Snowfall leaves some digging out in Milwaukee County

MILWAUKEE, WI (CBS 58) – The snow hit Milwaukee County hard throughout the day on Monday, Jan. 26.

That meant a tough time driving, especially during the morning commute.

It was a day of clearing off cars and shoveling snow from sidewalks.

“I was going to wait until it was all done, I said ‘nah’,” says Ken Johnson, a Milwaukee County resident. “That way it won’t be so hard at the end.” Johnson cleared his property in Milwaukee, but the side streets were still largely untouched.

“Luckily the plow did come through here for a little while, so hopefully they come back through and try to get some of this stuff cleared out,” says Johnson.

“The lower levels are pretty heavy, seems like it might have been wetter snow earlier and lighter snow at the moment, so it’s not too bad,” says Brian Henshaw, a Shorewood resident.

Wauwatosa saw snowfall in the six to eight-inch range Tuesday. Many residents had the lengthy process of clearing half a foot of snow off their property by the afternoon.

"Probably about an hour and a half, two hours, something like that, and I have to do the back also," said Mark Bialzik. "Fortunately, it stopped snowing, because I didn't want to do this twice."

The snow resulted in slippery conditions and accidents. It also meant a long day for private snow removal companies.

"These hours, these hours have been killer. It's so cold right now," said Luis Benitez, of Birchwood Snow & Landscape. "All of us have got cold feet and everything, it's hard work."

The weather also led to some students receiving snow days and hitting the sledding hills.

"We've had a lot of fun," said Cheryl Bolin. "They've had a day off of school, and it's always best to just be outside rather than tearing up my house, right? she laughed.

Before sledding, one brother and sister helped their pregnant neighbor by shoveling her driveway. 

"Just to be kind, because she needs to get her car out of the driveway, so we just wanted to help out."

Snow emergencies have been declared in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, which means no parking on main streets.

In Milwaukee, it also means alternate parking rules are in effect on the side streets.

“We just appreciate all the DPW and plow drivers that are out there trying to keep up with all the fallen snow,” says Matt Sliker, representative with the Milwaukee County Transit System.

Sliker says there were no major changes to their routes other than some delays. College campuses were closed, so he says there was no need for their U-routes.

“The most common issue that we see during snow storms like this are cars that are traveling way too fast for conditions,” says Sliker. “So sometimes they end up sliding around in the snow and clipping the side mirrors or the bumpers on our buses.”

“I tell everybody to just take your time,” says Johnson. “There’s no rush for anything. It’s best to be safe than sorry.”

The snow emergency will be in effect until 6 a.m. in Milwaukee and 7 a.m. in Wauwatosa.

If you park your car on the street, you will want to pay attention to street signs since they will take precedence.