Waukesha Co. Residents Asked To Limit Travel Amid Sleet And Snow

WAUKESHA, WI — Residents of Waukesha County were encouraged Wednesday afternoon to limit travel as national forecasters say a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain continues to sweep through southeastern Wisconsin, threatening power outages and hazardous road conditions.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow declared a state of emergency by 3 p.m. because of the hazardous road conditions, he said via Twitter. Farrow also encouraged residents to limit travel, but if necessary, use extreme caution. All non-essential county operations were closed at 2:30 p.m with offices set to re-open Thursday at 8 a.m., Farrow wrote.

A winter storm warning remains in effect in Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties and beyond until noon Thursday as a heavy mix of snow and mainly sleet could accumulate up to 4 inches. Freezing rain could come in at times and accumulate up to a quarter of an inch, according to the National Weather Service. The winter weather comes alongside possible wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

By 4 p.m., 3,000 We Energies customers were without power across Wisconsin and Michigan, according to the company's outage tracker. One outage listed near Calhoun Road and Greenfield Avenue was affecting over 200 customers around 4 p.m. with an undetermined cause, according to the tracker.

Sleet is expected to accumulate significantly across the Interstate 94 and U.S. Highway 18 corridors, the NWS said. Travel could be very difficult.

Many main roads in southeast Wisconsin, including the area's interstate system, were already slippery or ice covered by noon Wednesday, according to data from 511 Wisconsin.

By 4 p.m., major roadways across southeast Wisconsin remained ice-covered or with slippery stretches.

Find the latest on road conditions from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The Wisconsin Department of Transporation on Tuesday gave tips for winter driving:

• Snow means slow. Allow extra travel time, following distance, and reduce your speed during winter conditions.
• Be cautious on bridges, overpasses, and entrance and exit ramps.
• Don’t be overconfident in four-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicles. All vehicles require additional time and distance to stop in adverse conditions.
• Avoid using cruise control in winter conditions.
• Buckle up and put your phone down while driving. Every trip, every time.
• Leave room for maintenance vehicles and snowplows. Move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles.
• Stay at least 200 feet behind a working snowplow. Make sure that you can see the plow’s mirrors to ensure the driver can see you.
• In case of a crash or slide off, stay in the vehicle, turn on the hazards, call 911 and move vehicle(s) out of traffic if possible.