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Spring ‘snow’ showers stun the region

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Bill Rodenkirch of the Prairie du Chien Water Department clears snow from the sidewalk near the Prairie du Chien Public Library Monday morning.

This was the view of South Beaumont Road Monday morning.

Citizens had more serious concerns, but area trees and shrubs did produce a “winter wonderland” setting.

City plows as well as private plows were commonly seen Monday morning in Prairie du Chien as residents and businesses dug themselves out.

Vehicles buried in about 13 inches of snow were a common sight in Prairie du Chien and the surrounding area.

The roof of this vehicle on Blackhawk Avenue gives an estimate of how much snow was dumped upon Prairie du Chien.

Among the most traditional signs of spring, a robin, found refuge from the unexpected mound of snow on one of a few clear branches.

Plum Creek Road in rural Wauzeka depicted a snow-packed yet pretty sight that was familiar for other side road travelers Monday morning.

By Correne Martin

Just two days after spring officially began, a foot of snow socked most of Crawford County, beginning Sunday and continuing into Monday.

Prairie du Chien received 13 inches of snow as of 7 a.m. Monday, according to the reports from the National Weather Service of La Crosse. Lynxville and Steuben both received 10 inches. Other regional snowfall totals, as of Monday morning, included: Fennimore, 15;  Marquette, 12; Lancaster, 11; Monona, 10.8; De Soto, 9.8; Gays Mills, 8.8; La Crosse,  5.0; Volga, 3.3; Elkader, 1.8; Cassville, 1.5; and Guttenberg, 0.7. The contrast of snowfall amounts demonstrated the narrow band of locally higher amounts in certain communities.

The snow was expected to taper off by mid-morning Monday.

A snow emergency has been declared by the city of Prairie du Chien, effective from 12:01 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, March 24. Drivers are asked to not park on city streets during this time, as plow drivers work to remove the snow.

The unexpected deluge of snow began early Sunday afternoon and fell quickly, at rates of one to two inches per hour in some areas. The precipitation was heavy and wet, causing hazardous driving conditions to quickly develop. Roads were snow or slush covered and slick, and numerous slideoffs occurred on many minor and major roads.

Denny Pelock, Crawford County highway commissioner, was the only county official who could be reached by phone before press time Monday morning. He was out checking the county roadways and said he couldn’t even begin to guess the number of slideoffs and collisions that happened during the storm.

“Six semis were stuck this morning,” he said. “They were the majority of the problem. We had a semi blocking the Mondell Hill/Highway 27 early this morning, but as of [8:45 a.m.], everything is open.”

Pelock said one of his plow drivers, who takes care of the area from Cliffwood Drive to Mill Coulee Road north of Prairie du Chien, measured 5 inches of snow Sunday night and another 9.5 again Monday morning.
Crawford County Sheriff Dale McCullick and Emergency Management Director Roger Martin could not be reached prior to press time.

While every school in the area was closed, with the exception of Central Elkader, Iowa, also closed were all of the region’s meal sites, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, the Opportunity Center and Southwest Tech in Fennimore.

There was no garbage pickup in Prairie du Chien by Town and Country Sanitation Monday. As a result, all week, garbage and recycling in the city will run one day late.

Crawford County Circuit Court postponed all its cases for Monday as well.

According to the NWS, rainfall was forecast for Tuesday night, March 24. The combination of snow and rain could cause some area rivers and streams to rise.

 

Photos by Ted Pennekamp, Correne Martin and Tara VanNatta

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