Wisconsin, which had the only ban on heated sidewalks in the nation, has repealed that ban in the face of the bitter cold, snowy winter this year. Turn up the heat, folks.
After the second snowiest December on record in the state capital — and with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Tuesday — the Legislature abolished a statewide ban on heated sidewalks, stairs, entrances and pedestrian walkways.
The bill, which cleared the state Assembly in October and was approved unanimously Tuesday by the state Senate, overturns a law passed in 1980s in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s. Wisconsin is the only state that had such a prohibition in the books.
Supporters of overturning the ban argue that with better technology, and the prospect of using less salt and saving money on snow removal, the ban had outlived its usefulness.
Just in time. Another clipper system is expected with most of the upper Midwest about to get even colder. The forecast is calling for freezing drizzle all the way down into Alabama.
Freezing drizzle across the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Southeast could create hazardous travel conditions. On Monday, freezing rain coated roadways and other surfaces in Kansas, causing numerous accidents and forcing the closure of several highways.
According to the East Regional News story, the major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor will receive a mix of wet snow and rain this morning and mainly rain later today.
Despite the wintry weather, the East will have near-normal temperatures today. The next shot of arctic cold will make it to the region by Thursday behind a clipper system that today will dive into the northern Plains.
The Midwest Regional News story reports the fast-moving system will bring snow by this afternoon. By Wednesday afternoon, the snow will wind down across South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.An arctic cold front following the clipper today will keep temperatures in the Upper Midwest at or below zero. Another round of lake-effect snow will develop after the arctic front passes the Great Lakes. More snow will fall over the eastern Great Lakes after some places received as much as 3 feet of snow over the past weekend.
My old stomping grounds in Oswego, New York was hit with 34 inches of lake effect snow over the weekend. They must be tunneling by now.
