Snow Plowing Update: February 5, 2026

Bottom Line

Tonight's snow - possibly mixed with freezing rain at times - could make for a slippery Friday morning commute. Streets Division plows will be out all night in response to the storm. Be prepared for slow & slick conditions.

What's the weather doing?

Forecasts right now show snow beginning around midnight.

A short burst of freezing rain mixed with the snow is expected during the overnight hours. Other forecasts show the freezing rain and snow mix arriving closer to the start of the Friday morning commute. 

New snow accumulation is expected to be minor by the time the storm tapers off late Friday morning.  Overall, this storm may produce around an inch of snow at most and it will most likely leave us with closer to a half an inch. 

What's the Streets Division doing in response tonight?

Streets Division plows will be on the salt routes through the night. As a reminder the salt routes are the roughly 800 miles of traffic lanes that make up the main thoroughfares of Madison.

Crews will be applying salt and plowing the snow as needed. 

Plows will be circling through their routes all through the night and in through the morning rush hour.

What to expect on the roads

Be ready for slow and slippery travels overnight tonight and for your Friday morning commute.

 Plan on needing extra travel time to get to your destination safely and on time.

While this winter event should not produce very much snow, especially for us here in Wisconsin, snow mixed with freezing rain always has the potential to be disruptive. So make good choices. Stay alert. Be cautious. Be patient.

Don't follow each other too closely. Anticipate your stops and turns so you do not slide. All roadway and pathway users should be prepared to encounter slippery conditions and plan accordingly. 

Monitoring conditions

Streets Division staff will be monitoring the roads and the weather. Operations will adjust as conditions require.