Taking a break from shoveling, folks in Milwaukee enjoy HUGE waves on Lake Michigan, fun sledding

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A Snow Emergency took effect for Milwaukee at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, February 1st and remains in effect until further notice. The Snow Emergency was issued by the City of Milwaukee's DPW until further notice to facilitate safe and effective curb-to-curb plowing on main arterials. City of Milwaukee officials have also declared the "Four-Inch Rule" in effect as Milwaukee more than eight inches of snow fell in Milwaukee from Saturday night through Sunday and into Sunday night. If we see more than nine inches in Milwaukee by the time it's all said and done, we'll have broken a snowfall record.

The Snow Emergency means parking is prohibited on arterial roads, in bus lanes or through highways -- and you must obey signs declaring no parking during snow emergencies.

The "Four-Inch Rule" is put into effect to facilitate effective curb-to-curb plowing on city streets. Citizens are urged to adhere to the “Four-Inch Rule” to allow for the safe, effective and complete plowing of city streets, AND to avoid a $40 ticket.

Go to city.milwaukee.gov/mpw for winter parking regulations for a specific City of Milwaukee address/street or call 414-286-CITY (2489). You can also register to get text alerts from the City of Milwaukee by CLICKING HERE.

An important reminder for folks living in the city of Milwaukee -- as of January 20th, 2015, the fees/fines for violating the "Sidewalk Snow Removal" ordinance have increased.

Violators who are reported to DPW officials will be issued a notice to clear the walk and will be assessed a special charge of $50.  Property owners who fail to clear all sidewalk snow and ice within 24 hours after receiving notice of the violation will be assessed additional special charges of $75 for the first violation, and $100 for a second violation and any violations thereafter, plus the cost of snow and ice removal if cleared by the City (City Ordinance 116-8). The city is responsible for clearing approaches to alleys only. The city does not plow alleys.

Residents can also alert DPW to problem properties by calling (414) 286-CITY.

As of Sunday evening, there were more than eight inches of snow that had fallen in Milwaukee. Milwaukee DPW officials had more than 250 pieces of snow removal equipment on the road Sunday night. As of 8:00 p.m., crews had 63% of main streets in Milwaukee plowed, and 11% of side streets. DPW officials say crews were focusing on main streets first -- and they were set to be out all night. Officials were asking folks to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary.

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.

On Milwaukee's East Side Sunday afternoon, a FOX6 News crew saw several drivers struggling to make it up the steep Lafayette Hill. The plows were out Sunday, but FOX6 News saw a lot of cars fish-tailing, their wheels spinning on the corners.

Near Lake Michigan, it was extremely windy -- about 30 miles-per-hour near the lakeshore. That was creating some 15-foot waves, making for quite the view. You wouldn't expect to find many people at the beach during a blizzard, but on Sunday, there were cars parked along Milwaukee's lakeshore and their occupants braved wind gusts up to 40 miles-per-hour.

"You'll never see anything like it. Lots of snow and ice in the air, so you gotta stand with your back to it, otherwise it hurts," Mike Hiller said.

In city of Milwaukee neighborhoods, FOX6 News saw families working together to clear sidewalks. The Manning family promised some sledding once all the snow was cleared away.

"If you let it sit, that`s the worst part. You gotta get on it right away. If you let it sit, it gets iced over and then it`s really hard. I think the worst part though is waking up and having to do it," Patrick Manning said.

Meanwhile, all this fresh snow made for some excited kids. Milwaukee Public Schools students knew they'd be off Monday, February 2nd even before the snow started to fall. That's because MPS has scheduled a teacher professional development day.

A group of cooped-up friends invented a new winter sport Sunday afternoon.

"We were sitting around. We got this old air mattress and the snow hit, so we thought we'd come out and have some fun," Joe Osterman said.

The first run went pretty well, but the second ended with an equipment malfunction.

"It was a good run though!" Osterman said.

Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies were reporting Sunday all lanes of travel on area freeways were snow-covered, and road conditions were slick. Drifting snow was hindering the plowing process. DPW crews were first focused on attacking main streets.

From 11:00 p.m. Saturday on, there were more than 60 crashes, and more than 90 disabled vehicles. Additionally, I-43NB at 116th Street was shut down for a period due to a rollover crash. The interstate reopened just before 5:00 p.m.

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.