Deadly snowstorm will give way to frigid temperatures
Subzero weather will stick around Wisconsin all weekend
At least two people died in a snowstorm that swept through much of southern Wisconsin, dropping 6 to 7 inches of snow, snarling traffic and canceling classes for thousands of students Wednesday.
One motorist was killed on a snow-covered road in Rock County and a Milwaukee man died after shoveling snow.
As Wisconsinites dug out, forecasters warned of a brutal cold snap expected to hit the state late Thursday and stick around all weekend with subzero temperatures and dangerous wind chills.
Homeless shelters planned to offer extended hours so people can seek warm places to stay out of the frigid temperatures.
Snowfall totals from late Tuesday through Wednesday included 6.1 inches in Milwaukee, 6.9 in Madison, 7.5 in Waukesha, 8 in Belgium, 9.5 in the Fond du Lac community of Brandon, 6 in Fond du Lac, 6.7 in Pewaukee, 6.5 in Port Washington, 7.5 in Caledonia and 5 in Racine.
A 20-year-old Janesville man was killed Wednesday morning when he lost control of his car while cresting a snow-covered hill on U.S. 51 in Rock County. The man’s car slid into the opposite lane and was struck broadside by a pickup truck driven by a 45-year-old Janesville man, who suffered minor injuries, according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Department.
A 68-year-old man died at noon Wednesday while shoveling snow in the 2200 block of West Sunbury Court on Milwaukee’s south side, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
As the snow intensified after 5 a.m. Wednesday,
school administrators began to pull the plug on classes at many area schools. Wauwatosa, West Allis, Waukesha, Mequon-Thiensville, Cedarburg, Germantown, Menomonee Falls and Brown Deer all canceled classes.
Milwaukee Public Schools remained open.
The Wednesday morning commute was slow-going as plows worked to keep up with falling snow.
Both directions of I-94 near Mauston and New Lisbon in central Wisconsin closed for several hours because of crashes.
I-94 in Racine County shut down for a while during the early rush hour when a semitrailer truck jack-knifed.
From 11 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to 35 crashes resulting in property damage, 16 accidents involving injuries and 50 vehicle runoffs, and assisted 96 motorists.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff ’s Department handled 55 disabled vehicles and 40 accidents, including four with injuries, and towed two abandoned vehicles between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. Wednesday.
In the City of Milwaukee, 285 pieces of equipment were deployed to salt and plow streets. Department of Public Works crews began plowing at 10 p.m. Tuesday and continued through 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Winter parking restrictions were in force Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Milwaukee, with vehicles required to park on one side of the street.
DPW spokesman Brian Deneve said 1,950 parking citations were issued overnight Tuesday.
With no garbage or recycling pickup in Milwaukee on Tuesday or Wednesday, garbage pickup was rescheduled for Thursday.
A polar blast is in the forecast late Thursday because of cold air sweeping down from Canada, said Aidan Borowski, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan.
Temperatures are expected in the minus teens in southern Wisconsin with minus single digits near Lake Michigan, including the metro Milwaukee area, on Friday and Saturday.
Wind chills will be minus 30 across much of the southern half of the state and minus 20 to minus 25 in Milwaukee.
Wind chills Sunday in Milwaukee will be around minus 15.
Aside from the cold air, the recent blanket of snow will help chill the state.
“We have this relatively fresh snow pack along with clear skies. And good conditions for any warmth to escape and any attempts to warm up reflected by the snow,” said Borowski.
There appears to be no rest for the cold — another snowstorm is forecast for late Sunday and Monday, courtesy of a fast-moving weather system known as an Alberta Clipper. Computer forecasting models are in agreement several days in advance that it could bring several inches.
“It will probably be a dry powdery type that could give us quite a bit of snow,” said Borowski.