Madison is expected to receive five to nine inches of snow between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, according to a winter storm watch issued Monday by the National Weather Service.
With another winter storm looming, many Madison officials are concerned about the city's salt supply.
According to George Dreckmann, spokesperson for the Madison Streets Division, Madison is not experiencing a salt shortage because the city was able to secure additional tons of salt at a higher price than usual. The original price of salt this winter was $41.30 per ton, but the city paid $58.30 per ton for the extra 5,000 tons of salt it acquired this season.
We were fortunate enough that we were able to get it,"" Dreckmann said.
Since the salt is shipped to Wisconsin by boat or barge through the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River, which is currently frozen, it is very difficult to get additional supplies during winter months, according to Dreckmann.
The city may eventually have to reduce the amount of salt used on roads to prevent a shortage later, Dreckmann said. However, Dreckmann added that there are no plans to cut back salt distribution.
The city is not likely to have to pay for storage of excess salt this year - something that has not happened in years.
""We couldn't use [all of the salt in years past], and our salt storage barns were full,"" Dreckmann said. ""This is obviously the other extreme, where we've had to get additional material.""
According to Sarah Klavas, the director of marketing and communications for the State Department of Tourism, this winter's exceptional snowfall led to a productive tourism season for the state.
""Winter makes up a very large portion of visitor spending in the state,"" Klavas said, noting the recent successes of local cross-country ski and snowboarding trails and Madison Winter Festival Feb. 2 and 3.
Wisconsin is 16 inches shy of the record-breaking 76.1 inches of snow that fell in the winter of 1978-79.
