The National Weather Service predicted a three to five inch snowfall to blanket the Madison area Tuesday, enough to make this winter a historic one by setting the record for measurable snowfall.
According to WISC-TV Channel 3 Chief Meteorologist Gary Cannalte, the snow is expected to begin late Monday night and last until about noon Tuesday.
The biggest question is whether or not it will go down in the books as being broken [Monday night] or [Tuesday],"" Cannalte said, noting that the record will be broken with the next snowfall.
Prior to the latest snowfall, Madison's recorded snowfall this winter was 75.5 inches, less than one inch shy of breaking the record.
The previous record was set in the winter of 1978-79, when 76.1 inches of snow fell throughout the season.
Based on weather trends, Cannalte estimated that another 15 inches of snow could fall before spring officially starts on March 20, making the seasonal total around 90 inches.
""The way this winter has gone, you get one or two big snows and that could be thrown off as well,"" Cannalte said.
The last winter storm on Feb. 6 dumped nearly 13 inches of snow on Madison, prompting the city to declare a snow emergency and enforce winter parking regulations downtown.
City Council President Mike Verveer said increased resident compliance and fewer parking citations helped make the most recent snow emergency one of the most successful of the season.
Verveer said he favors more public education of winter parking rules over the increase in fines Mayor Dave Cieslewicz proposed at a recent city council meeting in order to boost compliance.
The current fine for improper parking during a snow emergency is $30, which would be doubled to $60 under Cieslewicz's proposed ordinance change, according to Verveer.
""We need to do a better job getting the word out at the beginning of the winter season to notify downtown residents when a snow emergency is declared and what that means to them,"" Verveer said.
