Storm dumps nearly 2 feet of snow in Wisconsin
WAUSAU, Wis. — A storm dumped up to nearly 2 feet of wet snow on northern and central Wisconsin on Wednesday, causing dozens of schools to close and creating treacherous driving conditions.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said several northern and central highways were covered in snow and ice and recommended drivers steer clear of the area.
“I guess since we’ve had such an easy winter, this one sticks out,” said Dan Clark, meteorological technician with the National Weather Service in Green Bay.
The storm started late Tuesday in some areas and dropped anywhere from 2 inches in Green Bay to 18 inches in Minocqua by late Wednesday morning, Clark said. Another 3 inches of snow fell in Minocqua to bring that city’s total to 21 inches by Wednesday night, the National Weather Service said.
Crandon in northeastern Wisconsin reported 23 inches of snow while in the northwest, 19 inches of snow was reported three miles north of Butternut, according to the weather service.
Wind gusts between 35 to 45 miles an hour whipped through northern parts of the state and along Lake Michigan near Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Manitowoc, Clark said.
Wisconsin Public Service spokesman Kerry Spees said as many as 14,000 people were without power at one point Wednesday morning as wind and heavy snow affected power lines. Most of the outages were in wooded areas, where branches fall or lean on the lines, he said. Spees expected the number to fluctuate throughout the day as power gets restored and other areas experience problems.
Similar kinds of storms hit at least once a winter, Spees said, and the number of people without power usually ranges from 30,000 to 40,000 customers.
“Because of the unusual winter weather, we’ve been pretty fortunate,” he said.
School districts throughout central and northern Wisconsin told children to stay home Wednesday, and the University of Wisconsin-Superior also canceled classes.
Temperatures in the upper 30s resulted in heavy rain in southern Wisconsin. Verona Fire Chief Joseph Giver said lightning ruptured an underground natural gas main Wednesday morning, and some residents had to be evacuated for three hours. No other damage was reported and no one was injured.
The National Weather Service said Milwaukee and Madison are seeing what will likely be their top 10 warmest meteorological winters, which run from December to February.