Wisconsin, 2000

Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 18, 2000

February 18, 2000 · NWS MKX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A significant winter storm, only the second of the winter season, affected far southern Wisconsin for 17 to 20 hours. Maximum snowfall rates were occasonally 1/2 to 1 inch per hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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.

A significant winter storm, only the second of the winter season, affected far southern Wisconsin for 17 to 20 hours. Maximum snowfall rates were occasonally 1/2 to 1 inch per hour. East to northeast winds of 15 to 25 mph resulted in blowing and drifting of snow. In open areas visibilities were reduced to 3/8 to 1/2 mile. Maximum snowfall accumulations were 11 to 12 inches in southern Kenosha County, 10 inches at Lake Geneva (Walworth Co.), 10 inches in extreme southwest Racine County, and 9 inches across the southern parts of Rock, Green, and Lafayette Counties. Further north, in the Madison to Milwaukee corridor, 4 to 7 inches fell, which was below the winter storm criteria of 8 inches or more in 24 hours or less. Due to a 36-hour lead time for the Winter Storm Watch, highway snowplow crews were prepared well in advance. However, motorists still had a tough time driving on slippery roads. About 110 vehicle accidents were noted in Kenosha County alone, and there were probably about 300 total across the winter storm area. Newspaper accounts indicated that about 75 people were injured. This winter storm was preceded by an 8 to 12 hour period of scattered light snow. The responsible low pressure center moved from the southern Rockies to extreme northern Oklohoma to southern Illinois to central Ohio.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Walworth

When
February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Walworth forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Racine

When
February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Racine forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kenosha

When
February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.573, -87.840 (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 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, February 2000

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: 5134650, 5134651, 5134652.