREEZING RAIN OR RAIN ARE LIKELY.

.. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN A MILE IN SOME OF

THE FALLING SNOW TONIGHT.

.. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS TONIGHT AS THE SNOW ACCUMULATES ON

UNTREATED OR UNPLOWED ROADS. MORE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL...WITH

UNTREATED ROADS EXPECTED TO BE SNOW OR ICE COVERED...IS EXPECTED

FROM LATER WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW

WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW

COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE

DRIVING.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT

SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.

CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

&&

$$

MNZ079-WIZ017-029-032

034-041

044-220545-

/O.NEW.KARX.WS.A.0005.091224T0000Z-091226T0000Z/

WABASHA-TAYLOR-CLARK-BUFFALO-TREMPEALEAU-JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-

JUNEAU-ADAMS-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MEDFORD...NEILLSVILLE...

BLACK RIVER FALLS...LA CROSSE...SPARTA/TOMAH...MAUSTON

334 PM CST MON DEC 21 2009

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH

FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A WINTER

STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH

FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

.. A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION...SOME OF IT HEAVY...IS EXPECTED

TO SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

.. PRECIPITATION TYPES AND AMOUNTS REMAIN UNCERTAIN FOR LATER IN

THE WEEK...HOWEVER SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ALONG WITH SOME

SLEET...FREEZING RAIN OR RAIN ARE LIKELY.

.. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL...WITH UNTREATED ROADS EXPECTED TO BE SNOW OR

ICE COVERED...IS EXPECTED FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT

SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.