Snow has been falling throughout the day in Milwaukee -- especially near the lakefront -- but if you're the type who believes the meteorologists, the worst isn't coming until later in the week.
The National Weather Service in Sullivan says a storm moving northeast towards the Great Lakes could dump between eight to 15 inches of snow on Southeast Wisconsin. The NWS is also calling for winds between 25-40 MPH with gusts as high as 55 MPH, causing drifting snow and blizzard conditions into Wednesday morning.
Snow bands moved through the area Monday afternoon and as much as five inches is expected to fall by Tuesday morning.
"We are in action mode already to deal with the snow expected, not only today, but through Wednesday morning," Mayor Tom Barrett said Monday afternoon during a press conference at the Zeidler Municipal Building.
Trash collection in the city was completed Monday, leaving the city's available for snow-plowing. Department of Public Works Commissioner Jeff Mantes said that 96 salt trucks were already out on the streets and another 400 would be available should conditions warrant later in the week.
All but 40 of those vehicles are part of the city's fleet. The rest would come from contracted providers.
Mantes urged residents to adhere to the city's winter parking regulations, which are available at the DPW website. Should the coming storm be as bad as predicted, the Tuesday lull will be important in clearing the streets in advance.
"The better job we can do tonight cleaning up, the easier it will be if we do get more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday," Mantes said.
A snow emergency has not been declared for Milwaukee -- that decision will come sometime tomorrow when more current forecast models are available. If that is the case, residents should be prepared: DPW will have illegally-parked vehicles towed.
The DPW offers a text-message alert system to inform residents of snow emergencies.
"We'll be able to better determine tomorrow morning whether or not to declare a snow emergency," Mantes said. "Hopefully people have done some planning ahead already."
St. Louis is already feeling the storm's wrath. A mix of freezing rain and sleet has been falling throughout the day, canceling more than 150 flights in and out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
