Winter Storm, Vilas
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Vilas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.053, -89.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 26 to 27, 1996
A tremendous winter storm brought heavy snow to most of central and northeast Wisconsin. Accumulations of a foot or more fell in a 100 mile wide swath centered along a line from Wautoma to Marinette, with 6 to 12 inch amounts reported in north central Wisconsin and along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 22 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 22
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GRB wrote it up.
A tremendous winter storm brought heavy snow to most of central and northeast Wisconsin. Accumulations of a foot or more fell in a 100 mile wide swath centered along a line from Wautoma to Marinette, with 6 to 12 inch amounts reported in north central Wisconsin and along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The heaviest amounts fell in parts of central Wisconsin and the Fox Valley, with 14 inches measured at Oshkosh (Winnebago county), 15 inches at Wisconsin Rapids (Wood county) and Wautoma (Waushara county), 15.4 inches in Green Bay (Brown county) and 16 inches at Menasha (Winnebago county). The 15.4 inch amount in Green Bay was the second highest 24-hour snowfall total for the city. The snow became convective in nature at times, with thunder reported at Pelican Lake (Oneida county) and Denmark (Brown county). Strong north to northeast winds gusting to 30 to 40 mph blew the snow around, resulting in whiteout conditions and drifts as high as 4 to 8 feet. Hundreds of vehicles were stalled or stranded, schools and businesses closed and numerous public events cancelled.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
22 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Oneida
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Oneida forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.706, -89.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Forest
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Forest forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.667, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Florence
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Florence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.848, -88.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Marinette
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Marinette forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.351, -88.002 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lincoln
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.338, -89.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Langlade
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Langlade forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.262, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Menominee
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Menominee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.004, -88.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Oconto
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Northern Oconto forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Door
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Door forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Marathon
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Marathon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.898, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Shawano
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Shawano forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wood
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wood forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.455, -90.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Portage
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Portage forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Waupaca
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waupaca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.470, -88.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Outagamie
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Outagamie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Brown
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Kewaunee
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kewaunee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.483, -87.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Waushara
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waushara forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.113, -89.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Winnebago
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Winnebago forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Calumet
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Calumet forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Manitowoc
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Manitowoc forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.091, -87.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 26, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, January 26, 1996
- Blizzard in Wisconsin, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Cold in North Dakota, January 26, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Hail in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 26, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, January 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
- Flooding in North Carolina, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, January 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5538014, 5538015, 5538016, 5538017, 5538018, 5538019, 5538020, 5538021, 5538022, 5538023, 5538024, 5538025, 5538026, 5538222, 5538223, 5538224, 5538225, 5538226, 5538227, 5538228, 5538229, 5538230.