Snows piles up throughout day in southeast Wisconsin, spring floods could be severe

• Blizzard Conditions

Blizzard Conditions

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The snow kept piling up Tuesday morning in southeast Wisconsin. Allenton in Washington County had the most – seven-inches as of 8:30 a.m. Twelve-to-16 more inches is expected to fall when its all said and done by the middle of the day, along with wind gusts of up to 50-miles-an-hour.

The biggest snow totals are expected close to Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties. Lake effect snow is possible in those places, in addition to what’s being stirred up from the west. Blizzard warnings are in effect for about the southern quarter of the Badger State. Milwaukee Public Schools – which rarely close – have already said they’ll be shut down today. They all closed a half-hour early this afternoon.

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The blizzard that’s expected in southern Wisconsin the next couple days could add insult to injury this spring. The National Weather Service in La Crosse says above-normal flooding is possible on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Hydrologist Mike Welveart said last fall’s heavy rains kept the rivers flowing at higher levels than normal – and then a lot of snow fell. As a result, he says the snow that’s lying around at the moment has nowhere to go, except to cause the rivers to rise over their banks. Welveart said the ideal situation is to have a slow melting this spring – and the worst-case scenario would be 60-degree days and rain-storms. Brian Hahn of the Weather Service in Sullivan says the chances for flooding are also better-than-average on the Wisconsin River at Portage and the Baraboo River in Sauk County. But he says the Mississippi is the biggest concern. The big river is expected to cause problems in Iowa and Minnesota as well.

Tags: news, wisconsin, weather