MONROE - Cold, colder or frigid, some locals fear the worst of the upcoming winter while others stay optimistic that last year's polar vortex was a one-time event.
Josh Lowe, South Wayne, said he expects the winter to be a rough one. Lowe said he harvests corn in South Wayne and the particularly bad winter last year seems to not bode well.
"It will be worse, just worse," Lowe said.
The Farmer's Almanac, which boasts on its website that it has weather predictions pinned down with 80 percent accuracy, expects a glacially cold winter. The Almanac suggests a similar arctic surge of cold air with above-normal snowfall will blow throughout the nation.
The National Weather Service predicted in an Oct. 16 news release that a milder winter will start off in November, December and January when a suspected weak El Nino - a large warm pressure system moving from the Pacific Ocean east meeting La Nina, the cold pressure system over the Atlantic - will keep temperatures up until February. The NWS report shows that in February, March and April, the colder weather will throttle the Great Lakes region in an icy grip, but less-so than last year. Precipitation will be about average in the Great Lakes region this winter with more snow and rain near the Rocky Mountains, according to the report.
Barbara Shemisa, Monroe, said she has seen colder winters than last year but doesn't wage bets on the weather.
"I have no idea what it will be like," Shemisa said.
Herb Demanouski said he has worked all over the state in Beloit, Browntown and Monroe, and he suspects that the frightfully cold weather from last year was anomalous.
"I'll bet it's less than last year," Demanouski said. "It has to be."
For those who work outdoors, hopefully winter won't bring much woe.
"I'll bet there will be a lot of snow but no cold," Mark Sanders, Monroe, said. "I shovel snow part-time, so I hope I'm wrong."
Gov. Scott Walker recently declared the week of Oct. 14 to be Winter Awareness Week in Wisconsin and encourages everyone to have emergency kits in their vehicles. According to a Wisconsin Emergency Management news release, winter storms can be "deceptive killers," as they can indirectly cause vehicle accidents. The release states that over the past five years, Wisconsin has averaged 18,000 vehicle crashes during winter months, and an average of 45 people are killed each year due to accidents on icy or snowy roads. WEM suggests keeping in your vehicle a radio with fresh batteries and an emergency kit, which includes water, food, a manual can opener, flashlights, a sleeping bag, first aid kit, mess kits and a complete change of clothing.
Though the prevailing perception in Monroe seems to be that winter will be milder than last year, all one can do is hope, said Susan Smith of Poplar Grove, Ill.
"Talk to me in April, and I'll let you know how it was," Smith said.
Josh Lowe, South Wayne, said he expects the winter to be a rough one. Lowe said he harvests corn in South Wayne and the particularly bad winter last year seems to not bode well.
"It will be worse, just worse," Lowe said.
The Farmer's Almanac, which boasts on its website that it has weather predictions pinned down with 80 percent accuracy, expects a glacially cold winter. The Almanac suggests a similar arctic surge of cold air with above-normal snowfall will blow throughout the nation.
The National Weather Service predicted in an Oct. 16 news release that a milder winter will start off in November, December and January when a suspected weak El Nino - a large warm pressure system moving from the Pacific Ocean east meeting La Nina, the cold pressure system over the Atlantic - will keep temperatures up until February. The NWS report shows that in February, March and April, the colder weather will throttle the Great Lakes region in an icy grip, but less-so than last year. Precipitation will be about average in the Great Lakes region this winter with more snow and rain near the Rocky Mountains, according to the report.
Barbara Shemisa, Monroe, said she has seen colder winters than last year but doesn't wage bets on the weather.
"I have no idea what it will be like," Shemisa said.
Herb Demanouski said he has worked all over the state in Beloit, Browntown and Monroe, and he suspects that the frightfully cold weather from last year was anomalous.
"I'll bet it's less than last year," Demanouski said. "It has to be."
For those who work outdoors, hopefully winter won't bring much woe.
"I'll bet there will be a lot of snow but no cold," Mark Sanders, Monroe, said. "I shovel snow part-time, so I hope I'm wrong."
Gov. Scott Walker recently declared the week of Oct. 14 to be Winter Awareness Week in Wisconsin and encourages everyone to have emergency kits in their vehicles. According to a Wisconsin Emergency Management news release, winter storms can be "deceptive killers," as they can indirectly cause vehicle accidents. The release states that over the past five years, Wisconsin has averaged 18,000 vehicle crashes during winter months, and an average of 45 people are killed each year due to accidents on icy or snowy roads. WEM suggests keeping in your vehicle a radio with fresh batteries and an emergency kit, which includes water, food, a manual can opener, flashlights, a sleeping bag, first aid kit, mess kits and a complete change of clothing.
Though the prevailing perception in Monroe seems to be that winter will be milder than last year, all one can do is hope, said Susan Smith of Poplar Grove, Ill.
"Talk to me in April, and I'll let you know how it was," Smith said.