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Janesville could see 11 inches by Wednesday night

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

The City of Janesvile took delivery of 2000 tons of salt on Monday, just hours before what is being predicted to be the first major storm of the 09-10 winter season.

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John S. Whitcomb

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Benjamin J. Coopman

JANESVILLE — The last three years in a row, city plow crews spent Dec. 1 pushing a lot of wet, heavy snow.

All three years, the snowfall was followed by a fast freeze that left many streets an icy mess.

“It’s a recipe for bad news,” Operations Director John Whitcomb said.

The snowstorm predicted to hit starting today is looking no different: heavy, wet snow to be followed quickly by a deep freeze. The only difference this year is that the first snowfall is coming about a week later.

The National Weather Service forecasts 2 inches of snow this afternoon. Highs will be in the low 30s during the day.

Tonight the weather service predicts heavy snow at times with an additional accumulation of 8 to 9 inches. Temperatures will be in the upper 20’s.

On Wednesday, the weather service predicts a bit more snow for a total of 11 inches. The wind will pick up and continue blowing snow throughout the day.

Wednesday night, temperatures will drop to the single digits.

Heavy snow and low temperatures can be a dangerous combination.

Whitcomb and Rock County Public Works Director Ben Coopman couldn’t say it enough: If you don’t absolutely have to drive, then don’t.

“The best place for you to be is in your driveway,” Coopman said.

Between the wind and the plows, visibility will be poor. If you end up in the ditch, you might get awfully cold before help can arrive, Coopman said.

Besides the obvious safety factor, if cars stay off the streets, plows can be more effective, Whitcomb said.

“If you don’t have to be out, just stay off the streets,” he said. “It really assists the (plow) drivers. In those residential areas, traveling on those streets does nothing but pack them down, which can result in some rutting issues.”

The city likely will exceed the amount budgeted for snow removal in 2009, Whitcomb said. Officials budgeted $867,000 for plowing in 2009. In August, officials predicted the cost for plowing would end up at $997,000, he said.

The city has budgeted $1 million for plowing in 2010, said City Manager Eric Levitt.

Rock County crews—who remove snow from parts of Interstate 90/39, Interstate 43, state highways, county roads and many town roads—will have one more tool this season.

The county bought a tanker truck to spray salt brine on roads before snow falls, Coopman said. The water evaporates, leaving the salt behind, he said.

The salt prevents snow and ice from freezing on roads, Coopman said.

The trick won’t work for this storm because it will get so cold on Wednesday night, Coopman said. When it gets that cold, spraying brine could make things worse, he said.

But, using the brine saved county crews “substantial” time on Thanksgiving and during last Thursday’s snowfall, Coopman said.

Whitcomb asked crews to wait until noon to report to work today. They will be in their trucks for the long haul tonight and Wednesday, he said.

“They’ll be in their trucks longer than 24 hours, some of them,” Whitcomb said. “These are tough storms.”

Walworth County Public Works Superintendent Larry Price said his department is ready.

Price said public works employees on Monday checked trucks and other equipment to make sure everything was working for today and Wednesday.

The county will deploy about 30 trucks to plow roads.

The county has a few more trucks for backups and four mechanics on staff in case of breakdowns.

"If need be, we can call in some contracted help," Price said.

The county has about 28,000 tons of salt in Elkhorn and about 12,000 tons in other locations around the county.

"For a big storm like tomorrow, we apply salt on our first round at the rate of 300 pounds per lane-mile," he said.

After that, workers reduce the amount of salt to about 50 pounds per lane-mile, he said.

Price urged people to not drive.

"It makes it harder for us to clean up the road," he said.

If people must travel, they should take Highway 12 and Interstate 43 because they are plowed first, Price said.

In October, county officials said it could take workers up to two hours longer to plow roads this winter because of state budget cuts.

Price said the impact of the budget cuts won’t affect road maintenance until at least the beginning of 2010.

OFFICIALS URGE CAUTION

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take this paper back in the house, get comfortable and stay there.

State, county and local officials urge drivers to stay off the roads if at all possible today and tomorrow as plow crews deal with a forecasted 11 inches of snow.

If you have to travel, go slow, they all urge.

Rock County Public Works Director Ben Coopman specifically said to avoid using cruise control while driving on snow. He thinks people have been getting bad information that driving with the cruise on is a good idea, Coopman said.

The problem comes when you cross a bridge or slippery spot. If the cruise is on, your wheels can quickly start spinning.

“You just can’t react that fast,” Coopman said. “Drive the old-fashioned way with your foot on the gas and off the break.”

SNOW EMERGENCY RULES

City of Janesville Operations Director John Whitcomb said Monday he expected to declare a snow emergency sometime this morning. The emergency will stay in effect until plow crews can get the snow cleaned up.

What does that mean?

-- When you’re parking downtown, use the lots marked for snow emergencies.

-- At home, do not park on the street from the time the snow emergency is declared until plows have cleared your street from curb to curb. The fine for parking on the street during a snow emergency is $20. The fine for leaving a vehicle parked on the street for 24 hours is $10.

-- Don’t forget to clear your sidewalks if you have them. Do not plow snow from your walk or driveway onto the street.