Photos: Recalling Madison's snowiest-ever winter in 2007-08
The winter of 2007-08 was Madison's snowiest on record, with Mother Nature dumping a cumulative 101.4 inches of snow in the city. (For comparison, the previous record was 76.1 inches in the winter of 1978-79.) The record snowfall included a lot of middling storms that added up over time, as well as a few significant ones, including a blizzard Feb. 5 and 6 of that year that brought 13.4 inches of snow to Madison. Other notable storms included 8.8 inches Jan. 21-22 and 7.7 inches March 21. Here's a look back at a season that tested our patience and snow-clearing skills.
First major storm, Dec. 1, 2007
At right, traffic on the Beltline was light and slow moving Dec. 1, 2007, during the first major storm of the season. A 37-year-old Madison man was killed in a weather-related crash on Interstate 90-94, and there were a handful of other serious wrecks on local Interstates, as well. Counties in southern Wisconsin reported several cars sliding off icy roads.
Traffic problems, Dec. 1, 2007
Traffic slowly making its way down Pennsylvania Avenue on Madison's East side Dec. 1, 2007, after a snowstorm, causing traffic problems.
Plow at work, Dec. 1, 2007
A snowplow works on East Johnson Street in Madison on Dec. 1, 2007, after a snowfall, causing traffic problems.
Breaking up snow, Dec. 3, 2007
UW-Madison junior Jeffrey Batterman uses the claw of a hammer to break up frozen snow to clear a path for a friend's car on St. James Court in Madison on Dec. 3, 2007. Someone produced the hammer when a shovel failed to make a dent in the snow, which was hardened by freezing rain and cold.
Spreading salt, Dec. 3, 2007
Patricia Jameson salts the sidewalk in front of her home on Randall Avenue in Madison on Dec. 3, 2007. Ice and mounds of frozen snow continue to make conditions difficult for getting around.
Icy cycling, Dec. 3, 2007
A cyclist negotiates an ice-covered street in the aftermath of the weekend snow and ice storm Dec. 3, 2007 on a side street off of Regent Street in Madison.
Buried cars, Dec. 5, 2007
Snow plows clearing the season's second snowfall Dec. 5, 2007, buried these cars parked on West Washington Avenue.
Enthused about snow, Dec. 5, 2007
These models in a larger-than-life window display on Madison's State Street, pictured Dec. 5, 2007, appear about as excited as most residents about getting more snow.
Capitol snow, Dec. 11, 2007
The Capitol is covered with new snow as Mike Ohmen of the building and maintenance staff blows snow from the sidewalks in front of the north entrance in Madison on Dec. 11, 2007.
Snarling traffic, Dec. 11, 2007
Eastbound Beltline traffic between the Park Street and Rimrock Road exits was slow during a snowstorm Dec. 11, 2007.
Snow and then tickets, Dec. 13, 2007
Three cars hold parking tickets for snow emergency violations in the 200 block of North Blount Street on Dec. 13, 2007, in Madison.
Chopping technique, Dec. 13, 2007
Marcio Santos, 26, uses a chopping technique to try to get his car out of the snow on Blount Street on Dec. 13, 2007.
Winter weather, Dec. 23, 2007
A woman walks down Frances Street in Madison during the latest round of winter weather Dec. 23, 2007.
Elver Park slide, Dec. 25, 2007
Waunakee High School student Sue Low, 17, is a perfect fit for her saucer at Elver Park on Dec. 25, 2007, while sledders wait for their own uncontrolled thrill ride down Elver's snow-packed sledding hill.Â
Snowy crash, Dec. 27, 2007
A tow truck arrives at the scene of a two-car crash Dec. 27, 2007, on Highway 19 near Broadway Drive in Sun Prairie. Light snow Wednesday night and Thursday morning coated roads and made for a slippery morning commute.
Smiling through snow, Dec. 28, 2007
Maria Brennan, 3, licks snow from her face and laughs as her mother shovels snow at their home in Maple Bluff in Madison on Dec. 28, 2007.
Snow on Beltline, Dec. 28, 2007
Snow obscures the Beltline near Rimrock Road in Madison on Dec. 28, 2007.
Porch roof collapse, Dec. 30, 2007
This porch roof collapse at 2301 Hoard St., photographed Dec. 20, 2007, was blamed on the heavier-than-normal snow the Madison area has received this month. Â
No summer here, Jan. 17, 2008
A summer sunset scene on a Wisconsin license plate looks a little out of place on a car buried in snow near University Avenue on Jan. 17, 2008, in Madison.
Like the North Pole, Jan. 17, 2008
It only seems like the North Pole for Chick Lillis as she shovels her steps on Lowell Street on Jan. 17, 2008, in Madison.
Snow-tow, Jan. 18, 2008
With Beltline traffic in the background, Dan Anderson of Schmidt's Auto Towing steers a car onto a tow truck Jan. 18, 2008, after the car was driven off the Beltline, through a fence and down a hill, ending up near the Toys "R" Us parking lot at West Towne Mall in Madison. There were no injuries. The mishap was one of many weather-related traffic crashes that day.
Beautiful scenery, Jan. 22, 2008
No skates are needed to slide over the snowy ice on Madison's Garner Park hockey rink, as 4-year-old Matt Cramer shows Jan. 22, 2008, by running in circles on the slippery surface. His mother, Joan, and brother Ben, 6, also enjoyed the rink while taking in the beautiful winter landscape beyond.
Cross-country skier, Jan. 23, 2008
Cross-country skier Paul Jost of Madison sails down Garrison Street after a trip through Olbrich Park on Jan. 23, 2008.Â
Stranded on interstate, Feb. 6, 2008
Some 2,000 vehicles were stranded overnight on Interstate 39-90 south of Madison after a blizzard struck Feb. 6, 2008. The State Patrol came under withering criticism for not closing the highway after problems first arose.
Cow in a blizzard, Feb. 6, 2008
A cow along Lincoln Road in the town of Oregon Wednesday seems unfazed by blizzard-like conditions and the layer to snow on its fur Feb. 6, 2008.
Crossing Parmenter, Feb. 6, 2008
A man jogs across Parmenter Street in Middleton on Feb. 6, 2008. Normally filled with traffic in early morning, the street was nearly bare in the blizzard sweeping through the area.
Snowy freight train, Feb. 6, 2008
A slow freight train rolls through blizzard conditions in downtown Stoughton in Feb. 6, 2008, when 18 inches fell on the area.
No respite from snow, Feb. 6, 2008
High winds off Lake Mendota made the walk across Park Street on the UW-Madison campus a cold one Feb. 6, 2008. Then there was the snow, of course. It closed schools, snarled traffic and strained the backs of countless shovelers.
Vehicles slide off road, Feb. 6, 2008
An ambulance responds to three vehicles that slid off Highway 14 in Fitchburg just north of Oregon on Feb. 6, 2008.
Traversing Park Street, Feb. 6, 2008
Pedestrians make their way across Park Street on the UW-Madison campus Feb. 6, 2008, amid a winter storm that dropped more than a foot of snow.
Going to work, Feb. 6, 2008
Chris Kraemer, a registered nurse with Care Wisconsin, scrapes snow and ice from her vehicle before setting out to make three home visits to senior citizens Feb, 6, 2008.
Blowing out, Feb. 7, 2008
Jose Garzon, of Glacier Landscaping, was busy with his snowblower Feb. 7, 2008, in a driveway in Oregon, a day after 13.4 inches of snow fell in one of the biggest snowfalls ever in the Madison area.
Forecasters are watching a powerful system pounding California that likely will affect the Midwest starting Saturday, but exactly where is uncertain at this point.
A snowstorm Thursday ushered in bitterly cold weather for Wisconsin that will stick around for a week or more, and get worse before it gets better, according to forecasters.
If the storm track changes, southern Wisconsin could see a greater impact from the system that is expected to deliver heavy snow to a slice of central and northern Wisconsin Friday into Saturday, according to forecasters.
Another snowstorm will impact most of Wisconsin late Thursday into early Friday, with the highest totals along Lake Michigan thanks to lake enhancement, according to forecasters.
Don't forget to move your clocks forward an hour this weekend with the switch to daylight saving time starting early Sunday morning.
Warming temperatures will change the snow back to a wintry mix to rain by Tuesday afternoon.
Snow depth of 1 inch is the official minimum to be considered a white Christmas.
The worst snowstorm thought to ever hit Wisconsin brought two blizzards in a single week in March 1881, with drifts up to 40 feet high. All ra…
The worst snowstorm thought to ever hit Wisconsin brought two blizzards in a single week in March 1881, with drifts up to 40 feet high. All ra…
