Several southern Wisconsin counties will be under a winter weather advisory beginning 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 for a storm system that could bring up to 5 inches of snow to the area.

The National Weather Service advisory will be in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 for the following counties: Iowa, Dane, Jefferson, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Lafayette, Green, Rock, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha.

Forecasters are expecting snow accumulation between 2 to 5 inches, Meteorologist Cameron Miller told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Peak snowfall is expected between 10 p.m. Jan. 20 through 5 a.m. Jan. 21 along and south of Interstate-94, according to the NWS. Lesser accumulation is expected north.

“We’re watching throughout the day whether the band will move north or south,” Miller said.

Miller said temperatures are expected to be in the “low teens” and forecasters are not expecting high winds, adding that lower wind chills “might be a concern later in the week.”

Wednesday’s morning commute will likely be impacted, so Miller urged drivers to allot more time to account for conditions. For live updates on road conditions in Wisconsin, you can check out the 511 Wisconsin map.

A separate system could bring more snow to the counties under the advisory between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Jan. 21, though only up to an inch of accumulation is expected.

Wisconsin weather radar

MILWAUKEE – Private snow service contractors in Milwaukee say they are facing a rock salt shortage this winter, even as the city’s Department of Public Works reports it has enough supply on hand.

What we know:

Contractors say municipalities typically get priority access to salt, leaving private companies scrambling as winter storms pile up earlier than expected.

“This is not like winters past,” said Myron Dorshak, co-owner of Dorshak Tree Service and Snow Plowing Service. 

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Working in single-digit temperatures is nothing new for snow crews, Dorshak said, but rationing salt this early in the season is raising concerns.

“Certainly we are struggling to keep enough in stock and the prices are skyrocketing.”

What they’re saying:

Dorshak said his company normally buys about 1,000 tons of salt each year at roughly $110 per ton. This season, suppliers are charging more than double that price, around $250 per ton.

“The problem is the prices are doubling. And really, there’s no more coming in from Milwaukee,” Dorshak said. “So we have to get salt from Chicago, and it’s starting to go from other states. They said we could go to Kansas to pick it up, but that’s a far way to go. They have good prices in Kansas, though.”

Dorshak said the company did not anticipate the higher costs when setting up contracts with customers.

“We didn’t put it in our cost structure with our customers and our contract, so we are just going to have to eat that — take a little loss there,” Dorshak said.

He said early November snowfall and multiple winter weather events quickly depleted supplies. Dorshak added that his company is not alone, noting that at least two FOX6 viewers also reached out with similar concerns.

Dig deeper:

As salt supplies tighten, Dorshak said his company is turning to brine as an alternative.

“It’s a liquid salt and it melts at a lower temperature,” Dorshak said. “Brine is actually very good, it’s costly to set up and all that.”

At Jones Island, a major hub for salt from various producers, piles appeared noticeably smaller than in past years.

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“We may not have enough salt for the rest of the season and it’s going to get very slippery,” Dorshak said.

He said moving forward, crews will rely more on brine and ration salt by applying lighter treatments when possible.