As Jack Frost slowly continues to strangle the last breath of autumn, Madison stands prepared to endure the wrath of Jack's relative, Old Man Winter.
Jonathan Martin, associate professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UW-Madison, is predicting a colder than normal January and February.
\We can expect average precipitation this winter, so expect about a foot of snow in both December and January with another eight inches in February,"" he said.
Despite the snow anticipated for the next few months, both UW-Madison and city officials said they feel prepared for winter.
""We're ready for the season,"" said John P. Harrod Jr., director of the UW-Madison Physical Plant, which is responsible for clearing campus sidewalks and streets.
""We've been barricading building entrances to minimize the clearing work,"" he said. ""We use both manual and mechanical labor, but we use machines where we can.""
According to Madison Public Works administrator George Dreckmann, the main priority is that plowing equipment is set to go.
He said preparations taken by the city of Madison streets department have included making sure there is enough salt and sand on hand, mounting spreaders to the backs of dump trucks, calibrating the amount of sand dispensed and matching up dump trucks behind snow plows to provide effective snow removal.
According to Dreckmann, the city of Madison has a salt reduction program to reduce the level of toxins entering local lakes.
""Because of the salt dropped in the winter, there have been rising levels of chlorine in the lakes,"" he said. ""The mixture is dropped only on main streets and straight sand is dropped on side streets.""
Efficient energy maintenance is also a priority this winter, according to Faramarz Vakili, associate director of the UW Physical Plant.
""Transitioning from cooling to heating season requires us to distribute energy conservation procedures that need to be set in place ... in hopes to minimize energy usage,"" he said.
Although both the city and UW-Madison are prepared, no snow is on the horizon for the next 10 days, according to Martin.
""If there is no snow by Friday, this will be the first November in Madison without even a trace,"" he said.
Even with no snow on the ground yet, winter parking rules are already in effect and are still enforced, according to Dreckmann.
""Students need to be careful where they park their cars over winter break because it's a $20 fine in the Downtown Isthmus snow emergency zone,"" he said, referring to the area east of Park Street between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. ""It's also a state law that a car cannot be parked for more than 48 hours in one spot.""
