APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The Outagamie County Highway Department, like many officials in northeast Wisconsin, has a busy week ahead of them, and it’s only just beginning after a historic blizzard blitzed the area over the weekend into Monday.
Blizzard of 2026 ranks as second-biggest snowstorm in Green Bay history
Outagamie County crews have been working around the clock to clear local and county roads since Saturday night, with people working 17-hour shifts from 2/3 a.m. until 7/8 p.m.
“They go home, get a little rest for 5-6 hours and then we’re back at it again,” Duchow said. “We’re all worn out, but we’re back at it today until about 7 tonight and back out early again tomorrow.”
Duchow added that while many roads have been brutal, the interstate held up pretty well with consistent service, but heavy winds significantly hindered visibility by creating whiteout conditions.
“Our interstates held up pretty well; we always had service on them,” Patrol Superintendent Adam Duchow said. “They were decent winter driving conditions throughout the storm, but when we ran into the wind and blowing snow, visibility was terrible for some time.”
The Outagamie County Highway Department added that it hopes to have roads at least widened, if not cleared by the end of the night, but urged patience with cleanup efforts.
Sights and sounds of historic Wisconsin snowstorm
“Be patient with us, we’re doing the best we can,” Duchow said. “We’re pretty happy with how things went. Considering the amount of snow we got, we’ve had minimal equipment breakdowns and all of our people were ready to work.”
Click here for the latest road conditions, which are updated automatically by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
