Most of Wisconsin got 3-to-6 inches of snow Thursday and last night. But over two feet of lake effect snow hit parts of Iron County near Lake Superior.

According to the National Weather Service, Gile had 29 inches as of two o’clock this morning – and it was still coming down. Six inches fell there in a five-hour period, and there was lots of blowing and drifting. Montreal in Iron County had 16 inches as of six o’clock. Hurley had 10 inches by the middle of last night.

County Emergency Management Director Stacy Ofstad says no emergency incidents were reported.

AUDIO:  Ofstad on dealing with snow conditions (:18)

Elsewhere in Wisconsin, the south and the Fox Valley seemed to be the hardest hit, with 3-to-4 inch totals reported in most other parts of the Badger State. Milwaukee had just over six inches, and Madison five. Janesville had drifts of one-and-a-half feet.

Lake effect snows are continuing today near Lake Superior, where warnings and advisories remain in effect until 10:00 a.m. and there’s a chance of more light snow in much of the state tomorrow.

Temperatures were in the teens and 20s this morning, but they could drop below zero in the north tonight. But a warming trend is expected later in the weekend. The mercury could get back above freezing by Sunday in west-central Wisconsin.

Madison snowplow (FILE PHOTO: Bob Hague)

Forecasters are saying the Badger State could see anywhere from three to 10 inches of snow going through early Friday. “I think this is going to be a really big shock to our system, right? We’ve had 53-degree temperatures for the last couple of days.” Tod Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management says they will be ready. Also, the Department of Transportation has beefed up its 511 travel information system.

Meteorologist Paul Collar with the National Weather Service says we won’t get hammered all at once; it’s a “long duration snow event.” He says, “It’s not like it’s gonna come down with a lot of intensity; it’s gonna be more about the duration. There will be some periods of moderate snow and that but it will stretch from Thursday right into Friday.”

Collar says the area that will likely see the most snowfall will be the north western part of the state, near Lake Superior, followed by the far eastern area. Green Bay, Sheboygan, Milwaukee could get four to seven inches. The unseasonably warm temperatures are about to change. “There will be cold air in place and this will all be snow and the salt may not be real efficient at helping to melt the snow on the roads, so there may be some tricky travel.”

Of course, there are plenty of people who welcome this winter precipitation — anyone who relies on snow for their business, including snow plow drivers.

The DOT has added regional Twitter feeds and facebook accounts to put out snow and travel information. Motorists can call 511, or go on-line. Users can also get text message alerts. ReadyWisconsin also offers Twitter feeds and facebook alerts.

AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:39

In a typical Wisconsin winter, most lakes across the state are covered in a thick layer of ice that people take advantage of for skating, fishing, and many other outdoor activities. However, unseasonably warm weather across much of the state is prompting a warning for people to stay off the ice.

The state Department of Natural Resources says three people in the state have died in the last week after falling through thin ice and drowning, including the son of a Green Bay Packer’s coach in Oshkosh over the weekend.

Patrick Moes with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the current warm weather across the upper Midwest means ice conditions are just unsafe in a lot of areas.

Moes says anyone planning to walk out on a seemingly frozen lake should think twice, since most frozen waterways cannot support the weight of a person right now. While temperatures have dropped below freezing overnight, highs in the 30s and 40s during the day and sunny weather has made most ice sheets fragile.

Moes says there needs to be at least several days in a row of solid sub-freezing temperatures before the ice is thick enough. Even then, he says safety should remain a concern with people encouraged to use ropes or carry ice picks just in case they fall through the ice. Moes says you should also make sure someone knows where you will be if you plan to be out.

Moes says catching a fish or skating right now is not worth putting your life in danger.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:13)

Groundhog Day blizzard (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)

Tod Pritchard at Wisconsin Emergency Management says perhaps the biggest weather event in the Badger State this past year was the Groundhog Day blizzard that started the afternoon of February 1st and continued into the next morning. “I think that’s one of the events that I always find everyone remembers exactly what they were doing on that day and how they made it through that day.”

Many motorists were stranded and one person died, but Pritchard says it could have been much worse. Snow accumulations ranged from 12 to 26 inches. Many roads were totally impassable, including portions of the interstate, with massive snow drifts of up to 12 to 15 feet in some locations and zero visibility.

Pritchard says another highlight was the tremendous tornado outbreak across the state. “You know the April 10th outbreak was really big. It’s gonna be the biggest daily April tornado outbreak in Wisconsin history. We had 15 tornadoes; several of them were very strong, very powerful.” In 2011, 38 tornadoes were documented, making the year the 3rd busiest on record. Wisconsin averages 23 per year.

In total for the year, nine people were killed directly by weather events, and at least 124 injured. Excessive heat was the biggest killer. “We had five deaths due to the heat wave; we had over 100 injuries, but it could have been much, much worse.”

A four-day heat wave affected the state in mid-July with heat index values of 100 to 117. The warmest temp was 103; the coldest was minus 37. Total reported property and crop losses were approximately $104 million. Residents also felt the effects of an earthquake that originated in DC, and some folks witnessed waterspouts on area lakes.

Check out ReadyWisconsin for all kinds of preparedness information and to take a look back on the year’s events.  Total fatalities for the year directly related to the weather came to nine with 124 total injuries. The breakdown shows one death was due to the blizzard; five from the heat; one from lightning; one from a tornado; and one from a thunderstorm. The coldest temperature got down to -37 degrees (F) at Ladysmith 3SW (Rusk Co.) on January 22nd. The warmest temp was 103 at Ft. Atkinson on July 20th.

AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 2:03