LIVE UPDATES: Winter Storm Makes Its Way to Waukesha County

Thursday updates

8:41 p.m.: Power outages are worsening in Waukesha County. At 8:30 p.m. almost 4,000 customers were coping without power. Most were in Pewaukee (1,312), Waukesha (1,291) and Lisbon (456). But most communities in the county had at least a few people without power.

7:50 p.m.: Almost 2,000 people remain without power in Waukesha County, according to the We Energies outage map. Greatest numbers are in Waukesha (1,091), Lisbon (605), and Sussex (96). 

7:31 p.m.: Muskego Patch editor Denise Konkol reports Lt. Rick Renz of the Muskego Police Department says roads overall are in good condition but people should take caution while driving. There have been a few cars in ditches but no additional accidents.

7:25 p.m.: And now it's wind and cold. The 7 p.m. conditions in Waukesha, according to the National Weather Service, were 30 degree temperatures with 35 mph winds, making the wind chill index 14 degrees. Wind chills are expected to be in the teens on Friday.

7:09 p.m.: Would that we could embed the DOT traffic cameras here. The 7:05 p.m. views of the I-94 camera at U.S. 18 and again west of Brookfield Road are remarkable indications of current conditions. Yuck.

6:51 p.m.: @MKESkywarn tweeted that a trained spotter picked up a 45 mph wind gust in Waukesha. Additional details on outages from We Energies: 1,057 in Waukesha, 991 in Lisbon, 407 in Menomonee Falls, 146 in Lannon, 101 in Sussex. 

6:36 p.m.: @TotalTraffic MKE just tweeted: Accident blocking left lane on US-41 SB at Pilgrim Rd in Menomonee Falls.

6:33 p.m.: Another power outage is listed on the We Energies map as affecting 1,138 customers in Waukesha. The start time was listed as 6:22 p.m. The Sussex outage remains on the map.

6 p.m.: The We Energies outage map shows a power outage in the village of Sussex, centered around Good Hope Road near Lannon, with 1,641 customers affected. The alert was posted at 5:15 p.m. and the outage remains under investigation.

4:42 p.m.: Today's TMJ4 is reporting that AirTran and Southwest say they have canceled all flights leaving Milwaukee today. Check your flight here.

4:37 p.m: Our media partners at FOX6 News have just updated the list of closings and there are several places that are closed tonight due to the weather. So far, there are no Friday school closings on the list.

4:31 p.m.: Muskego Police Capt. Craig Moser says the city's roads are OK, but slippery and are likely to get worse soon with a drop in temperatures. There was one minor accident at Moorland and Janesville roads that was weather related, but no other problems. Motorists are advised to keep plenty of distance between their vehicle and the one in front of them.

4:18 p.m.: The Waukesha Public Library is closing at 5 p.m. because of inclement weather conditions, according to the Waukesha Reads Facebook page.

4:12 p.m.: What's happening in the Milwaukee area so far is nothing compared to what folks in Dane, Dodge and Jefferson counties have experienced today. Here are the latest snow totals for those areas from the National Weather Services: Middleton, 18.5 inches; Verona, 16 inches; Beaver Dam, 14.5 inches; and Lake Mills, 11.8.

3:50 p.m.: Waukesha’s snowstorm is “a lot less than we anticipated,” said Waukesha Public Works Director Fred Abadi.

“Everything is under control,” Abadi said. “They are out, they are salting, but there isn’t much to plow right now.”

The city has nearly three dozen trucks on the roads and they’re ready to start plowing if the snow sticks to Waukesha. After tonight’s possible plowing is concluded, the plow drivers will go home for a few hours, get up early and do another pass to ensure the streets are ready for morning commutes.

“We should be in pretty good shape,” said Abadi.

3:35 p.m.: The University of Wisconsin-Waukesha has canceled all evening activities tonight as well as evening final exams because of the poor weather. Activities will be cancelled at 5:30 p.m. after late afternoon exams are concluded. The final exams scheduled for tonight will be made up on Friday.

2:40 p.m.: Once the snow hits, Menomonee Falls will have drivers clearing the roadways on roughly 30 routes, covering the 200 square miles of village roadways.

2:37 p.m.: When and if Muskego gets snow (no flakes here yet), there are 20 pieces of equipment at the ready, and 2,000 tons of salts in the sheds. Crews were out earlier today doing so pre-salting and salt spraying to anticipate the dip in temperatures.

2:25 p.m.: The City of Brookfield Highway Department is now involved in a full salting and plowing operation now with snow sticking on city roadways. Two dozen trucks will be on the roads this afternoon and through this evening keeping the streets clear of snow as the city expects anywhere from 3 to 6 inches.

1:45 p.m.: The state Department of Transportation has just issued an advisory urging motorists to cancel or delay travel plans today and Friday because of anticipated treacherous road conditions that "could have life-threatening impacts."

Not only is a winter storm that expected to make conditions hazardous, but the high volume of holiday traffic also could create numerous problems on state roads, the DOT says.

In the Milwaukee area, the current rain will begin to freeze and change to snow this afternoon, which will create very hazardous driving conditions during the afternoon rush hour, according to the DOT.

1 p.m.: CBS 58 just Tweeted that had this been all snow in Milwaukee, the forecast would have been for 18 to 24 inches.

11:20 a.m. Though many Waukesha County schools are closed, many communities are getting rain and not snow at the moment, according to the FOX 6 radar.

Users on the Brookfield Patch Facebook page report that baking is big on the agenda for this "snow day." One person said she "played out in the pouring rain with (my kids) for a bit."

8:12 a.m.: Thin traffic and the predominance of rain in Milwaukee County has made the morning commute uneventful. Patch will resume more regular updates closer to 3 p.m. as snow blankets more of the area and wind increases.

7:28 a.m.: Traffic cameras from the DOT along I-94 in Waukesha County are showing very light traffic at this point in the commute. Could be all those school closures that are keeping some parents home.

7:24 a.m.: About 60 customers without power near Sunset Drive and Highway 59 in Waukesha. We Energies reports the outage is under investigation.

6:48 a.m.: We Energies reports spotty power outages in the area, but no significant ones in Patch communities.

6:44 a.m.: If you have a reason to fly out of Mitchell International Airport today, departure times for most flights are not impacted so far. But keep up with the airport's online listing of departures, and of course check with your airline on specific flights.

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6:31 a.m.: Muskego Schools are not closed today, just about the only public district in Waukesha County that is not closed. The curse of being further south.

5:58 a.m.: From Twitter @triveraguy, in Waukesha County: "This wasn't supposed to get heavy till later. Looks like 6 inches already overnight. Could be an interesting day."

5:48 a.m.: Waukesha Catholic Memorial High School is closed today, along with a long list of other parochial schools. FOX 6 has a long list of closures.

5:40 a.m: From Twitter @rayloraylo: "Big flash and booming thundersnow in Oregon, WI!"

5:33 a.m.: A FOX 6 reporter just said on the air that Pewaukee Schools are closed. Angelica Durica said there are 3-4 inches on the ground in Pewaukee and precipitation had briefly stopped.

5:28 a.m.: Waukesha School District and Elmbrook School District are closed. FOX 6 closings.

5:19 a.m: Hamilton School District is closed, according to Today's TMJ 4.

5:05 a.m.: Menomonee Falls and Arrowhead schools are closed, according to Today's TMJ 4.

5 a.m.: All public schools are open Thursday in Waukesha County, according to FOX 6. A look at the Wisconsin DOT traffic cameras shows more snow on I-94 at the intersections with Highway 67 and 83 than at the intersection with Highway 18. Further west and north, snow has fallen steadily and a television station in Madison tweeted it had measured 7 inches of snow at 4:30 a.m.

Wednesday updates

10:15 p.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 2 p.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday for Waukesha County.

The service says while there will be a light snow overnight and early Thursday, the the significant snow is expected to start Thursday afternoon and diminish later on Thursday.

The service is warning that travel may become difficult during the evening commute Thursday as rain turns into heavy snow. Some power failures also are possible due to heavy, wet snow collecting on trees and power lines.

9:25 p.m.: Radar shows snow falling in Waukesha County and also central Milwaukee County. WTMJ-TV reports that one Waukesha County Highway Department truck is experimenting with spraying salt water, rather than pure salt, on the roads.

5:40 p.m.: FOX 6's mid-afternoon forecast predicts 10.2 inches of snow in Waukesha County on Thursday.

5:30 p.m.: According to the FOX 6 closings page, the only Waukesha County school to close for Thursday is St. Jerome in Oconomowoc.

Original article: The first winter storm of the season is expected to arrive in southeastern Wisconsin about 9 p.m. Wednesday night, according to a FOX 6 forecast Tuesday, but the exact impact on Waukesha County is unclear.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning beginning at midnight Wednesday for Waukesha County and areas north and west. However, it also says southeast Wisconsin will see more warm air that could produce more rain/snow mix and hence less accumulation.