Winter has returned!
Just days after the Stanley Police Department suspended winter parking restrictions March 4, nature put them back in force, dropping several inches of snow on the Stanley-Boyd area and totaling approximately 9.5 inches by Sunday afternoon, or near one inch of rain in warmer conditions. As for Boyd, a check at the entrance to Lotz Park indicated approximately eight inches of snow Sunday, a snow ridge formed on Murray Street as crews worked to clear village roads.
The weekend snowstorm with 40 mile per hour winds started Saturday night after rumblings earlier in the week, snow dust in midweek followed by inches of warm and wet slush, providing a hard adhesive layer (once it froze) for what was to come. Stores and churches alike closed for the anticipated blizzard,
With preparations made, Winter Storm Iona began to fall Saturday night into Sunday, coating the area in a thick white blanket several inches deep, burying asphalt and grass alike as it tracked northeast across Wisconsin, resulting in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation issuing a “travel not advised” warning on road conditions by midday Sunday. Eau Claire county put a tow ban on all roads in the county as of 7:15 a.m., with vehicle occupants transported from the site until towing could resume in better conditions.
As for Stanley-Boyd, the Stanley Police Department put out a Facebook post reinstating winter parking restrictions, also sharing a reminder on outdoor vents and gas meters.
“Although it will likely be short lived, with the snowfall we are experiencing please check the vents outside your home to make sure they are not blocked,” it said of dryer, furnace, and water heater exhaust. “If you have a neighbor in need, assisting them with this task could potentially save their life as well.” Keeping gas meters free of snow meanwhile should be done with a broom or brush, never by kicking or chipping with a hard object.
As for snowfall comparison, historic snowfalls for Stanley in mid-March meanwhile include 9.5 inches in 1940, with other peaks including five inches for the same time in 1954 and six inches in 1989.
The one day snowfall record for the Chippewa Valley was 22 inches on December 11, 2010, while 2019 saw 116.4 inches cumulative as of December 31.
Just across the county line Thorp saw 21.3 inches on April 17, 2023. Wisconsin’s all-time record snowfall was set at Neillsville on Dec. 27, 1904 with 26 inches, in line with the peak snow months of December, January, and February. Overall snow depth for mid-March in Stanley meanwhile reached 36 inches in 1969, per data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Welcome back to winter!—for a limited time.