Another winter storm hits Wisconsin with nearly a foot of snow in some areas

A winter storm that beat down on Wisconsin made travel a pain Tuesday and forced many people to simply stay off the roads.

The snow began to fall early Tuesday morning and wasn't expected to slow down until the afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Last said. A late afternoon burst of more snow would make for a treacherous evening commute.

Some communities across northeast and central Wisconsin reached 11 or 12 inches by 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The snow wasn't expected to be falling as heavily for the evening commute, but blowing and drifting snow was still likely to have an impact.

A winter storm warning predicted snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour and wind gusts of up to 30 mph would make travel difficult for the majority of the day. That warning was set to remain in effect until 3 a.m. Wednesday.

By 4 p.m. most major highways were snow-covered and a few locations had slippery stretches, according to 511wi.gov.

A driver died in a single-vehicle crash around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on State 67 in the town of Plymouth, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office. The driver lost control and the vehicle ended up upside down in a ditch.

Winnebago County saw more than 116 crashes or run-offs by mid-afternoon, according to a Facebook post by Menasha Police Department.

Many communities, including Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids, declared snow emergencies as plow crews tried to clear the streets. That means any vehicles left on the streets could be ticketed or towed.

Tuesday's winter storm continued a three-week stretch of tough weather for Wisconsin that has included multiple significant snowfalls and bone-chillingly cold temperatures.

But after a smaller winter storm expected to move into the area later this week, a quieter period of weather is expected to arrive, though the region will still have occasional snow showers or flurries, Last said.

“That will be a welcome reprieve,” he said.

Many school districts across central and northeast Wisconsin called off school Tuesday, along with several colleges and universities.

Multiple flights coming in and out of the Appleton International Airport, Central Wisconsin Airport and Austin Straubel International Airport had been canceled.

In Appleton, police hadn't seen many crashes by mid-morning, which seems to indicate the snow forced a lot of people to stay home, said Meghan Cash, an officer with the Appleton Police Department.

The city's main roads were relatively clear as plows worked to clear the snow, but many side streets were still in poor condition later Tuesday morning, Cash said.

Snow totals about 5 a.m.: Sheboygan - 12.5 inches, Marshfield - 12 inches, Plover - 14.2 inches, Wausau - 14.5, Manitowoc - 10.3 inches, Oshkosh - 10 inches, Kimberly - 12, Fond du Lac - 9.8, New London - 14.2.

As the snow moves out Wednesday morning, a much dryer end to the work week is expected.

According to the weather service, temperatures will hover right around normal for this time of year with a slight chance for an inch or so of snow Thursday evening.