Over a foot of wind-driven snow and arctic cold cover Sheboygan County after the first major winter storm of the season and 2024.
After several storms proved to be a “bust” to start winter around here, the most recent one made up for everything. National Weather Service reports indicated 12 inches of snow on Sheboygan’s northwest side to 16 inches in Plymouth. The storm resulted in over 100 snow-related calls to the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office while it raged, and I-43 had to be shut down north of Sheboygan Saturday night as crews tried to right a jackknifed semi that rolled onto its side. Those efforts were still unsuccessful as of early Monday morning.
Snow totals over the weekend, combined with snowfalls earlier last week, left many parts of the County with some 18-24 inches on the ground by Sunday, which is respectable for this time of year. Unfortunately, most snow remaining on road surfaces, sidewalks and plowed into piles is likely to stay as-is for some time as arctic cold won’t allow temperatures to clear 20 degrees until the coming weekend – too cold for road salt to work well, if at all. And with actual temperatures spending much of this week below zero, the accompanying winds threaten to freeze exposed skin in less than a half hour as wind chill values dip at times to near 30 below zero. Accordingly, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory until 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
The City of Sheboygan and County Sheriff’s Office are advising that with the extreme cold, roads are slick with compressed snow, and the Wisconsin 511 website showed slippery stretches on I-43 and Highways 23 and 57 in much of the County. Drivers are being advised to slow down, especially when approaching an intersection. Under current and forecast conditions, roads typically will take a few more days to improve.
The SPD Advises Roads are Slipper, Especially at Intersections
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