Sunday, April 19, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
Sunday, March 15, 2026
City of Racine declares snow emergency from Sunday to Tuesday
Milana Doné
RACINE — The city's Commissioner of Public Works has declared a snow emergency effective from 3 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
According to a City of Racine news release, the declaration is meant to aid the snow removal operations.
No parking will be permitted on either side of the city's arterial or collector streets. Alternate side parking will be in effect from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. per city ordinance.
Parking restrictions will allow crews to remove as much snow as possible from city streets, the release said. Vehicles parked in violation of these restrictions will be ticketed and subject to towing.
An outline of the Snow Emergency Parking Restrictions and list of affected streets can be found at https://cityofracinewi.gov/publicworks/snowemergency/.
According to meteorologist Benjamin Sheppard at the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan station, some of the predictions regarding the incoming snow storm have shifted from yesterday.
The system is still expected to begin with rain and could bring a wintry mix as it transitions to accumulating snowfall. However, it will take longer to reach the Racine and Kenosha areas than originally predicted.
A wintry mix and rain will reach southeast Wisconsin by Sunday morning. Some thunder and hail are possible Sunday morning as well.
Coming from central Wisconsin, the snow front will reach Racine and Kenosha areas between 7 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday.
Snow will begin accumulating then and keep falling into Monday morning. Lighter accumulations will occur Monday afternoon.
Most of the snow accumulation will happen six to 12 hours after the snow starts, Sheppard said.
Because it will take longer than originally predicted for the snow front to reach southeast Wisconsin, total accumulations for Racine and Kenosha are down from prior estimates. They are now 3-6 inches.
By midday Sunday, Racine and Kenosha could see wind gusts of up to 35 mph. Sunday night gusts may reach upwards of 45 mph.
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Racine residents express frustration to alders about snow removal efforts
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — Following nearly a foot snowfall last weekend in Racine, some residents say they feel the city did not act fast enough to plow residential roads.
Alice Erven, who lives on Chatham Street, said at Tuesday's Common Council meeting that snow removal occurred after the wet snow "had frozen into ice boulders at the apron of everyone's driveways and (was) turning streets to ice."
"While I appreciate the hard-working snowplow drivers for their tireless work during a holiday weekend, I have no patience for the departmental leadership's handling of what did and did not count as a priority," Erven said.
Karen Briwicic said she and her neighbors were left "stranded" on their street from the snowfall and that she called her alder, Grace Allen, for assistance.
"I literally never have, in all my years, had to call my alderman, and thankfully, Grace came through and actually assisted us," Briwicic said. "I want you all to think of the citizens. We don't all live on main streets; the majority of residents of this city live on a side street. So how are we all going to come together and make sure that we can have these streets plowed in a proper manner?"
Alder Henry Perez said he received several calls and texts from constituents about snow removal and the issue "created some difficult situations for our constituents," but "as a member of the Public Works Committee for the last 10 years, I assure you that this comes up almost every year."
"We reexamine the plan, we look at it again, we have advice. We changed and tweaked some things — but it's really difficult to handle a one-foot snowfall," he said. "Were there shortcomings? Absolutely … some people were hurt, but overall, people were thankful. The calls I got were all thanking me for having Public Works do such a good job as they did."
Perez added that Racine Public Works employees covered more than 300 miles in plowing within 48 hours.
Alder Nathan Pabon concurred that while Public Works employees' work "wasn't perfect … they were out there doing their job, working hard."
"When the time does come to reevaluate and discuss this, I hope that constituents and alders alike will show up to those meetings and express their concerns and work really collaboratively to put a better plan in place for that," he said.
Amended 2026 meeting dates
Also on Tuesday, the Common Council voted to approve its 2026 meeting dates, along with an amendment from Pabon to add Jan. 6 and July 7 to the schedule to make up for reduced meetings during election months.
"This proposed calendar takes into account that this coming year is a very heavy election year, and I understand the lighter schedule in those months, but I think because we are having a lighter schedule in February, April, August and November, that it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we are going through our legislative duty as thoroughly as possible," Pabon said.
With Pabon's amendments, the council will meet on the following dates: Jan. 6, Jan. 20, Feb. 3, March 3, March 17, April 20, April 21, May 5, May 19, June 6, June 20, July 7, July 21, Aug. 5, Sept. 8, Sept. 22, Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.
The council also approved requests that the Public Works and Services Committee, Finance and Personnel Committee, and Public Safety and Licensing Committee maintain their current meeting dates and times for 2026.
Public Works and Services meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays the week prior to the scheduled Common Council meeting; Finance and Personnel meets at 5:30 p.m. Mondays the week prior to the scheduled Common Council meeting; and Public Safety and Licensing meets at 5 p.m. Wednesdays the week prior to the scheduled Common Council meeting.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a memorandum of understanding with the Mount Pleasant Police Department for the Racine Police Department's use of MPPD's shooting range at a cost of $12,000 annually from the RPD budget.
• Authorized a contract with Wil-Surge Electric and Code Red Security for a one-year contract, each with four additional one-year extensions, for surveillance camera and access point contracting services, with the 2025 cost of $50,000 and the 2026 cost of $380,000.
• Disallowed a claim for an unspecified amount from Jerry Price and Danielle Thomas for damages to their property on Fairview Terrace allegedly arising from a tree falling on their property in July. The tree did not belong to the city, nor was it the city's responsibility to maintain the tree.
• Approved the 2026-27 election officials.
• Granted permission to the city to award two contracts for ash tree removal, with one to Acer Tree Service and Landscape for $91,961 and one to Stefka Tree & Landscape for $22,115. The awards will be funded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Inflation Reduction Act Urban Forestry grant.
• Authorized the public health department to continue the agreement with the Wisconsin Humane Society for stray and impound animal shelter services for $216,039.
• Authorized the public health department to enter into an agreement and accept funding of $198,314 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for the Disease Intervention Specialist Supplemental Agreement to be used to support syphilis case management within Racine County. This will increase one current, part-time position to a full-time position.
• Authorized the public health department to enter into a new agreement and accept recurring funding of $51,317 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for the Women's Health Block Grant-General and to establish and hire a part-time nurse practitioner position, partially funded through this grant.
• Authorized the public health department to enter into a new agreement and accept recurring funding of $64,753 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for the Women's Health Block Grant — City-Based Clinics and to partially fund the part-time nurse practitioner position that correlates with the above agenda item.
• Authorized the public health department to enter into a new agreement and accept recurring funding of $7,888 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for the Women's Health Block Grant — chlamydia outreach.
• Approved the 2026 storm emergency sewer repairs fixed prices.
• Approved the 2026 sanitary emergency sewer repairs fixed prices.
• Approved a change order to a contract for concrete reconstruction with LaLonde Contractors, reducing the contract amount by $4,242 for a total contract amount of $1,252,341.
• Authorized final payment for concrete reconstruction by LaLonde Contractors for $1,252,341.
• Authorized the city engineer to sign the renewal with Precise Underground Marketing Corporation to provide underground facility locating services for the city-owned fiber optics and electrical systems from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2026. The estimated annual cost for these services is $100,000.
• Approved an easement request from WE Energies for Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave.
• Approved an amendment to city parking regulations to add the following: No Parking Any Time: Glen Street, east end cul-de-sac from curb return to curb return.
• Approved a change order to a contract for City Hall elevator upgrades with Express Elevator, increasing the contract amount by $46,742 for a total contract amount of $361,742.
• Authorized final payment for City Hall elevator upgrades to Express Elevator of $361,742.
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Up to 10 inches of snow possible for Racine, Kenosha counties Saturday
Holly Gilvary
RACINE COUNTY — Racine and Kenosha counties should prepare for a snowy weekend as the biggest snowstorm since 2023 rolls into southern Wisconsin.
Six to 10 inches of snowfall are possible in Racine County and 5-9 inches are estimated in Kenosha County, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning goes into effect for southeast Wisconsin starting 3 a.m. Saturday morning until 6 a.m. Sunday.
Snow emergencies declared
In Kenosha County, the City of Kenosha and the villages of Pleasant Prairie and Somers have issued snow emergencies.
Kenosha's snow emergency starts at noon Saturday and ends at 7 a.m. on Monday; Pleasant Prairie's will last from midnight Saturday to noon Sunday; and Somers' will be in effect from noon Saturday through noon Sunday.
In Kenosha, parking on all city streets will be prohibited, allowing public works crews more space to plow the streets during and after the snowstorm; however, the city will allow overnight parking in designated Downtown and Uptown city parking lots to ease the burden of finding parking during snow emergencies.
Residents should observe posted snow route regulations.
During declared snow emergencies, city residents may park on front lawns. It is illegal to blow, plow or shovel snow into city streets.
In Pleasant Prairie, no parking is allowed on village streets during the declared snow emergency. All snow emergency parking restrictions will be enforced throughout this time period.
For more information about Pleasant Prairie's Snow and Ice Removal Plan, visit https://www.pleasantprairiewi.gov/cms/one.aspx?pageId=10822557.
In Somers, parking is prohibited on roadways during a snow emergency to allow for crews to clean up the roads. Residents are reminded to park their vehicles accordingly.
Kenosha County Highway crews readied equipment on Friday.
"We are prepared; we're ready," said county Highway Director Greg Boldt. "As we monitor the forecast, crews will be deployed as needed to begin snow removal operations."
In Racine County, Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant have declared snow emergencies.
Sturtevant's snow emergency will last from 6 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday. All vehicles must be off village streets during the snow emergency to ensure safe and efficient plowing.
Mount Pleasant is under a snow emergency from midnight Saturday until noon Sunday. Parking restrictions will be in effect during that time.
During the snow emergency, parking is only allowed on village streets where alternate-side parking regulations are in effect year-round.
Mount Pleasant residents must also clear snow from the sidewalks along their properties by 10 a.m. of each day during a snow storm.
In an email Friday morning, Racine Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Alicia Mitchell said if the Racine Department of Public Works declares a snow emergency, parking restrictions will be enforced and citations and towing are applicable. Updates will be shared on the city's Facebook page, she said.
When will the snow start?
Snowflakes will likely start to fly at 3 a.m. in Racine and Kenosha when the winter storm warning takes effect, and snowfall will increase after daybreak, according to NWS Meteorologist Kevin Wagner. More accumulation is expected later Saturday morning and into the afternoon.
"The heaviest, highest snowfall rates definitely look to be late Saturday morning into the afternoon, early evening hours," he said.
Snowfall totaling less than half an inch may still occur on Sunday after the winter storm warning expires.
Communities immediately along the lakefront may receive a wetter snow with lower snow amounts, as Lake Michigan's temperatures are still fairly warm in the 40s, Wagner said. Areas farther inland, such as Burlington and Twin Lakes, may see higher amounts of snowfall.
Travelers heading home after the Thanksgiving holiday should pay attention to the forecast and may even need to alter plans Saturday to avoid dangerous road conditions, Wagner said.
"It's going to be a lot of snow on the roads and it's going to be maybe a little bit challenging (for snowplows) to keep up in keeping them clear, because (the snow is) just going to continue," he said.
While the snowfall will slow Sunday evening, temperatures are expected to drop.
Racine and Kenosha counties will both see low temperatures in the single digits Sunday night, and high temperatures Monday in the low 20s. Winds are not expected to be strong, but could bring sub-zero-temperature wind chills, according to Wagner.
Kenosha County tree lighting rescheduled
Kenosha County also has postponed its planned outdoor holiday tree lighting ceremony in Petrifying Springs Park in Somers. Originally scheduled Saturday afternoon, it has been moved to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
John Sloca of the Kenosha News contributed to this story.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Winter parking rules begin Dec. 1 in Racine: What drivers should know
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — The city's annual winter parking rules take effect Dec. 1 and will run through April 1, except for Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
The city will enforce alternate-side overnight parking from 2-6 a.m. Drivers must park on the even-numbered side of the street on even-numbered calendar days, and on the odd-numbered side of the street on odd-numbered calendar days.
Violations may result in a citation.
When a snow emergency is declared, no parking is permitted on arterial or collector streets for the duration of the emergency. Vehicles parked on these roads will be towed.
On local streets, alternate-side parking (based on the next day's date) begins when the emergency is declared and continues until the following morning at 6 a.m.
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Mount Pleasant declares snow emergency
Holly Gilvary
MOUNT PLEASANT — The Village of Mount Pleasant has declared a snow emergency from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday.
Parking restrictions are in effect during the snow emergency, the village said.
If a road is signed as alternate street parking, the alternate street parking rules apply during the emergency. If a road is not signed as alternate parking, vehicles should not be parked on the street or in a cul-de-sac.
Vehicles parked in violation may be ticketed and are subject to towing, according to the village.
Residents must also clear sidewalks by 10 a.m. of each day during a snow storm, per village ordinance. The village said in a release that residents should not move snow or ice into public streets, sidewalks or alleys when clearing private driveways or walkways.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
City of Racine declares snow emergency
RACINE — The City of Racine has declared a snow emergency beginning at noon Wednesday and ending at noon Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service, Racine County residents can expect 5-9 inches of snow near Lake Michigan between Wednesday and Thursday.
Racine Department of Public Works crews on Tuesday began applying brine to roadways, which forms a thin protective layer on pavement, preventing ice from bonding and making plowing more efficient, according to the city.
The city said DPW will deploy snow plows immediately once snowfall begins.
Plows will start with arterial roads and then move onto neighborhood streets, city-owned facilities and parking lots, and public sidewalks.
Since a snow emergency has been declared, parking is prohibited on arterial and collector streets. Vehicles parked on these roads during the snow emergency may be towed, according to the city.
Residents can assist snow removal efforts by following the city's alternate-side winter parking ordinance, in effect from Dec. 1 to April 1. The city said the Racine Police Department will actively enforce winter parking regulations, with increased attention during snow events.
DPW staff may be reassigned from garbage collection to snow removal efforts, the city said. Residents should still place bins at the curb by 7 a.m. on their scheduled collection day but be aware that pick up may be delayed.
Additionally, the city is asking residents to clear sidewalks within 24 hours of the snowfall stopping.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Snowstorms lead to 200+ hours of OT for Racine DPW, 'taxing' employees
RACINE, Wis. - After 18 inches of snow fell in Racine Monday and Tuesday, there was plenty of work left to do on Wednesday, Feb. 17 to get it all cleaned up. However, there weren't many places to go with it.
FOX6's cameras captured lake effect snow covering cars and leaving cul-de-sacs with mountains of snow. We caught up with DPW crews on their first break in 48 hours, with more work to do.
"18 inches is a lot on top of, what? Two feet was probably on the ground," said Nick Riegelman.
Riegelman is the kind of friend we all wish we had this time of year -- one with a snowblower and a pickup truck, on hand to help a friend clear snow. This, with DPW crews working around the clock to clear residential streets.
"It’s taxing to the employees," said DPW Commissioner John Rooney. "We have some employees that never miss a call, and show up and do this hard work every time the phone rings. They are approaching 200 hours of overtime and we are a month and a half into the fiscal year."
Read more: https://www.fox6now.com/news/snowstorms-lead-to-200-hours-of-ot-for-racine-dpw-taxing-employees
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