Enough with the snow, already. That’s the sentiment in much of northwest Wisconsin, where the latest round of winter weather dumped as well over a foot of snow in some locations. “We’re weary of this weather,” said Mike Duncan, morning show host at WAQE in Rice Lake (where “only” 4 inches fell). “It’s just getting to a point where, “please make it stop.” The fishing opener is only two weeks away, and we’re worried the ice might not be out by then.”
AUDIO: Mike Duncan interview (4:00)
The forecast was only for 3-to-6 inches – but up to 14.5 inches of new snow had fallen in some locations by early Friday. And the region could get up to another foot by the time the storm clears out. Hawthorn, near Superior in Douglas County, reported 18 inches. “Progressively moving north, they got substantially more snowfall,” said Duncan. “The only thing that’s going to make this go away is rain, because the nighttime temperatures aren’t really that helpful.” And with the ground either saturated or still frozen, and area lakes still ice-covered, Duncan notes the prospect of flooding is a real concern.
Winter storm warnings continue for much of the far northern part of the state. Washburn, on Lake Superior in Bayfield County, had 10 inches by the middle of the night – and another 6-to-12 inches were in the forecast for that region along with wind gusts of up to 40 miles an hour. School districts closed Friday include Ashland, Bayfield, Hurley and Superior.