The Badger Herald

NEWS

As record approaches, city expects more snow today

Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.

Also by Jacquelyn Ryberg:

Watchdog uneasy about animals on cold (February 1, 2008)
December snow storms deplete Madison budget (December 13, 2007)
Residents must wait for safe ice skating (December 10, 2007)
City awards memorial civility honors (December 3, 2007)
Council approves adding more Tasers for city cops (November 15, 2007)

by Jacquelyn Ryberg

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

While freezing rain and strong winds created problems for commuters traveling to both class and work Monday, the National Weather Service predicts even more weather issues for Tuesday and Wednesday.

A strong low-pressure system strengthening in the Mississippi Valley and moving northeast is expected to drop anywhere from five to nine inches of snow by Wednesday night and produce strong wind gusts, according the National Weather Service.

“Right now we are keeping an eye on things,” said George Dreckmann, spokesperson for Madison streets division. “As long as it stays rainy, there is not much we can do. Once it starts getting colder, we will start using salt on the roads.”

As a precaution, the streets division plans to keep roads safe by salting during the initial part of the predicted storm.

“The key when you are going into a storm like this is to get enough salt down to prevent the snow from bonding with the pavement,” Dreckmann said. “Then, as it comes down heavier, you can keep plowing it off. I think we will be in good shape in terms of preventing that bonding.”

According to Joel DeSpain, public information officer for the Madison Police Department, there is not much officers can do in terms of precaution. But as the forecasted storm progresses, the department may adopt a procedure to assess which emergencies take priority.

“In general terms, if the roads get really slick, and there are a lot of slide offs, what we go to is called ‘blood and blockage,’” DeSpain said. “Police officers will only respond to crashes where there are injuries and the road is blocked.”

In addition to the blood and blockage procedure, MPD officers may resort to wrapping chains around the tires on squad cars to increase traction in order to reach emergency situations if conditions become severe.

“There are times when snow is so significant that officers may put chains on squad cars to get around,” DeSpain said. “But that does not happen too often.”

The predicted snowfall is expected to bring the city of Madison closer to a record-high snow accumulation, said Jon Martin, University of Wisconsin chair of the atmospheric and ocean sciences department.

According to Martin, the all-time record-high was 76.1 inches set about 20 years ago, and Madison is currently 16 inches shy of that record.

“We stand a very good chance of breaking the all-time record for the city of Madison in terms of snow,” Martin said. “We are going to have a winter to remember.”

In addition, Dreckmann said there has been no increase in accidents due to the recent inclement weather, but as conditions worsen, he urges citizens to be careful.

“This is an unusual winter in terms of the volume of material that has come down,” Dreckmann said. “People always need to use their heads when they are out there. That is the critical part of getting around safely.”

Feedback

Show all comments

Hide anonymous comments

Anonymous (February 5, 2008 @ 8:03am):

Global warming?

Add a comment

We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.