It could always be worse

Saturday was a day of on-and-off freezing rain. Luckily it warmed up later and turned to rain which helped the trees, shrubs and power lines to shed their icy coatings. We woke yesterday morning to more snow and gusty winds. Snow is forecast — to varying degrees — every day this week. The weather is all anyone is talking about in person or on social media.

It is a frustrating winter but it is much more what a typical Wisconsin winter used to be like. Having grown up in Buffalo, New York — a city with a notorious reputation for wicked winters — I've always joked that Wisconsin doesn't really have snowy winters. I used to go home for the Christmas holidays until I ran into bad weather one too many times. One of the last times I went home in the winter was just before the record storm of 1977. The city had already broken snowfall records with about 100 inches before the big storm hit. You've never seen snow if you haven't experienced it coming across a Great Lake with winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. Here are a few photos from the storm. 

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These are Red Cross volunteers traveling by snowmobile to check for passengers trapped in vehicles. (News file photo)

Hundreds of cars were abandoned as people attempted to walk to safety and shelter. The Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard were both called in to help deal with the situation.

People attempting to dig out their cars. 

The weather here in Madison this winter has been frustrating and at times a bit challenging, but these scenes put it all in perspective. 

Comments

[Barbara H.]

That's pretty amazing. I'm glad you had the pictures to share to put it all into perspective. This last week I've had about 10" of rain in my rain gauge and am very glad I live on a slope.

[Linda Brazill]

Go google "ice boom on the Niagara River" if you want to see current the winter event in the Buffalo area.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Yikes! That was quite a storm and, as you said, certainly puts things in perspective. So glad you moved to a climate with less snow.

[Barbara H.]

Oh my gosh, I just watched a video of the ice breaking over a low wall and piling up into an ice dam along the shore of the Niagara River. Very powerful force - I would hate to have shoreline property impacted by the ice.

[Linda Brazill]

It always amazes me when I see how close people build (and are allowed to build) near shorelines. Sooner or later something unpleasant is going to happen. In really bad winters, Niagara Falls "freezes." The falls doesn't really freeze but so much ice forms and keeps piling up that it makes the falls looks like it has frozen. I'm sure there are photos of that out there as well.

[Loree / danger garden]

I am amazed that people stay in places with winters like that!

[Linda Brazill]

The way I think about it is that winter keeps the riff riff out! Imagine if we all moved to your city.

Though how weather may start to affect internal US migration is a big question.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I remember that year. It was bad here too. Nothing like what you had though. Just remember it won't be as long as it has been and spring will arrive.

[Linda Brazill]

Even though the weather is miserable, I am glad that it is about to be March. That at least suggests Spring is on the way. You are so lucky to be seeing a Crocus!

[Kris P]

Even with your photos, it's hard to imagine that kind of snow. I'd have skipped future Christmas holiday visits too. I hope this week's snow in Madison is light.

[Linda Brazill]

Sometimes it just make more sense (and more fun) to travel when weather doesn't have to be a major concern.

[Frank]

Ouch. I'm going to pass on seeing that happen again. My fingers are crossed we can get through to spring without a final snowpocalypse hurrah!