Snowstorm Closes Schools, Snarls Traffic In Northern, Central Wisconsin

Schools were closed across much of northern and central Wisconsin on Monday, with some areas seeing a significant snowfall.

A low-pressure system brought significant precipitation to the northern half of the state, with more than a foot of snow and blizzard conditions in parts of Minnesota and Iowa.

Justin Loew, chief meteorologist for WAOW-TV in Wausau, said parts of northwestern Wisconsin could see 10 to 12 inches of snow, with 3 to 6 inches falling in the Wausau area.

“In Wisconsin the heaviest snow is around Price County, Taylor County, over toward the Eau Claire area, Rice Lake. In central Wisconsin, it’s more rain south of Marathon County,” Loew said. “It’s enough so the roads are going to be what some people call ‘greasy,’ where the snow is very wet and heavy, and it’s very slushy out there on the roadways.”

Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Matt Strickland, of Wausau, said the conditions were making driving difficult.

“Due to road conditions, people may want to stay home,” Strickland said. “If they do choose to travel, slow down, wear safety belts, limit your distractions and increase your following distance between vehicles.”

If the roads are slippery or snow covered, make sure to leave plenty of room for stopping. #IceAndSnowTakeItSlow #wiwx pic.twitter.com/4OcOSsKaaj

— Wisconsin DOT (@WisconsinDOT) January 22, 2018

Strickland said there had been several crashes in central Wisconsin, but none with serious injuries.

Up until Monday, winter in central Wisconsin had been relatively dry. The two heaviest snowfalls in the Wausau area were 3.1 inches on Dec. 13 and 3.4 inches on Jan. 14 and 15.