Afternoon whiteout hits area 
10:39 PM 2/11/03 
Beth Williams Wisconsin State Journal 

A snow squall whited out area roads Tuesday afternoon, making driving 
nightmarish in much of southern Wisconsin. 

Area sheriff's departments reported few injuries but numerous wrecks 
during the evening commute. 

One consolation for white-knuckled drivers trying to make their way 
home Tuesday evening might have been the thought that at least now 
there could be snowmobiling. 

"I believe it's going to be under what we need," said Paul Statz, 
president of the Dane County Council of Snowmobile Clubs. 

The clubs and county have agreed not to open county snowmobile 
trails until there's at least 6 inches of snow. Madison received 
5 inches of snow Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service 
in Sullivan. 

Dane County cross country skiing trails are open, said Ken LePine, 
county parks director. 

"Our first effort is going to be plowing the parking lots to the ski
trail areas and then we may try to get out and do some grooming after
that," he said. 

For the latest information on ski and snowmobile trail status, call
242-4576. 

The short-lived but ferocious winter storm was fueled by an unstable
atmosphere, said J.J. Wood, National Weather Service meteorologist. 

"It's typically what we see in a summer thunderstorm," Wood said.
"We had a few lightning strokes in the southern counties." 

In Dane County, snowfall totals ranged from 3.2 inches in Sun Prairie 
to 5.6 inches in Madison, according to the weather service. 

Madison has declared a snow emergency for the entire city, including 
Downtown. This means residents must follow alternate side parking rules. 
Vehicles parked tonight should be on the odd side of the street. For 
more parking information, call 261-9111 or see
                  www.ci.madison.wi.us/streets/Winterparking.html. 

There's no snow or lightning in today's forecast, according to 
AccuWeather, which predicts clouds and sunshine for Madison with a 
high of 16.