MADISON, Wis. -- Hundreds of stranded motorists spent the night on Interstate 39-90 in Rock and Dane counties sleeping or trying to keep warm.

READ: Traffic Moving On I-90 After Overnight Backup | SLIDESHOW: See Images Of I-90 Backup | VIDEO: Watch Early-Morning Report (5:30 A.M.) | VIDEO: Watch Early-Morning Report (5 A.M.) | VIDEO: Watch The Report | TALKBACK: Tell Your Story | VIDEO: Watch The Report

The Wisconsin State Patrol said that stranded drivers should stay with their vehicle. Drivers in the gridlock who were low on fuel were being told to turn their vehicles off until they need heat again, WISC-TV reported.

One man who called WISC-TV from his vehicle said he has been stuck in traffic on Interstate 90 north of the Highway 51 exit since 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and hadn't moved for more than seven hours.

A Rockford, Ill., TV reporter Evrod Cassimy said that he was on his way to work and was among at least 800 vehicles that got stuck on Interstate 39-90 Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

For Cassimy, frustration gave way to panic when he began to wonder if anyone was coming to help. Cassimy said that he called 911 three times and started his car in intervals to conserve gas and keep warm. He had his lunch in the back seat, but it was a frozen dinner.

Finally, about 11 hours later, Cassimy said that he was able to inch along on the interstate and made it to work about midnight.

Peter Freeman said that he left his business in Janesville early Wednesday afternoon, headed for home in Stoughton, about 25 miles away. Freeman said that traffic ground to a halt on the interstate. He sat in his minivan for hours, listening to the radio and watching a movie on his DVD player.

People in the car in front of him gave him a sandwich and soda.

As hours passed, Freeman said that he started to grow frustrated at the lack of official information and help. He said that responders on snowmobiles came by asking whether he was OK but said they didn't know what was going on or offer him food or blankets.

Finally, traffic started moving at about 11 p.m. To add to the misery, Freeman's minivan got stuck on an exit ramp near his home. He finally got home at about 1 a.m., he said.

Stranded Motorists Make It To Area Hotels

Authorities said that accommodations for motorists have been set up at Anchor Inn and County Inn & Suites off the Highway 59 exit.

Jessica Melby, was almost home as she traveled from Virginia to Onalaska, near La Crosse. She said that she almost made the trip without any major problems until she hit I-90.

The highway was at a complete standstill, leaving many drivers wondering what happens next, WISC-TV reported.

"We were all stopped," she said. "No one could get through. There was really no way. The drifting snow is really what started scaring a lot of us because once people started to move so many hours later, we were worried about the accidents that would happen right in front of us."

Melby and several others were able to get off the highway and get some food and rest at the Anchor Inn, a riverside bar in Newville.

Ironically, Wednesday's storm kept the bar closed but the owners came in to assist others in need, such as Joe Huml. He was driving from his home in Kankakee, Ill., to Wisconsin Dells when he got stuck. He said that he was happy to be off the road.

"It's great. Relief!" he said. "This is a big sigh of relief, just somewhere warm. Everything out there was a worry. Would we have enough gas? Did we have enough gas? That's the thing."

A.J. Bisek and his friends planned a 45-minute trip from Whitewater to McFarland, which also ended up taking hours, and ultimately ended at the Anchor Inn. He and his friends said that the worst part of being stuck was that they didn't know what was going on.

"We couldn't really see anything at all, no information," Bisek said. "We were going through the radio, trying to find any updates on any channels at all, but nothing really. Making calls, but it's hard to make calls after a while. I think the towers were just busy."