MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsinites are digging out Thursday after the latest winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some places.

READ: Read Channel 3000's Snowstorm Blog | TALKBACK: What's Your Work's Policy About Closing Because Of Snow? | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Photos Of Wednesday's Snowstorm (Vol. 1) | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Photos Of Wednesday's Snowstorm (Vol. 2) | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Photos Of Wednesday's Snowstorm (Vol. 3) | SLIDESHOW: Examine Snowstorm Images Of Downtown Madison | SLIDESHOW: See Photos Of Wednesday's Snowstorm

By Wednesday night, evening snow totals ranged from 21 inches near Beloit to 19.5 inches at Orfordville in Rock County, both in south-central Wisconsin. Next is 19 inches at Jackson in Washington County north of Milwaukee. Madison had 13.3 inches and Milwaukee 11.5 inches.

The heavy snow and strong winds made traveling difficult for most of Wednesday. Authorities are advising drivers to be careful during the Thursday morning commute.

The snow totals reached a foot by midday at Stoughton in Dane County, and a few people could be seen cross-country skiing on sidewalks outside the state Capitol building in Madison Wednesday afternoon.

The Wisconsin State Patrol said that a major traffic backup on Interstate 90 near Stoughton is still ongoing. Authorities said that hundreds of cars have been at a near-standstill for hours Wednesday and early Thursday. Officials said that plows were having a very difficult time getting to motorists because stuck cars and tractor-trailers are in the way. (For more on this story, click here)

The State Patrol said a large section of the roadway is nearly impassable and that people should find a warm place and stay off the roads.

Rock County authorities said that plows will continue working on Interstate 90 all night. All other Rock County plows are being pulled at 6 p.m. Wednesday and would resume at 3 a.m. Thursday, WISC-TV reported.

Green County snow plow operators were called off the roads shortly before noon because of the poor visibility. County highway Commissioner Dallas Cecil, of Monroe, said the winds were blowing so hard the drivers couldn't see the front of their trucks.

Dane County officials said that city and county plows are continuing general plowing efforts for the most heavily traveled streets and highways on Wednesday night. Plow drivers said that stuck and/or abandoned vehicles are hindering their efforts to keep roads clear, WISC-TV reported.

The severe snow also caused delays Wednesday for Madison Metro buses for much of day. Officials said many of the buses were running 10 to 20 minutes late for most of the day, WISC-TV reported. Madison Metro buses stopped running at 7 p.m., but we scheduled to resume on Thursday morning.

A driver was killed on a slick interstate in Milwaukee County on Wednesday when he apparently lost control of his car and skidded in front of a tractor-trailer.

The sheriff's department said that the 51-year-old man died at the scene. The driver of the semi tried to brake, but wasn't able to avoid the crash.

More than 100 Stranded Overnight At Milwaukee Airport

The storm caused more than 100 people to spent the night at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee County on Wednesday.

Airport spokesman Ryan McAdams said that whiteout conditions closed the airport early Wednesday afternoon. Air traffic resumed about 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

At one point Wednesday, airport officials pulled snow plow operators off its runways early Wednesday afternoon because of the falling and drifting snow.

McAdams says hotels around the airport were booked. He said that airport personnel passed out blankets, pillows and water to those spending the night in the concourses.

He said that there will be delays Thursday as airlines try to catch up on canceled flights.

The winter storm is also causing a number of cancellations at the Dane County Regional Airport on Wednesday. Airport operations and maintenance crews pulled an all-nighter, clearing the runways, taxiways and gate areas, WISC-TV reported.

Airport officials advise travelers to call ahead to check their flight's status.

The Rock County airport is open, and workers are doing everything they can to keep the runways clear. Driver Chet Waldhart is one of the plow drivers working on Wednesday and he said that he got a few hours of sleep at work Tuesday night before going back out to plow.

Meanwhile, hundreds of schools across southern Wisconsin closed on Wednesday morning as snow continued to pile up. The state's largest school district, Milwaukee Public Schools, also decided to close its schools and offices, which involves 87,000 children and 14,000 employees.

Even the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee canceled classes until 3 p.m. The University of Wisconsin-Madison canceled afternoon and evening classes beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Milwaukee's all-time record for a 24-hour snowfall is 20.3 inches, set back in Feb. 4 and 5 of 1924.

Area Cities Declare Snow Emergencies

The city of Madison declared a snow emergency on Wednesday, which will remain in effect until at least 7 a.m. on Friday. The city's parking regulations during the emergency stipulate that vehicles park on the even sides of the street on even-numbered days and the odd side of the street on odd-numbered days.

The Beloit Director of Public Works declared a snow emergency on Tuesday. Under the emergency, vehicles are forbidden to impede snow removal and plowing operations on city streets. The Beloit Police Department is permitted to move any vehicle to another location at the owner's expense.

Beloit city officials also announced on Tuesday that regular garbage and recycling collection would be postponed due to the weather.

The city of Monona declared a snow emergency beginning at midnight on Wednesday through midnight on Thursday. The city prohibits parking on snow routes or any other city street during the emergency.

Stoughton has declared a snow emergency that goes into effect after midnight on Wednesday and remains in effect for the next three days. The city's parking regulations during the emergency stipulate that vehicles park on the even sides of the street on even-numbered days and odd side of the street on odd-numbered days.

Fort Atkinson has declared a snow emergency beginning at midnight on Wednesday and continuing until all streets are plowed back to the curb, according to public works officials.

The village of McFarland declared a snow emergency from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday. No parking is allowed on city streets during the emergency. Alternate parking is available in the Municipal Center parking lot, the McFarland Public Library parking lot and the lot located at Exchange and Farwell streets.

Sun Prairie declared a snow emergency when snow levels reached 3 inches. During the emergency, the law prohibits parking on any city street.

A snow emergency has been declared for Lodi in effect as of Wednesday and lasting 48 hours.

A snow emergency has been declared for the village of Deerfield. The snow emergency is in effect from 2:00 a.m. Wednesday until 1 p.m. Thursday.

The village of Marshall has declared a snow emergency on Wednesday. The emergency will be in effect for the next 48 hours. The village forbids parking on city streets.

Oregon declared a snow emergency for Wednesday night to last for 48 hours.

The city of Janesville declared a snow emergency for Tuesday starting at 11 p.m. During the emergency, all vehicles must be removed from city streets and public parking lots until snow plowing operations are complete.

Officials said that those unable to park in a driveway or garage can park their vehicle one of the designated snow emergency parking stalls. These stalls are located in the six downtown municipal parking lots listed below:

East Wall Street Lot at East Wall Street and North Parker Drive

Municipal Building Lot at West Wall Street and North Jackson Street

South High Street Lot at West Court Street and South High Street

Senior Center Lot at St. Lawrence Avenue and Water Street

Hedberg Public Library Lot on Water Street

River/Union Street Lot at South River Street and Union Street

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