Blizzard, Sheboygan
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sheboygan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Wisconsin, January 16, 1997
Frequent ground blizzard conditions affected the rural areas of southcentral and southeast Wisconsin as bitter cold air poured into this area on northwest winds gusting to 40 mph. Whiteout conditions, due to blowing snow, stopped traffic on I-94 in Kenosha county before daybreak.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- 12
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 MKX wrote it up.
Frequent ground blizzard conditions affected the rural areas of southcentral and southeast Wisconsin as bitter cold air poured into this area on northwest winds gusting to 40 mph. Whiteout conditions, due to blowing snow, stopped traffic on I-94 in Kenosha county before daybreak. Traffic was also brought to a standstill in rural points of Racine county during the late afternoon hours. Elsewhere, whiteout conditions slowed or stopped traffic at times. Temperatures plunged from 22 degrees in Milwaukee at 1am to only 4 above by the noon hour. Madison dropped to 2 above by noon. Wind chills fell to 25 below to 40 below. Many rural schools were closed.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Dodge
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dodge forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Washington
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ozaukee
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ozaukee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dane
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dane forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jefferson
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Waukesha
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Waukesha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Milwaukee
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Milwaukee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Rock
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Walworth
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Racine
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Racine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kenosha
- When
- January 16, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kenosha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm in Washington, January 16 to 17, 1997
- Strong Wind in New York, January 16, 1997
- Cold in West Virginia, January 16 to 20, 1997
- Winter Weather in Ohio, January 16 to 17, 1997
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, January 16, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 16 to 18, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 16, 1997
- Winter Weather in Vermont, January 16, 1997
- Cold in Ohio, January 16 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 16 to 19, 1997
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 16, 1997
- Cold in Nebraska, January 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, January 1997
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: 5586769, 5586770, 5586956, 5586957, 5586958, 5586959, 5586960, 5586961, 5586962, 5586963, 5586964, 5586965.