Heavy Snow, Polk
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.461, -92.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 24 to 25, 1996
A major Spring storm moved from Kansas to southeast Wisconsin depositing heavy snowfall over all of northwest Wisconsin. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 15 inches were common.
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
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 MPX wrote it up.
A major Spring storm moved from Kansas to southeast Wisconsin depositing heavy snowfall over all of northwest Wisconsin. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 15 inches were common. Both Rice Lake and Chetek in Barron county reported 17 inches of snow. Thunderstorms deposited a rapid accumulation of snow early in the morning on 3/24 with heavy snowfall overspreading the area again that afternoon. Schools throughout the region were closed on 3/25. Chippewa Falls reported 14 inches, Ellsworth and Boyceville 12 inches and 8 inches in Eau Claire. Strong winds resulted in near blizzard conditions for a time early on 3/25.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Barron
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Barron forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.424, -91.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Rusk
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rusk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.475, -91.133 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, St. Croix
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Croix forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.034, -92.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pierce
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pierce forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.720, -92.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Dunn
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dunn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.947, -91.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pepin
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pepin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.483, -92.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Chippewa
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.069, -91.280 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eau Claire
- When
- March 24, 1:00 AM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Eau Claire forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -91.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Avalanche in New Hampshire, March 24, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Winter Storm in Michigan, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5540217, 5540218, 5540219, 5540220, 5540221, 5540222, 5540223, 5540224, 5540225.