A neighborhood in northern Wisconsin near the Michigan state line has been hit with more than four feet of snow since Monday.
According to the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota, as of 11:30 p.m. Thursday, 50.1 inches of snow had been dumped on Gile, which is part of Montreal, Wisconsin, in Iron County, but has its own ZIP code and post office. It’s about two hours east of Duluth.
First, Gile was hit with the Arctic blast and snowstorm that moved across much of northern Wisconsin Monday. Later, lake effect snow kept piling it on.
Jay Hengtgen, owner of Burgers Bar & Grill, the only restaurant in Gile, told the Journal Sentinel on Friday that his driveway has needed plowing three times a day for the past three days.
“Looking outside right now, the snow on the one side of my building is already covering half of the bottom windows. We’re going up to four feet,” he said. “The initial report was 12 to 18 (inches). Then it went to 18 and 24… Then it turned into lake effect and it never quit.”
Other Wisconsin towns near Gile also have been hit hard. As of Thursday morning, Hurley had 36 inches, Saxon 31.1, Bayfield 19 and Ashland 17. By Friday morning, it finally had stopped snowing.
Hengtgen said despite the weather, business has been great — possibly because Gile residents had been cooped up inside and wanted to get out. The main road through town has remained plowed, but not always the side streets. For a while, only residents who walked or had vehicles with four-wheel drive were able to get out, he said. But for steak night Thursday, the parking lot at the burger place was busy.
“I was amazed… It was nothing but a four-wheel carnival out front. Four-wheel drives, snowmobiles, four by fours,” he said. “It almost looks like the middle of February right now. It’s beautiful. It’s a winter paradise dream. It’s snow bank after snow bank after snow bank.”
Closer to home, in southeast Wisconsin, ski resorts have been making their own snow, taking advantage of the cold temperatures to get an early start to the season.
Southeast Wisconsin residents will have to wait till Saturday night to get any natural accumulation. One to two inches could fall in the Milwaukee area starting Saturday night and continuing into Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Daytime high Saturday will be 29 degrees. Snow could continue until noon Sunday. After that, only flurries are expected.
Next week looks cold with daytime temperatures only in the mid-20s. Overnight lows could get down to 15 Tuesday night.
A bit of a warm-up could come mid- to late next week where temperatures may again get above freezing.