Winter storm moving through SE Wisconsin makes for tricky travel ahead of holiday weekend
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- A winter storm moving through southeast Wisconsin ahead of the holiday weekend is making for some headaches on the roadways. AAA says they anticipate Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, Dec. 23, to be two of the busiest travel days over this holiday season. Just over two million are expected to travel -- most of them by car.
With the snowy, icy conditions and extra drivers on the roads, experts say it's very important to be attentive behind the wheel.
"Leaving extra space is going to become really, really important because you can really have that domino effect of one crash can really snarl things even more and lead to more crashes," said Nick Jarmusz, director of public relations for AAA.
CBS 58 has crews out across the area tracking the road conditions.
CBS 58’s Ellie Nakamoto-White spoke with Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Kyle Amlong who said they responded to 36 weather-related calls before noon Thursday.
Eight of those were car accidents and most of the calls came between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
I’m heading west on I-94 toward #Brookfield in #WaukeshaCounty and while there is some light snow piling up on the shoulder, the highway still seems pretty clear with plenty of traffic going both ways. We have team coverage on @CBS58 at noon so be sure to tune in! pic.twitter.com/30KCX3ZIwb
— Ellie Nakamoto-White (@ellienw_news) December 22, 2022
“Just because the road may look good doesn’t mean a quarter mile down the road there isn’t three inches of snow, four inches of snow that just happened to blow onto the roadway,” Sgt. Amlong said.
Temperatures can drop quickly, and wet roads can become icy before you know it, so Sgt. Amlong said it’s crucial to drive at slower speeds, take extra time, and provide ample space between the car in front of you.
“70 mph is only 70 mph in ideal driving conditions,” Sgt. Amlong said. “Take it seriously and slow down.”
If you do get into an accident, it’s important to stay inside of your vehicle.“You never know who else is going to crash right behind you and you’re a lot safer in your vehicle with a seatbelt on than you are outside of your vehicle,” Sgt. Amlong said.
Contributions made to this story by CBS 58's Emerson Lehmann, Ellie Nakamoto-White, and Yukare Nakayama.