All corners of the state are expecting something special from Mother Nature while the Emergency Operations Center is monitoring the situation.
Wisconsin expects a mixed bag of weather surprises, causing slippery roads, fallen trees, and rising rivers. “Snow, rain, sleet, ice. You know, you name it and we’re gonna have it here in the state at some point.”
Tod Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management says we’re already seeing some flooding, and it could get worse over the next 24 hours. “It’s not gonna take too much moisture to send some of these rivers over the tipping point.”
With more waves of rain and potentially some heavy snow in some parts of the state, Pritchard says there’s really no place for the water to go. “We have about 500,000 sandbags that are kind of strategically placed all around Wisconsin right now ready to go into action.”
Travel could be difficult over the next 24 hours, especially in northwestern Wisconsin, which could get hit with up to a foot of snow. Ice is also making things difficult in various parts of the state, knocking down trees and causing power outages. All schools in the Appleton district were closed Wednesday as a result of the weather. A message posted on the district website read: As of 9:00 AM, Wednesday, April 10, ALL APPLETON PUBLIC SCHOOLS are closed due to hazardous conditions and power outages across the district. Students who already left for school on busses will be transported back to their homes.
And then there’s flooding.
Pritchard says officials are keeping an eye on the water level in rivers, and he warns motorists who approach a flooded roadway: “Don’t drown, turn around.” He says, “You have no idea how deep that water is, if the road is even under that water any more.”
Keep an eye on their Twitter and facebook feeds at ReadyWisconsin to get up-to-date information on this situation.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:31