Milwaukee Weather
Snow Covered Street in Wauwatosa | Photo: Phil Cianciola Storm Warning Has ExpiredBy By the WTMJ Weather Plus Storm and News TeamsLinks: Audio: Text us what you see on the roads at 79008 Latest on the storm Wednesday: 5:26- We Energies reports that 2,100 customers on Milwaukee's near south side have had their power restored. 280 customers in Oak Creek are still in the dark. 5:15 - 59-year-old man from Oak Creek dies in car crash in Milwaukee. Police say the man was driving a 1997 Dodge Dakota southbound on Howell Avenue. He crossed the median, oncoming traffic and then crashed into a police. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are not sure yet what caused the crash. 5:01 - Mitchell International cancels all flights into or out of the airport for the rest of the night. Flights tomorrow morning are also likely to be affected. 4:58 - Mitchell still closed, some airlines may not get any flights out tonight. 4:56 - 2100 We Energies customers without power on Milwaukee's near south side, a wire down in a home's back yard is to blame. 280 customers are in the dark in Oak Creek. 4:50 - Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputies using snowmobiles to get around in the snow. 4:45 - Milwaukee County Transit System suspending all bus service as of 5:30 Wednesday evening. Service to resume tomorrow morning. 3:00 - State Patrol declares I-43 impassable in Sheboygan County. 2:30 - Runways still closed at Mitchell. Numerous crashes reported around the freeway system. 1:05 - Runways closed at Mitchell International. Snowstorm: "This is a doozy." by Jon Byman and Jay Sorgi After little snow through the night, the white stuff is really beginning to fall on Southeastern Wisconsin. "This is a doozy," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, describing the snowiest conditions in his city in what's already been a crazy weather-filled winter. The National Weather Service says even more snow is still coming. It has extended a winter storm warning for southeast Wisconsin until 8 for the lakeshore counties, 6 for the others. The City of Milwaukee has extended it's Snow Emergency until sometime Thursday (more details below). The forecasters say 18 inches could still fall on the area today with very heavy snow in some areas at times. That combined with high winds could lead to some localized blizzard-like conditions. The storms have caused MPS and many other school districts to close their doors for today, along with Marquette University, Milwaukee city and county offices, and even Mayfair Mall, Bayshore Town Centre, Brookfield Square and Southridge. Click here for today's closings. It has also knocked out power to scattered areas of the listening area. "We're still very early in this weather system that's going to bring an extended period of snow, not just this morning, but all the way through the afternoon or evening until it's all done," said WTMJ Weather Plus Storm Team Meterologist Craig Koplien. "It's going to be an extended period of snow, and that's what's going to lead to the very high snowfall totals. "The snow is going to fall heavy at times, especially as we get further into this morning. Even more than that being responsible for more than a foot of snow, it's the fact that it's giong to be an all day thing." Winds out of the northeast will also pick up even higher than expected in this storm, reaching peaks of 40 m.p.h. "There's going to be major blowing and drifting," said Koplien. "That's going to be particularly troublesome right along the lakefront and along roads and highways that run north-south. Those are going to be tough roads to keep clear through the day because of the wind." Heavy snow is extending all the way to eastern Iowa, with reports of thundersnow in the Quad Cities. "We've got a long way to go on what is going to be an extended period of snow, heavy at times, moderate at times, maybe even light at times, but it's going to take at least until supper time until it shuts off completely," stated Koplien. MPS, City and County of Milwaukee Close Doors by Jay Sorgi "I heard that it's snowing," said Mayor Tom Barrett, tongue-in-cheek, for the reason to tell his non-critical employees to take today off. His staff met to discuss conditions, and after hearing the forecast for Wednesday, he said "Sounds to me like we're about to get walloped." Knowing that, he made the decision to tell city employees not to come in for work. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett even took the rare step of closing all non-critical City operations. Department heads and managers have determined which non-critical employees should not report to work, in an effort to keep roads clear. "This is the first time since I've been Mayor that we've issued this order," said the Mayor. "We really want to keep cars off the street. We want to allow the plows to get out there and do their work." County Executive Scott Walker did the same for all county offices and courtrooms, with only critical operations staying open today. Mayfair Mall has also closed.Even though a small amount of snow fell before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Milwaukee Public Schools looked at the forecast for heavy snow and decided to pre-emptively shut down for Wednesday. "Sometimes snowstorms don't evolve like they're forecast, but this one looks like we're gonna get hit all day," said spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin about the early call to close despite not-so-snowy overnight conditions that quickly changed during the morning commute. "We can't take a risk with the children." She says it would be easier to call off school before the day begins than to have students come in and have to leave early because of unsafe snow conditions. "That would be so difficult." St. Aubin explains that MPS couldn't make the call based on last night's comparative dusting. "We have to calculate what the forecasters are saying at the time, so we did hold off until this morning." Other key school closings include Marquette University and the Waukesha school districts. UWM has cancelled its classes until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. Click here for today's closings. Challenging Driving Conditions by Jay Sorgi
"It's covered with snow, it's slippery, so we're asking motorists to slow their speed, and they're doing a good job. "There's little accidents at this time, and the ones that we did have were simply property damage. People who find themselves in a crash of some sort don't have to wait for deputies to arrive in certain circumstances. "If they get into a fender-bender or a minor accident, and there is no injuries, and they can drive their vehicle safely, we have three sattelite accident reporting sites. Sgt. Barkow says those locations are: Sgt. Barkow says people in those situations have 24 hours to report the accident.
Plows Working in Milwaukee by Jay Sorgi "Right now we have 100 salt trucks out, and they are taking care of our main streets," said Cecelia Gilbert of the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works. With the heavier snow during the morning drive, 115 garbage and recycling trucks that have been on standby are taking the roads. For that reason, Milwaukee's DPW will not be collecting garbage or recycling today. Instead, they'll be keeping the streets salted for rush hour. "It seems like the salt trucks are really making good headway on the streets," said Gilbert. "With schools closed, businesses and city employees not having to get out into traffic, that's going to help us with our snow operations today. "We should be in good shape." The Freeways and County Roads by Jay Sorgi Crews are making good progress on Milwaukee's freeway system and the County's roads. "Right now things are going well," said Milwaukee County Transit and Public Works Director George Torres. "Temperatures are optimal for salt to be working." Torres says Mitchell International Airport has been business as usual as well. "The airport's been open all night. Landings are still being taken. Everything is good as of right now." However, there are a lot of delays and cancelations at the airport. With possible snow drifts of two to four feet, it will make things a challenge for plowing crews. "That's kind of what we've been planning for. When you get accumulations at that level, the public should be anticipating there'll be snow covered roads. There's just no way that our crews would be able to salt and plow. "Right now the strategy would be for us to continue to plow and salt overpasses and on-and-off ramps, and stay on top of the curve." More cares on the road also increases the difficulty of doing their jobs. "The more traffic that's on the interstate, the more difficult it is to do our job. "If folks look in the rear view mirror and see that they're in gridlock and we're behind them, it would be greatly appreciated if they'd accomodate us, let us through." When it comes to salt supplies - something many communities have run low on - the County has not. "Right now we're holding our own," said Torres. "We're kind of anticipating over the next couple weeks, we should be in good shape. The warm temperatures are really a big, big help. In temperatures in the 25 to 30 degree range, that salt is working at maximum efficiency." That could change with sub-zero temperatures expected. "Obviously this weekend, we're going to be a little challenged. Once we get to clean-up mode, as soon as we get any kind of meltdown, the wind speed picks up, then we start worrying about trees up, any of the wet spots we have out there for drainage. "That poses another set of challenges for us." Waukesha's Heavy Snow, Not Heavy On Accidents...Yet by Jay Sorgi The snow's just as deep in Waukesha, but Steve Pederson of the Waukesha County Sheriff's says it's not causing big problems yet. "With the schools being closed, and a lot of people here knowing snow was on the way, they may be either slowing it down, which is fantastic, or simply not going out unless they have to," said Pederson. He says if there's problems, simply hang tight where you are. "Sometimes it takes a while, other times we get there fairly quickly. It might be a little delay, but we're out there." Snow Emergency in Milwaukee, Other Communities by Jon Byman and Dan O'Donnell In response to the storm, the City of Milwaukee has declared a snow emergency, a step the city hasn't taken for a number of years. The declaration was extended until Thursday. In such a situation, the city doesn't allow parking on arterials, bus routes or through highways. The city's four inch parking rules and new night parking restructions come into effect as well. Department of Public Works Director Jeff Manties says there will be no parking on the side of streets with signs reading "No Parking During Snow Emergency," No Parking from December 1st to March 1st," or "No Parking Anytime." Cars parked on streets designated as "Snow Route Tow Away Zones" will be ticketed and towed. "That snow emergency is going to stay in effect until the commissioner determines that we have been able to do as good a job of our snow operations as possible," said Gilbert. You can get the complete regulations by clicking here. Communities under snow emergencies during the storm are as follows: Wauwatosa, Union Grove, Fort Atkinson, Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Glendale, Greenfield, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis, Racine, Germantown, Waukesha, Butler, Village of Sussex, West Milwaukee, Hales Corners, Burlington, Mukwonago, Brown Deer. People Prepare for Big Snowfall by Elizabeth Braun and Vicky Hollowell In getting ready for Wednesday's big snow fall, many people prepared for worst-case scenarios and stocked up. Hardware stores sold plenty of supplies before snow started falling on Tuesday. Mark Tomchek, from Ace Hardware, thought people would already be stocked up. "If you think you live in Wisconsin, you'd be prepared, but they don't, and they come in today when it's starting to snow like this," said Tomchek. Some of the hotter items were snowblowers, shovels, roof rakes, and, of course, salt. "People are just worried, and they want to get it and have it in their home before the storm hits," said Kerry O'Flannigan of Ace Hardware. Places that sell or borrow DVDs also saw brisk business. "I'm worried that the kid's school will be cancelled, and I'll have all three of them stuck in the house, so I stocked up on movies at the library," said Anne Taylor. "La Nina": Spanish for Bad Wisconsin Weather by Erik Bilstad If it seems like we are stuck in the same weather pattern, you're right. UWM professor Paul Roebber says La Nina is to blame. Roebber tells the Journal Sentinel that a persistent upper air flow has been carrying low-pressure systems from the upper Pacific Coast south to Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. The storm systems have gathered moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, then tracked north and east, right into a sweet spot over northern Illinois. And, Roebber says, there's no indication that the pattern will change anytime soon. Milwaukee County Roads Will Be Plowed, But May Be Snow Covered by Jon Byman and Dan O'Donnell Newsradio 620 WTMJ's Jon Byman talks to County Public Works Director George Torres Milwaukee County Public Works Director George Torres says they're ready to keep the interstates and county roads plowed. But, Torres admits that there will be a period when you're likely to have snow covered roads that aren't being heavily salted. Torres says when you get snow that falls at a half inch to an inch an hour, "it makes no sense to continue to put salt down and then have another pass an hour later that takes the salt off." Milwaukee County still has a salt supply, but Torres admits that after what we've already had this winter, the county is being, "conservative." A number of other municipalities have already started using a salt/sand mixture because their salt supplies are getting so low. City's Asking for Help Today While It Spends More To Clean Up by Jay Sorgi Mayor Barrett says the snowy, cold winter has the city spending more money on cleaning it up. "I'm sure we're going to have to find more cash to do it. We got hit hard in December, so we're still going to be digging out from that." The Mayor is asking people to lend an extra helping hand inkeeping fire hydrants and sidewalks clear. "We really could use the help of the young, strong people in the city to help us dig out the hydrants," said Barrett. "The fire chief made it clear that it could be a problem, because the snow plows going down the street may plow and cover the hydrants. "(We also need) the crosswalks, the sidewalks (done for) people who are in wheelchairs or using walkers. "We need the city, and the community, we need people to lend a hand here. We can't do it all ourselves. "We've got just loads and loads of crews. We've got 270 crews out there, and they're working around the clock." Nearly Every Mall Closed, But Not Grand Avenue by Jay Sorgi Most of the malls, including Mayfair, Southridge, Bayshore Town Center and Brookfield Square are closed. But Josh Hankin had to open his Culver's location at Grand Avenue. "They're remaining open, and since they're remaining open, nine times out of 10 they're going to come through for lunch. The mall's connected to a bunch of skywalks that still brings office traffic in, so the mall gave each store the choice to open. When it comes to his staff, will they come in through the snow? "Now that's the question - will the employee's come?" asked Hankin. "Cause we'll definitely have the customers." But even with cold and the white stuff, custard sales won't lag. "Don't be surprised if we get some custard sales because of the cold weather. People still have the taste for custard." Boston Store, Grand Avenue's main anchor store, is closed today. What About Ash Wednesday? by Jay Sorgi Today is the start of the Christian season of Lent, and usually that means heading to church for a service or Mass. But if you're Catholic, Archdiocese spokeswoman Kathleen Hohl says you're off the hook. "Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation," said Hohl. "Some parishes will cancel Masses, and they may have the blessing and distribution of ashes tomorrow or Friday, or whenever we get rid of some of the snow. "That may be a point of relief for somebody who is homebound." People should call their parishes to find out whether they have Masses or services, but Hohl says it doesn't mean people can't still mark the start of Lent. "Adults (people 14 and over) still should abstain from eating meat and fast today. That is one way to observe the start of the Lenten season." More information is below from the National Weather Service: URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 920 PM CST WED FEB 6 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING HAS EXPIRED... .THE MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW HAS ENDED ACROSS SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. IN ADDITION...THE WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED...SO THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 9 PM. WIZ052-059-060-065-066-070 072-070430- /O.EXP.KMKX.WS.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080207T0300Z/ SHEBOYGAN-WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-WALWORTH-RACINE- KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SHEBOYGAN...WEST BEND... PORT WASHINGTON...WAUKESHA...BROOKFIELD...MILWAUKEE...ELKHORN... LAKE GENEVA...RACINE...KENOSHA 920 PM CST WED FEB 6 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING HAS EXPIRED... THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 9 PM. SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN THROUGH MIDNIGHT...BUT ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LESS THAN ONE INCH. BLUSTERY NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AND OPEN AREAS THROUGH MIDNIGHT. $$ Delivered by WeatherBank, Inc. WED FEB 6, 2008 10:20 PM EST APTV-02-06-08 2120CST |
     
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"It's very slow going out on the highways today," said Sgt. Aisha Barkow of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department. 
