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Welcome to winter: More snow on the way

JANESVILLE — Yesterday was the first day of winter.

That's right, Sunday, when the sign on the M&I bank building in Edgerton read, "–11," winter had just begun.

Icy winds and the 10-12 inches of snow that fell last week created nasty drifts and continual work for public works employees. And it's not going to get any better.

Starting early Tuesday, we could get "a couple little shots of snow," said Chris Franks, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan. It will likely start with on-and-off snow but not much accumulation.

As Tuesday progresses, another 2-4 inches will fall. That snow should be fairly light and fluffy—nice for sledding, skiing and snow blowing.

Wednesday, temperatures will rise into the 20s and it will snow again, between 3-5 inches. The snow will be heavier, better for snowballs and snowmen, but harder to shovel.

All of that leads local residents to wonder, "What is going on?" and "When will it all end?"

Franks described it as a "parade of systems." Upper-level winds come in from the West Coast and just hang around, like thugs on a street corner.

"The atmosphere is like waves in the ocean," he said.

Each little wave brings us a snowfall, and every once in a while we get bigger wave.

"Eventually, the pattern will shift," Franks said.

Franks thinks temperatures could rise toward the end of the weekend—or at least be "a little more benign."

We could use it. As of this morning, the December snowfall total was 23.7 inches. That's the third-snowiest December since 1948, when the Gazette started keeping weather records. December 2000 is No. 1 with 35.2 inches of snow. December 2007 is No. 2 with 28.7 inches.

It's also one of the coldest Decembers on record, with an average high temperature of 25.52 degrees. Only six other Decembers had a lower average high.

At the Rock County Highway Department, drivers have been plowing from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday since Thursday , said Hal Mayer, highway department patrol superintendent.

They've been plowing the Interstate around the clock.

"We had some considerable drifting on the north-south roads," Mayer said.

"We've been able to keep one hole poked through on the roads expect for a short chunk of Summerville Road."

Footville firefighters had to battle the snow before they could get to what they initially thought was a residential fire at 12:26 p.m. Sunday at 4848 N. Timber Trail, Janesville, in Center Township.

Upon arrival, firefighters found black smoke coming out of the ductwork in the basement and first floor of this two-story single-family home.

Firefighters believe a faulty fan blower motor on the furnace caused the smoke.