MADISON, Wis. -- As a winter storm drops snow, freezing rain and sleet across much of Wisconsin, officials are urging holiday travelers to be careful and take their time driving to their destinations over the next few days.

Travel experts said they want even those who've braved Wisconsin winters for many years to pay close attention to this storm. Meanwhile, scattered power outages are reported throughout the Madison area on Wednesday morning.

Wisconsin State Patrol said that at about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday conditions went from wet to icy, and the vehicle slide-offs began almost immediately.

Meteorologists said that hazardous travel, associated with snow- and ice-covered roads, is expected from later Wednesday afternoon through Friday. A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Friday for southwestern Wisconsin.

"This is one of those storms that people really want to take seriously," said Pam Moen, of AAA Wisconsin. "This weather forecast combined with the number of people out on the roads could be a potentially dangerous situation."

Moen said drivers should take it slow on the roads. She said that, especially with the threat of ice, people should put an emergency kit in their vehicles.

"Most important is the cell phone, so that if you get in trouble you can call for help," Moen said.

Experts said people should also bring along items such as a flashlight, drinking water, flares, jumper cables, a shovel, blankets, warm clothing and appropriate footwear in emergency kits.

Madison Streets Superintendent Al Schumacher said city crews are already working to stay ahead of the storm.

"We are gearing up for the worst and hoping for the best," Schumacher said.

He said that with a storm like this his team will do their best, but drivers can never be too careful.

"Anytime we're dealing with a mixed bag of precipitation, snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, you never really know what you're going to get," Schumacher said.

Moen said that drivers should pay attention to road conditions when making their travel plans.

"The most important thing I think for people who are traveling is to really pay attention to the weather forecast and really heed the advice from the authorities," Moen said.

Moen said that if people venture out during the storm they should keep in mind that if they end up in trouble, it could take a long time to get help.

Mark Schultz and his family left Roscoe, Ill., near Rockford, and were heading north of Eagle River during a winter storm Wednesday.

"(The weather is) pretty awful, but whatever, we got the kids. We have a little movie on for the kids, and they're alright," said Schultz.

Shultz said the family decided to head out before the storm was at its worst.

"Honestly, we looked at the weather forecast and the weather looked worse, and then you're talking about traveling on Christmas day. So really we just took the 'take your time approach,' and everyone will get there safe," said Schultz.

But for other travelers, the storm came as a surprise Wednesday.

"I sort of knew something was coming in, but I didn't expect it to be this much this quick,” said Alex Stroud, of Missoula, Mont.

Stroud, who was on his way to Madison, left Montana early to beat a different storm.

"It's going to be worse. North Dakota was supposed to get 12 inches of snow tonight, so the roads would have been worse tomorrow for sure," said Stroud.

The State Patrol is asking travelers to re-evaluate their plans.

"We're monitoring the weather. We've been in contact with other governmental agencies that maintain the highway, and Wisconsin Emergency Management. We're all working together and maintaining the best response we can," said Lt. Brad Altman, of the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The State Patrol said waiting until the storm passes is the best option for travelers.

"Just take your time on the roadway, and if you can delay the travel until the storm passes and the roadway improves, that would be ideal," Altman said.

Troopers said if drivers do decide venture out, they should slow down on the roads and increase their distance between the vehicles ahead of them.

The city of Madison said that despite Christmas, it is treating this storm like any other -- which means a full-force attack. Schumacher said city workers will be out plowing residential streets if it's over the 3-inch snowfall requirements and Christmas won't delay any snow removal efforts.

Meanwhile, the last winter storm is still causing problems, and it could mean flooding if there is a lot of rain.

City Streets Division officials said crews were not able to get the plows to push all of the snow back to the curbs, meaning that many storm sewers throughout the city are snow-covered.

Crews are working to try to get those grates clean.

"For the last two or three days, city engineering, which is responsible for all the storm work, have been out trying to open up the storm sewers with their Bobcats and their skid steers and their tractors and things like that," Schumacher said.

The city said it's hoping that residents will take some time to clear the grates as well. They said that by just clearing a small opening into the sewer, any water will find its way to the grate eventually.

Scattered Power Outages Are Reported

Alliant Energy officials reported about 8,000 customers are without power in Dane, Green, Rock and Walworth counties on Thursday morning. In Dane, about 1,350 people are without power in Verona, Oregon and Stoughton due to a variety of isolated incidents.

The biggest outage remains in Monroe, where a problem with an ATC power line has left 4,885 people in the city of Monroe without power.

Other outages are getting smaller due to improving weather conditions, officials said.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.