Blizzard Warning until 3:00 a.m. as drivers experience white-out conditions in Kenosha County
KENOSHA (WITI) -- Officials in the city of Kenosha declared a Snow Emergency on this Sunday, February 1st, as snow continued to fall in southeastern Wisconsin. That Snow Emergency took effect at noon Sunday, and will likely be in effect until sometime Monday, February 2nd. The Snow Emergency means parking is prohibited on all city streets in Kenosha. This, as the snowfall in Kenosha approached a foot -- nearly equal to the entire month's worth of snow that fell in Milwaukee in January.
A Blizzard Warning is in effect through 3:00 a.m. Monday, February 2nd for Racine and Kenosha counties.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Jefferson, Waukesha, Walworth, Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties. The warning remains in effect for Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties through 3:00 a.m. For other counties, it expires at midnight.
Meanwhile, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the remainder of the FOX6 viewing area through midnight.
The FOX6 Weather Experts said snow would continue throughout the day on Sunday. Strong winds were expected to cause blowing and drifting snow that would reduce visibility and cause hazardous travel conditions. The snow was expected to taper off Sunday afternoon for inland areas, but lake-effect snow was expected to continue into early Monday for lakeshore counties.
When it's all said and done, we could see three to six inches of snow to the north of Milwaukee, and eight plus inches in Milwaukee and south.
Kenosha County Sheriff's officials said as of about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, they had dealt with a lot of cars in ditches, and a lot of single-vehicle crashes -- but none of those crashes resulted in serious injuries.
White-out conditions along with the snow and wind made things difficult for truck drivers and those driving cars Sunday. A FOX6 News crew saw conditions deteriorate as they headed from Milwaukee to Kenosha County as snow fell at a rate of an inch per hour at times. Blowing winds up to 40 miles-per-hour led to blizzard-like conditions. FOX6 News spotted several cars stuck in the snow.
"It's nasty all the way here. It's terrible. Trucks in the ditch, cars in the ditch. It's been bad," a truck driver said.
"There's ice under the snow. That's the problem," a man who drove from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Kenosha County Sunday.
"Visibility is just terrible. Quarter of a mile, half a mile -- and the wind just makes it all a lot worse. You need to stay home. The only reason I'm out here is work. We're delivering groceries to stores. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," the truck driver said.
Folks on the road Sunday noticed delays regardless of what direction they were coming from.
"It's bad. It took me about two-and-a-half hours to get here from O'Hare," a driver told FOX6 News.
Here are some winter driving tips from the Wisconsin DOT:
If you must use your car during a storm:
Be courteous to those awaiting your arrival:
CLICK HERE for LIVE VIDEO via the Wisconsin DOT -- showing road conditions in southeastern Wisconsin.
CLICK HERE for Snow Plowing Guidelines via the Wisconsin DOT.
Additionally -- we want you to know about a new tool on FOX6Now.com. We now have a map that taps into the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) road temperatures. WisDOT has sensors on bridges throughout southeast Wisconsin — and they’re monitoring those sensors for potential freezing conditions. CLICK HERE to check out our new road temperatures map.
CLICK HERE to monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
Are you and your loved ones having fun in the fresh snow? CLICK HERE to view and submit photos of the snow falling in southeastern Wisconsin at FOX6Now.com.
We invite you to monitor the forecast and radar as the snow continues to push through by CLICKING HERE.