UPDATE: First winter storm slams Hudson; schools closed Monday

• Slippery streets

Travel was treacherous in the city of Hudson on Sunday, including on Second Street/State Hwy. 35. This scene is from shortly after noon, looking north.

Talk about it

Hudson Schools will be closed on Monday, Dec. 10, because of Sunday's storm that dropped more than a foot of snow on the Hudson area.

School Age Care and all after school events are canceled also canceled for Monday.

The first winter storm of the season was a doozy, making travel hazardous.

Plows were busy throughout Sunday but had trouble keeping roads cleared of the wet snow that fell.

Law enforcement officers and tow trucks responded to dozens of calls from motorists who slid off the road or collided with another vehicle.

The wet snow-packed city streets were extremely slippery, resulting in motorists having a hard time stopping for stop signs – and getting started again.

A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect. The Weather Service says blizzard conditions are expected late Sunday night and early Monday as northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph begin to blow and the temperature drops into the single digits.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is advising people to stay off the highways in northwestern Wisconsin.

Snow emergency

A snow emergency is in effect in the city of Hudson. No parking is allowed on any city street until the street is plowed from curb to curb.

Vehicles must be moved to an off-street parking area.

Residents who don’t have a place off the street to park their vehicle may apply for an exemption from the ordinance.

They must reapply for the exemption each year. The Public Works Director Tom Zeuli says he has received only a handful of applications so far this year.

In a phone call early Sunday evening, Zeuli said the full city crew would begin clearing the streets at 2 a.m. Monday.

He said four plow drivers started at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and concentrated on keeping the main routes open.

“It just kept coming,” Zeuli said of the snow, so the crew was unable to plow many neighborhood streets.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, a crew of five drivers relieved the ones that started at 6:30 a.m. All of the drivers were to report back to work at 2 a.m. Monday.

Tree fire

At 5:11 p.m. Sunday, the Hudson Fire Department was dispatched to 1603 Aldrich Ave. in response to a report of a pine tree on fire.

A dispatcher with the St. Croix County Emergency Communications Center said the fire was thought to have been started by a power line that came in contact with the tree. Heavy snow possibly weighed down a limb, bring it in contact with the power line.

The fire department also responded to a report of a car in the ditch along I-94 at milepost 5 at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. It would unable to find a vehicle in the ditch, however.