Bitter cold, snow send cars sliding

Monday, February 11, 2008 12:46 PM CST

MILWAUKEE (AP) - A bitter cold snap and strong winds combined to send wind chills around much of Wisconsin to at least 35 degrees below zero on Sunday, creating icy driving conditions that shut down interstates and highways.

The Wisconsin State Highway Patrol closed a seven-mile stretch of Interstate 39/90 just south of Madison for about an hour and a half because of icy driving conditions. Strong winds blew snow around to create near-whiteouts and snow drifts.

It was the same area - but in the opposite direction - where thousands of motorists were stranded for as long as 12 hours in a snowstorm last week. Gov. Jim Doyle has said authorities did not initially grasp the scope of the backup and ordered a review.

Sgt. Les Mlsna said on Sunday there were many vehicles stuck in ditches in the area in Dane County, near Stoughton. Authorities had to clear those vehicles, plus all the other vehicles off the road, so conditions could be improved. He estimated about 120 vehicles were either stuck or within the seven-mile stretch when it closed.

The slippery driving conditions were made worse by strong winds and freezing temperatures. He said it was so bad a trooper's car got hit twice because cars couldn't stop or even slow down. There were no reports of major injuries.

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Shortly after reopening, five more cars got stuck in ditches, he said.

“The roadway is still icy and treacherous,” he said.

No weather-related fatalities were reported all weekend, said Jon Morrison, a Madison-based dispatcher for the Wisconsin State Patrol.

“Things have settled down,” he said Sunday evening. “It's mainly been runoffs, things like that.”

The tough driving conditions and cold weather didn't turn away sturgeon spearers on Sunday, the second day of the spearing season.

Terry Gerhartz, of Chilton, said no one in his group opted to stay home because of the temperatures. He made sure not to have any exposed skin when we went out to his shanty Sunday morning on Lake Winnebago, in north central Wisconsin.

“If you got stuck out there, you'd get cold in a hurry,” said the 48-year-old, who was warming up at a restaurant in nearby Hilbert.

The entire state was under a wind chill warning throughout much of Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Bob McMahon, although the cold snap began to ease by late afternoon.

The weather agency said the wind chill values were expected to improve through Monday morning, but some four to six inches of snow were forecast across the southern third of the state.

No area was immune to the cold on Saturday night.

“It's safe to say the entire state got down to between minus 35 and minus 40 degrees,” he said.

Air temperatures alone dipped below zero, he said. In Milwaukee, it was 2 degrees below zero by Sunday afternoon, but because the area had wind gusts of up to 31 mph, the wind chill was 25 degrees below zero.

In Madison, the temperature was minus 4 with a wind chill of minus 25, while Green Bay's temperatures got down to minus 6, with a wind chill of minus 32.

The weather was so cold in Manitowoc County that the sheriff's department warned some wrecker crews were suspending services because equipment was freezing. Many county vehicles were ending up just like motorists, in ditches.

“Even our ambulance services are getting stuck in snow banks,” a news release said.

Authorities in Manitowoc, Outagamie, Walworth and other counties were recommending people stay off the roads. Parts of highways in Outagamie were considered impassable on Sunday because of drifting.

The State Emergency Operations Center was activated Saturday due to the severe weather. Many state entities, including the national guard, were on call Sunday, just in case, said Steve Olson, spokesman for SEOC.

He urged residents to stay off the roads until conditions improved.

“That would help everybody, including themselves,” he said.