MILWAUKEE — There's no new snow, but Wednesday's storm is still making it difficult for people getting to work.
"It's a lot of work,"said Devin Cook of Milwaukee. "It's packed down by now. Yesterday might have been fluffier, but I wasn't able to get out here."
Cook spent about an hour digging out and clearing off his car. Despite the temperature in the low teens, he was running hot.
"Breaking a sweat," Cook said. "Not too tired but, yeah, breaking a sweat."
Cook's hard work paid off. He was able to get out of his spot with little problem. However, it might be a different story when he returns from work Thursday night. Getting a parking spot could be troublesome.
The streets are good for the most part. Main streets such as Oakland Avenue were smooth sailing, but just a block away on Cramer Street the pavement couldn't be seen in some parts. It made it even more difficult to get out of plowed-in parking spots. The same can be said for the sidewalks. While most are shoveled well, some aren't salted well or at all.
"Usually I walk on Oakland from my apartment to UWM," said Yaoe Wang, a UWM student. "The road around UWM now is OK. (This sidewalk) is the worst one. Probably this one."
The Wisconsin DNR says you don't need a lot of salt to melt the ice on your sidewalk. A 12-ounce cup of salt is enough to cover 60 to 70 feet of sidewalk.
"The sun is going to melt it today," said David Meinecke, the general manager with Village ACE Hardware on Prospect. "Once the temperature drops, it's going to be ice."
Meinecke says the last few days have been busy. They sold out of shovels and had to restock their supply of salt. They have more shovels coming in, but he suggests getting out early to tackle the snow.
"It's going to be rocks," Meinecke said. "It's going to be concrete you're digging out of."
Meinecke says normal rock salt will be fine during temperatures as low as 5 degrees. However, temperatures are expected to go even lower this weekend. Meinecke says calcium chloride will be as effective as salt in temperatures down to minus-50 degrees.
