The Wisconsin Department of Transportation issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory for much of northeastern Wisconsin on March 15, advising against travel on all roads due to the potential for “life-threatening” heavy snow conditions.
Weather conditions have worsened to “severe” levels and roadways may be impassable in nine counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie and Winnebago. The department’s alert system, 511 Wisconsin, noted multiple “impassable” roads across the state. Late in the morning, a jack semitrailer was affecting traffic on Interstate 41 near Oshkosh, according to a WisDOT news release.
The advice warns against driving on motorways, secondary roads and country roads. The department said emergency travel should even be a “last resort.”
“Conditions are rapidly deteriorating and emergencies may occur where travel is impossible, visibility is zero, vehicles are stranded, and first responders may not be able to reach you,” the department said in a news release.
Only two counties were not immediately included in the recommendations: Manitowoc and Sheboygan. The department said driving conditions remain hazardous but not yet to the point of warranting a travel advisory.
The department noted a “rapidly developing hazardous situation” in the area from the late afternoon of Sunday, March 15, through Monday, March 16, and issued a blizzard warning with the potential for more than 30 inches of snowfall in some areas and wind gusts up to 45 mph. Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency Saturday night.
The weather also prompted municipalities to declare local snow emergencies, an official declaration prohibiting parking within jurisdictions for snow removal. Churches, businesses and nonprofits also cited the extreme weather as a reason to close their doors.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering politics in and around Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering readers’ questions about Green Bay. Please contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com and send him questions.
This article originally appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette: WisDOT issues travel advisory for Brown, Door, Outagamie counties
