NWS reports snowfall totals in excess of 16" in NW Wisconsin

NORTHWESTERN WI (WITI) -- Residents in northwestern Wisconsin continue to recover from a massive snowstorm that struck May 1-3, 2013. The National Weather Service reports snowfall totals in excess of 16 inches.

Here is a sample of snowfall amounts:

In Eau Claire, 8.7 inches fell on May 2nd, breaking the record May snowfall, the record snowfall for any calendar day in May and the record daily cold high temperature for the day (34 degrees). A Winter Weather Advisory continues today for much of northern and central Wisconsin.

WI Dept. of Transportation: Roads remain snow/ice covered and slippery across much of northern Wisconsin with improving conditions in the northwestern part of the state. Motorists should continue to check winter road conditions before traveling by calling 5-1-1 or visiting 511wi.gov.

Ashland County – Mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet continues to fall. There are reports of scattered power outages across the county. Butternut and Mellen School Districts closed today. The Chippewa River in Glidden and the Bad River in Mellen continue to slowly recede. Those towns will continue monitoring the impact of the snow melt. Emergency management doesn’t expect to open any shelters at this time.

Barron County – Trace amounts of snow fell overnight. Chetek area still has power company crews on the ground but the majority of power has been restored.

Bayfield County – Officials are taking a “watch and wait” approach to potential flooding. Streams still have capacity to carry additional water but ditches are full of snow and additional rain could be an issue. County Highway J near Bayfield has ½ inch of standing water due to flooding of nearby ponds.

Chippewa County – No power outages reported. Officials are checking seasonal homes for any unreported outages.

Dunn County –Scattered power outages continue with 1200 customers affected.

Eau Claire County – Xcel Energy reports an increase in power outages in city of Eau Claire and Altoona. The cause is unknown. Power quickly being restored.

Iron County – Four more inches of snow fell overnight. Both branches of the Montreal River are receding but officials continue to closely monitor. The Gile Flowage appears to be down as well. Sandbags are still prepositioned in case of flooding. Several schools remain closed.

Marinette County – The Town of Wagner declared a State of Emergency as a precautionary / proactive measure for potential flooding. That declaration will allow them to request sandbags from the Marinette County stockpiles. The Menominee River may soon threaten Rademaker Road.

Pierce County – Scattered power outages continue but crews making progress to restore electricity.

Polk County – Power outages continue in the Clear Lake and Amery areas. Crews hope to restore power by end of day.

Rusk County – Officials are watching for potential flooding on the Flambeau River south of the Thornapple Dam.

Wisconsin Emergency Management has not received any requests for state assistance. The State Emergency Operations Center remains on the 24-hour duty officer system, which is level 4. The WEM Senior Duty Officer and the Duty Officer will continue to monitor the situation.