RACINE — The impact of Saturday's snowstorm continued to affect Racine neighborhoods on Monday as residents dealt with large snow totals and freezing temperatures.
"Yeah, I got a little plowed in," said Noah Hanson, who lives in West Racine, where several streets were covered in snow and ice Monday.
"So, we were all parked in like a foot deep snow," said Tammy Ruggaber, a Racine resident. "Then it turned to ice."
The large amounts of snow made for extra work as residents began their Monday mornings.
"My big thing is just living kind of a blue-collar life, sometimes I gotta get up super early, and when the roads aren't hit for me, that's just a little tough," Hanson said.
In Racine, plows prioritized main roads before making their way to neighborhood streets, which is standard procedure. However, with the extended duration and volume of snowfall, side roads became snow-packed, and some remained that way through Monday.
Watch: Snowpacked roads impact Racine residents following weekend storm
"I'm putting on my brakes, and I'm still sliding backwards just trying to make a simple U-turn," said Hanson, who was trying to move his truck to the other side of his street.
Some residents questioned the city's response to the storm, particularly the decision not to declare a snow emergency.
"Everywhere else around here called the snow emergency, so why didn't Racine?" Ruggaber said.
When contacted for comment, the city said in part, "Our Public Works Department, Police Department, and the Mayor's Office discussed this possibility from all angles before making any decisions."
The city noted that declaring a snow emergency would have prohibited parking on major corridors like Main Street, which could have negatively impacted Small Business Saturday.
"Our weather consultant was forecasting 4–7 inches of total accumulation, and the storm’s intensity over time did not reach the level that normally warrants a snow emergency," said Leslie Flynn, City of Racine communications director.
City crews aim to have all local streets passable within 24 hours of snowfall ending, and that standard was met, according to the city.
"These streets are expected to have some snow and ice cover during winter weather, and motorists should adjust their driving accordingly," Flynn said.
Some residents who park on city streets and drive low-profile vehicles still faced significant challenges navigating the conditions.
"When the snow turns hard like that, it can cause a lot of damage to people's cars," said Ruggaber.
Ruggaber said she is facing several hundred dollars in repair costs after the underside of her car scraped on ice while getting out of her parking spot.
"And I sure don’t blame the plow drivers. They’re doing the best they can," she said.
She believes neighborhood road conditions could have been improved had a snow emergency been declared and cars had been parked accordingly.
Winter parking rules went into effect Monday in the City of Racine, meaning alternate side parking is required every night from 2-6 a.m. until April 1.
On even-numbered dates, residents must park on the even-numbered side of the street, and vice versa. Violations may result in a $30 fine.
According to the city, crews were continuing to salt roads Monday evening as more snow was expected and would continue pushback operations to move snow toward curbs overnight.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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