Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13 to 14, 1997

Name: Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13 to 14, 1997
Start: 1997-03-13T00:00
End: 1997-03-14T14:00
Location: Wisconsin

March 13 to 14, 1997 · NWS GRB · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

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

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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 late winter snowstorm brought record breaking snow to parts of central and east central Wisconsin. Eight to twelve inch accumulations fell north of a line from Wausau (Marathon county) to Marinette (Marinette county) and across the southern portions of Winnebago, Calumet and Manitowoc counties. The rest of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin received 12 to 30 inches of snow. The heaviest snowfall occurred in Waushara county, with reports of 30 inches in Mt. Morris, 28 inches in Hancock and Wautoma, and 26 inches at Pine River. The southern portions of Wood, Portage and Waupaca counties, as well as the southwest part of Outagamie county received over 20 inches. Some specific amounts for these areas included 21 inches at Wisconsin Rapids (Wood county), 22 inches in Port Edwards (Wood county), 20 inches in Stevens Point (Portage county), 21 inches at Boelter Lake (Portage county), and 24 inches at Hortonville (Outagamie county). Two March snowfall records were broken in Green Bay. The storm total of 17.5 inches and the 24 hour snowfall of 14.5 inches (between 600 am March 13th through 600 am March 14th) were both records for the month of March.Winds gusting as high as 30 to 35 mph caused additional problems across the area, with near-blizzard conditions reported at times. The combination of snow and wind made for treacherous travel conditions, resulting in numerous accidents. One accident in northern Wood county involved 14 vehicles, with seven people sustaining injuries.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Vilas

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Vilas forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.053, -89.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Oneida

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Oneida forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.706, -89.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Forest

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Forest forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.667, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Florence

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Florence forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.848, -88.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Marinette

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Northern Marinette forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.351, -88.002 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lincoln

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.338, -89.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Langlade

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Langlade forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.262, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Menominee

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Menominee forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.004, -88.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Oconto

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Northern Oconto forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Door

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Door forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marathon

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Marathon forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.898, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Shawano

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Shawano forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wood

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Wood forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.455, -90.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Portage

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waupaca

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Waupaca forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.470, -88.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Outagamie

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Outagamie forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Brown

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kewaunee

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Kewaunee forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.483, -87.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waushara

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Waushara forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.113, -89.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Winnebago

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calumet

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Calumet forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Manitowoc

When: March 13, 12:00 AM CST to March 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.091, -87.700 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, March 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5594943, 5594944, 5594945, 5594946, 5594947, 5594948, 5594949, 5594950, 5594951, 5594952, 5594953, 5594954, 5594955, 5594956, 5594957, 5594958, 5594959, 5594960, 5594961, 5594962, 5594963, 5594964.