The bitter cold finally is easing and a big warm-up is coming that will have southern Wisconsin’s recent snow melting, according to forecasters.
Very light snow fell overnight, and was lingering across far southern Wisconsin Monday morning from Platteville to Janesville to Lake Geneva. Accumulation of up to a half-inch is possible until the snow tapers off by late morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Marcia Cronce said in a statement.
As bad as the weather has been for the Upper Midwest for the last several days, it was nowhere near as bad as what other areas have seen.
The bomb cyclone storm has killed at least 48 people across the country and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Western New York has been hit the hardest, with whiteout conditions and massive snow drifts keeping even emergency vehicles from traversing roads, the Associated Press reported.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said almost every fire truck in Buffalo was stranded Saturday and implored people Sunday to respect an ongoing driving ban in the region. Officials said the airport would be shut through Tuesday morning. The Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches at 7 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters warned an additional 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in some areas through early Monday morning amid wind gusts of 40 mph.
At least 27 died in the area, and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz warned there may be more dead.
“Some were found in cars, some were found on the street in snowbanks,” Poloncarz said. “We know there are people who have been stuck in cars for more than two days.”
A car sits blanketed in snow on a driveway on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022, in Amherst, N.Y. Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze Sunday morning to ride out the frigid storm that has killed at least 48 people across the U.S. and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to several hundred thousand homes and businesses.
The extreme weather stretched from the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande and the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, as about 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning. Even southern Florida shivered, as highs of 52 in Naples, 50 in Miami, and 47 in Palm Beach were the coldest highs ever for Christmas.
The Weather Service said Sunday the frigid arctic air “enveloping much of the eastern half of the U.S. will be slow to moderate.”
In Madison, the high on Monday should be near 16 under cloudy skies, with wind chills between zero and 5 as north winds blow at 5 to 10 miles per hour, the Weather Service said.
After an overnight low around 1, with wind chills of 5 below to 10 below, Tuesday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 22 and wind chills of 5 below to 15 below as south winds blow at 10 to 15 mph and gust as high as 30 mph.
Temperatures will continue to moderate with highs Wednesday through Sunday near 36, 47, 45, 41 and 40, and lows Tuesday night through Saturday night around 19, 32, 35, 32 and 33.
Skies over Madison should be partly sunny Wednesday, and mostly cloudy Thursday through Sunday, with the warmth bringing chances for showers rather than snow at 20% Thursday night, 30% Friday, 40% Friday night, 50% Saturday and Saturday night, and 30% Sunday.
27 Storm Track meteorologist Alexis Clemons said the sun will appear later Monday and stick around through Tuesday as winds pick up and temperatures slowly rise to the 40s by Thursday, with rain chances into the end of the year.
Sunday’s high in Madison was 13 at 11:59 p.m., 17 degrees below the normal high and 43 degrees below the record high of 56 for Dec. 25, set in 1982.
Sunday’s low in Madison was 1 below at 7:52 a.m., 17 degrees below the normal low and 20 degrees above the record low of 21 below for Dec. 25, set in 2000.
No precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Sunday, leaving Madison’s December and meteorological winter (December through February) precipitation total (rain plus snow converted to liquid) at 2.25 inches, 0.88 inches above normal. For the year, Madison has received 37.28 inches of precipitation, 0.41 inches above normal.
Madison’s record precipitation for Dec. 25 is 0.67 inches, set in 1876.
With no snow on Sunday, Madison’s December and meteorological winter total stayed at 15.4 inches, 5.7 inches above normal. For the snow season (since July 1), Madison’s total stayed at 20.2 inches, 6.9 inches above normal.
Madison’s record snowfall for Dec. 25 is 3.5 inches, set in 1950.
Madison’s snow depth is 6 inches.
Photos: Wild winter storm envelops US, snarling Christmas travel
Mark Sorter clears snow from a downtown ice skating rink, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Santa Dale, no last name given, walks through the snow covered parking lot as he arrives at Merle Hay Mall, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Johnstown Public Works employee Hayden Miller salts down a sidewalk on the Haynes Street bridge in Johnstown,Pa., Friday, Dec.23, 2022. (John Rucosky/The Tribune-Democrat via AP)
Brooks Payne watches as water floods Long Wharf during high tide, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Boston. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. More than 200 million people — about 60% of the U.S. population — were under some form of winter weather advisory or warning on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Visitors get splashed with sea spray while photographing Portland Head Light, Maine, during a powerful winter storm, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
About 5 inches of snow and subzero temperatures continued their gripped on the Cincinnati area as a “bomb cyclone” Arctic air blast moved through much of the country, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Kareem Elgazzar /The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
Mark Sorter’s face is seen covered in snow and ice as he clears snow from a downtown ice skating rink, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Kansas City fire department rescue workers work to recover a minivan that went into Brush Creek in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Police say the driver lost control of the minivan on an icy street and the vehicle went down an embankment and overturned before submerging in Brush Creek. The driver was pulled from the creek but died later at a hospital. (Nick Wagner/The Kansas City Star via AP)
Kevin Hall uses a blanket to keep warm from freezing temperatures while standing on the street in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
A shopper is surrounded by blowing snow at Ashtabula Towne Square on Friday Dec. 23, 2022, afternoon in Ashtabula, Ohio. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions.(Warren Dillaway /The Star-Beacon via AP)
A streetlight illuminates an icy tree in southeast Vancouver, Wash., on Friday morning, Dec. 23, 2022. Clark County and much of the Northwest woke up to a sheet of ice and snow coating roads and roofs Friday morning. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian via AP)
A passenger checks flight departures showing cancellations at Laguardia Airport, Friday Dec. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Wind blows snow Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, across U.S. 36 in Hendricks County, Ind. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
With frigid temperatures, an employee heads into work Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, at a store along U.S. 36 in Avon, Ind. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
A pair of travelers sleep while fellow travelers queue up below to pass through the south security checkpoint in Denver International Airport after a winter storm swept over the country packing snow combined with Arctic cold, which created chaos for people trying to reach their destinations before the Christmas holiday, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Denver. Forecasters predict that warmer weather will be on tap for the week ahead. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Vehicles sit along U.S. 131 north by 84th Street on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Byron Center, Mich. A blizzard warning is in effect for Kent County and the surrounding region. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
Francisco Erazo uses his snow blower to clear snow on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Mich. A blizzard warning is in effect for Kent County and the surrounding region. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
A Bud’s Towing truck clears the scene of a pileup on U.S. 131 north in Bryon Center, Mich. on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. A blizzard warning is in effect for Kent County and the surrounding region. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
A Bud’s Towing worker prepares to tow a jackknifed semi truck on U.S. 131 south in Wyoming, Mich on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. A blizzard warning is in effect for Kent County and the surrounding region. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
Burl Jones scrapes ice off a car in the city on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Mich. A blizzard warning is in effect for Kent County and the surrounding region. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
“Orange tent project” tents are set up under an underpass Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Chicago. The nonprofit “Feeding People Through Plants” founder Andy Robledo set out to find homeless people and give them large orange tents used for ice fishing to replace other tents and shelters that are inadequate for severe winter weather. “Last November is when it all started,” said Robledo. “I lived in Pilsen and I drive by these camps every single day and I noticed new tents popping up every single day.” Robledo said one day he returned to his blue pickup truck and someone had broken in, although he intitally didn’t notice anything missing. “One of my blankets was missing from my truck. That’s what got me. That’s what did it. That’s what motived me…at that moment I said I’m not doing enough.” (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
“Orange tent project” volunteer Morgan McLuckie, left, speaks with homeless person Peter Zielinski after giving him bottles of propane to use with his portable heater as cold and snowy weather moves in Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Chicago. The nonprofit “Feeding People Through Plants” founder Andy Robledo set out to find homeless people and give them large orange tents used for ice fishing to replace other tents and shelters that are inadequate for severe winter weather. Zielinski, who received a tent a few days ago, said the new tent “is like a condo.” “I’m just trying to survive,” he said. “I turned 41 yesterday. I didn’t think I was going to make it this long.” Temperatures dropped below freezing with below zero wind chill overnight. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Blowing snow impairs visibility in rural Linn County, Iowa, on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. A winter storm brought wind chill values of more than 30 degrees below zero and whiteout conditions to Eastern Iowa. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP)
The downtown Chicago skyline is obscured by blowing snow and steam rising from Lake Michigan as seen from Montrose Harbor, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Birds huddle together inside a garbage can at Montrose Harbor as frigid weather continues in the Chicago area, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A car is left on the side of the road due to dangerous road conditions Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Seattle. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times via AP)
Residents on Capitol Hill can be sporting weather appropriate spikes to combat the icy streets on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Seattle. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times via AP)
A leaf on a Japanese maple tree is surrounded by ice in the backyard of a home in Burien, Wash., Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Ellen M. Banner/The Seattle Times via AP)
An icy morning over Lake Forest Park, Wash. on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times via AP)
CORRECTS PHOTOGRAPHERS NAME – Garrett Fuller, left, helps friend Robin Jacobs get up after slipping to the icy ground on Capitol Hill, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Seattle. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times via AP)
Traveler passes through a pick up zone outside Denver International Airport after a winter storm swept over the country, packing snow combined with Arctic cold, which created chaos for people trying to reach their destinations before the Christmas holiday, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Denver. Forecasters predict that warmer weather will be on tap for the week ahead. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Snow blows across U.S. Highway 6 as vehicles drive during a blizzard warning, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Iowa City, Iowa. Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. (Joesph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP)
Elle Magruder, 20, takes a rest while waitng on her delayed flight home to Dallas at at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register via AP)
Shana Marler, of Pottsville, Pa., dresses warmly for the cold weather walking on South Centre Street in downtown Pottsville, Pa., Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (Jacqueline Dormer/Republican-Herald via AP)
Icicles cling to strawberry plants at a field Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Plant City, Fla. Farmers spray their crops with sprinklers to help protect them from the damaging freeze. Temperatures overnight in the area dipped into the mid-20’s. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
A farmer drives by an icicle covered fence as he checks on his ornamental plants before sunrise Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Plant City, Fla. Farmers spray their crops with sprinklers to help protect them. Temperatures overnight dipped into the mid-20’s. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
Icicles hang from ornamental plants at sunrise Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Plant City, Fla. Farmers spray their crops with sprinklers to help protect them. Temperatures overnight dipped into the mid-20’s. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)