BELOIT — Wednesday’s driving snowstorm dumped up to 20 inches of snow on Stateline-area communities, pushing seasonal snowfall totals near 60-year highs.

Now public works officials hope their salt stashes hold.

“This is beyond me, this winter,” said Chris Walsh, director of operations for the Beloit Department of Public Works. “This is the worst winter we’ve had in a long time — at least 16 years — as long as I’ve been here.” If snowfall in Beloit is not yet one for the record books, “We’ve got to be close,” Walsh said.

According to data from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office in Madison, the largest seasonal snowfall totals over the last 60 years in Afton, Clinton and Beloit ranged from 44 inches to 59 inches. By the end of January, Beloit had nearly 27 inches, and snowfalls through the first week and a half of February pushed that total close to a six-decade high (see related graphic, page 2).

Compared to recent winters, when southern Rock County averaged less than 2 feet of snow, the increase is significant.

“It’s more than average,” said Ed Hopkins, an assistant climatologist in the state office. “Not all places are getting the amount that southcentral Wisconsin has.”

In Madison, more than 60 inches of snow fell prior to the most recent storm, meaning it likely would break the record set in the winter of 1978-’79. Hopkins added that if the Beloit area has merely average temperatures and precipitation through April, it will easily top the 60-year high of 55.5 inches set in 1950-’51.

The heavy snowfall is not a fluke, he added, but simply part of natural weather cycles that often are hard to predict.

“In a certain way, it’s a crap-shoot,” Hopkins said. “There’s quite a bit more this year than other years.”

The excess snow, while destined for the record book, is creating salt shortages in some communities. Beloit, which is using a new saltwater brine on streets, is the exception.

Though snow-removal crews in the city are fatigued, Walsh said, “At least we have plenty of salt, because we know other communities have none.”

In recent weeks, Beloit has sold more than 2,000 tons of salt to Rock County, Janesville, South Beloit and Turtle Township.

“Everyone’s in the same boat,” said Ben Coopman, the director of the Rock County Department of Public Works. “We are concerned. We aren’t out, (but) we’re being frugal with it.”

After buying 8 tons of salt from Beloit, the Town of Turtle should be set for the rest of the winter. Township Highway Superintendent Mike Birkholz said a 10-to-1 sand-to-salt mixture conserves salt supplies. The heavy snowfall, he added, is part of the job.

“It’s job security,” he joked.

South of the Stateline, South Beloit Streets Supervisor Brian Hedrington said the first storm of the season, an ice storm in early December, left his department playing catch-up over the next two months.

“The way we had that ice storm first thing … we used quite a bit of salt just on that,” Hedrington said. “All these little storms — it just keeps piling up.”

In order to conserve salt, South Beloit plans to use it sparingly the rest of the season.

“We don’t have a lot of salt left, so from now on we’re just going to salt the intersections of the side roads and focus on the main roads,” Hedrington said.

The extra salt has stretched municipal budgets thin. Coopman said the county’s DPW is going to ask the county board for an additional $400,000 to make up for expenditures this winter.

“There were more (snow) events than we expected, and a lot of those events happened on weekends,” he said, noting that such storms require overtime pay. Now, however, “we’re in the next fiscal year, so we’re OK.”

Hedrington said South Beloit had budgeted $40,000 for salt for its current fiscal year, and has spent $60,000 thus far.

Though Beloit has been able to conserve salt with its new saltwater brine, it also has spent more on snow-removal than it budgeted.

“We’re good on salt — (though) on the budget, it’s hard,” said Bill Johnson, head of Beloit’s Streets Department.

Walsh added that, while the city has offered salt to neighboring communities, such sales are over.

“We’re tapped,” she said. “We can’t get any more out.”

As for recent weather-related flooding along the Rock River, local officials are hoping that cold temperatures return and stay for awhile.

“The issue that we ran into is when we had that rapid thaw,” said Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden.

Rusty Kapela, warning coordinator meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sullivan, said a short-term warm-up is the biggest concern, but that recent heavy snowfall could have long-term effects once a spring melt-off occurs.

“If we keep getting dumped on and rebuild the snow cap … eventually, it could be a problem,” Kapela said. “Should we have another warm spell, that’s where we’re going to start paying for it.”

As of midweek, water levels along the river in Rock County were below 7 feet and expected to remain there in coming days. Flood stage is 9 feet, which was exceeded in late January, forcing the evacuation of homes in the Afton area.

Such developments have public works officials like Coopman dreaming of spring. He hasn’t had much time for family or ice-fishing this winter.

“It’s getting old,” he said. “It’d be nice to work a 40-hour week for once.”