Wisconsin, 1996

Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 23 to 25, 1996

March 23 to 25, 1996 · NWS GRB · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A powerful storm brought two waves of winter weather to North Central and Northeast Wisconsin over a 38 hour period. Warm air advection associated with this system brought between 3 and 9 inches of snow to the area between 1100 pm on the 23rd and 900 am on the 24th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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 powerful storm brought two waves of winter weather to North Central and Northeast Wisconsin over a 38 hour period. Warm air advection associated with this system brought between 3 and 9 inches of snow to the area between 1100 pm on the 23rd and 900 am on the 24th. The heaviest snow occurred in Vilas, Oneida, Forest and Langlade counties, where 6 to 9 inches were measured. After approximately an eight hour break, a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow redeveloped. During the evening hours on the 24th a powerful cold front strengthened and began to move towards North Central Wisconsin. As the colder air moved into the region, the mixed precipitation changed over to heavy snow northwest of a line from Merrill to Crandon to Iron Mountain, Michigan. An additional 6 to 12 inches of snow fell in this area between 900 pm on the 24th and 100 pm on the 25th. Strong north winds gusting as high as 40 mph produced blizzard conditions at times, with visibilities as low as 100 feet. Snow drifts reached heights of 6 to 8 feet on some of the rural county roads in Oneida and Vilas counties. Areas farther to the south and east reported significant freezing rain and sleet, followed by a change-over to snow during the morning hours on the 25th. Ice accumulations of one-quarter to one-half inch resulted in numerous power outages in parts of Marathon, southeast Lincoln, Langlade, southern Forest, northern Oconto and northern Marinette counties. An additional 2 to 6 inches of snow accumulated on top of the ice in those locations.Total snow accumulations from the two day event included: 20 inches in northwest Vilas county, 19 inches at Arbor Vitae (Vilas county), 17 inches at Lake Tomahawk and Rhinelander (Oneida county), 16 inches at Nelma (northern Forest county), 12 inches at Argonne (Forest county), Florence (Florence county) and Tomahawk (Lincoln county), 11 inches in Merrill (Lincoln county), 9 inches at Goodman (Marinette county), Antigo (Langlade county) and Wabeno (Forest county), 8 inches at Athens and Edgar (Marathon county), 7 inches in Wausau (Marathon county), and 6 inches at Wausaukee (Marinette county) and Mountain (northern Oconto county).

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Vilas

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Vilas forecast zone
Coordinates
46.053, -89.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oneida

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Oneida forecast zone
Coordinates
45.706, -89.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Forest

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Forest forecast zone
Coordinates
45.667, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Florence

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Florence forecast zone
Coordinates
45.848, -88.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Marinette

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Northern Marinette forecast zone
Coordinates
45.351, -88.002 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates
45.338, -89.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Langlade

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Langlade forecast zone
Coordinates
45.262, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Oconto

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Northern Oconto forecast zone
Coordinates
44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marathon

When
March 23, 11:00 PM CST to March 25, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Marathon forecast zone
Coordinates
44.898, -89.759 (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

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5540635, 5540636, 5540637, 5540638, 5540639, 5540640, 5540641, 5540642, 5540643.