Ice Storm, Chippewa
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.069, -91.280 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Wisconsin, January 4 to 5, 1998
Freezing rain produced ice accumulations ranging from one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch. Numerous car accidents were reported, and some roads were closed for a time.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
- 7
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.
Freezing rain produced ice accumulations ranging from one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch. Numerous car accidents were reported, and some roads were closed for a time. An above ground fiber optic phone cable broke during the storm, creating problems for customers in Eastern Minnesota trying to use long distance phone service.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Dunn
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dunn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.947, -91.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Eau Claire
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Eau Claire forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -91.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pepin
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pepin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.483, -92.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pierce
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pierce forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.720, -92.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Rusk
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rusk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.475, -91.133 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, St. Croix
- When
- January 4, 5:00 PM CST to January 5, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Croix forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.034, -92.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in California, January 4 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in Kansas, January 4, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Arkansas, January 4 to 5, 1998
- Winter Storm in Oregon, January 4, 1998
- Ice Storm in Wisconsin, January 4 to 5, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Texas, January 4 to 5, 1998
- Ice Storm in Iowa, January 4, 1998
- Winter Storm in Utah, January 4 to 5, 1998
- Winter Weather in Vermont, January 4 to 6, 1998
- Winter Weather in New York, January 4 to 6, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, January 4 to 5, 1998
- Heavy Rain in Texas, January 4 to 5, 1998
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, January 1998
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: 5627611, 5627612, 5627613, 5627614, 5627615, 5627616, 5627617.