If we go by the book, hours could seem like days

Seen on AccuWeather.com:

There’s an old joke: Guy walks up to a diner with an “Open 24 Hours” sign, late in the evening. The proprietor is turning off the lights and locking the door. The guy says, “Hey, I thought you were open 24 hours.” The owner says, “Yeah, but not in a row.”

Apparently that’s how they record weather records in Madison. Their 24-hour record snowfall was spread over 5 days.