It is cold. Really cold. If you stepped outside anywhere near Wausau or down toward Milwaukee this morning, you probably felt that immediate, sharp bite of the air that tells you January in Wisconsin isn't playing around. Honestly, "winter" doesn't quite cover it. We are looking at a messy mix of fresh snow and some pretty aggressive wind gusts that are making "wisconsin storm damage today" more than just a search term—it's a genuine headache for homeowners and commuters alike.
The National Weather Service has been busy. They've slapped a Winter Weather Advisory across a huge chunk of the state, including the southeast, and the main culprit isn't even the snow itself—it’s the wind. We’re talking gusts hitting 35 to 40 mph. When you combine that with an inch or two of light, powdery snow, you don't get a winter wonderland. You get a whiteout.
The Wind Is the Real Problem
Most people think "storm damage" means a giant tornado or a massive flood. But today? It’s the subtle, grinding stuff. Those 40 mph gusts are strong enough to snap weakened tree limbs. If you’ve got an old oak or a brittle maple overhanging your driveway, you’ve probably heard some ominous creaking.
The wind is also playing havoc with the power lines. We Energies and other local utilities are already tracking scattered outages. It’s not a blackout on the scale of a summer derecho, but tell that to the family in Fredonia or West Bend who just lost their heat when the wind chill is bottoming out at -25°F.
Why the "Flash Freeze" Matters
Earlier this month, we had that weird, record-breaking rain. Remember January 8th? La Farge saw over two inches of rain, which is basically unheard of for this time of year. Because the ground didn't have a deep frost layer yet, a lot of that soaked in, but it also left things soft. Now, we have this sudden, brutal drop in temperature.
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When the ground freezes that fast after being that saturated, it shifts. It heaves. This puts immense pressure on basement walls and underground pipes. If you’re noticing new cracks in the foundation or a door that suddenly won't latch, that's the "storm damage" nobody talks about until it costs five figures to fix.
Driving Is a Total Mess
If you're on I-94 or trying to navigate the backroads in Door County, you know the drill. The snow is light and "powdery," which sounds nice until a gust of wind picks it up and throws it across your windshield. Visibility is dropping to near zero in open areas.
- Drifting: The snow isn't staying where it falls. It’s piling up in massive drifts across East-West roads.
- Slick Spots: Beneath that light dusting of snow is a layer of ice from the earlier freezing drizzle.
- The "Ground Blizzard" Effect: You might have blue skies above you, but if the wind is kicking up the snow on the ground, you can't see the car ten feet in front of you.
Honestly, the safest place to be right now is on the couch. But if you have to be out, the state patrol is practically begging people to slow down. The "clear" patches on the highway are often deceptive black ice.
What to Check Right Now
You don't want to wait until the sun goes down to realize your house took a hit. Take a quick walk around—if it's safe—and look for the "quiet" damage.
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Check your vents. This is a big one. With the wind blowing snow horizontally, your high-efficiency furnace vents or water heater exhausts can get plugged with snow drifts. If that happens, your furnace shuts off. Or worse, carbon monoxide backs up into the house. It takes thirty seconds to clear it with a shovel, and it saves you a frantic call to an HVAC tech who is probably already booked solid.
Look at the power lines. If you see a line sagging more than usual, stay away. The weight of the wind and potential ice buildup is a bad combo. Call it in. Don't assume your neighbor did.
The "Ice Dam" Warning. Because of the warm-cold-warm-cold cycle we’ve had this January, ice dams are a massive risk. If you see giant icicles forming along the gutters, that’s a sign that heat is escaping your attic, melting the snow, and then refreezing at the edge. Eventually, that water backs up under your shingles and drips into your ceiling.
What the Experts Are Saying
The meteorologists at the Green Bay and Milwaukee stations are focusing heavily on the "Cold Weather Advisory" for Monday morning. We are looking at wind chills between -20°F and -30°F. At those temperatures, frostbite happens in under 30 minutes.
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It’s a different kind of storm damage. It’s damage to the body. If your car slides into a ditch today and you aren't dressed for it, that's a life-threatening situation within an hour. Keep a "ditch bag" in the backseat: extra blankets, a portable charger, and some actual winter boots, not just the sneakers you wore to the office.
Moving Forward: Your To-Do List
The immediate threat of the snow will taper off, but the wind and the cold are sticking around for the next few days. Here is how you handle the aftermath of the Wisconsin storm damage today without losing your mind.
- Document everything. If a limb hit your roof or a fence panel blew down, take photos before you move anything. Your insurance company will want the "as-is" shot.
- Clear the hydrants. If you have a fire hydrant in your yard, be a hero and shovel it out. If there's an emergency, the fire department shouldn't have to play "find the hydrant" under a four-foot drift.
- Check on the neighbors. Especially the elderly ones. A quick text or a knock on the door to make sure their heat is still running goes a long way.
- Monitor your pipes. If you have a sink on an exterior wall, open the cabinet doors to let the room heat reach the pipes. Let the faucet drip just a tiny bit. It’s cheaper than a burst pipe.
Wisconsin winters are a test of endurance, and today is definitely one of the harder chapters. Stay warm, stay off the roads if you can, and keep an eye on those furnace vents. The worst of the wind should die down by late Monday, but the "deep freeze" is going to be our reality for a while.