High Wind in Wisconsin, February 25, 2001

Name: High Wind in Wisconsin, February 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-25T08:30
End: 2001-02-25T16:00
Location: Wisconsin

February 25, 2001 · NWS GRB · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Strong winds developed across central and east central Wisconsin on the back side of an intense winter storm system that was moving away from the state. ) area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Strong winds developed across central and east central Wisconsin on the back side of an intense winter storm system that was moving away from the state. The wind caused power outages for around 800 customers in the Brussels (Door co.) area and 200 customers in the Oshkosh (Winnebago co.) area. The strongest wind gusts recorded were, 47 mph at Manitowoc (Manitowoc co.) and Stevens Point (Portage co.), 46 mph at Appleton (Outagamie co.), 44 mph at Green Bay (Brown co.), 43 mph at Sturgeon Bay (Door co.) and 42 mph at Oshkosh (Winnebago co.).

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 3:30 AM CST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:30 AM CST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
330 AM CST SUN FEB 25 2001

CHALLENGE WITH THIS FCST IS DEALING WITH ELEMENTS OF A DEPARTING SYSTEM.

WRAP AROUND RH WITH EXITING SRN EDGE WILL SWING ACRS AT LEAST THE NW
HALF OF THE FCST AREA.  DRY SLOT HAS DIMINISHED THE PCPN ACRS
THE AREA EARIER THIS MRONING...BUT ACTIVE COMMA HEAD WITH ISOLD TSRA
MOVG OVER THE FCST AREA EARLY THIS AM.  WILL ADD MENTION OF TSRA THIS
AM...EVEN THOUGH WILL BE AN EARLY EVENT.  POTENTIAL MIX OF PCPN BEFORE
TURNING OVER TO SNOW WARRANTS CONT OF ADVSRY TODAY FOR NC WI.  ALTHOUGH
WINDS WILL PICK UP ACRS THE NORTH THIS AFTN...COATING OF ICE SHLD HELP
TO REDUCE THE BLOWING/DRIFTING THREAT A BIT...BUT WILL STILL BE PROBLEM.

THE OTHER PROBLEM AREA IS STG WINDS DVLPG IN WAKE OF DEPARTING LOW
TODAY AND EARLY EVENING.  AFTER MORNING BAGGINESS FROM LOW...PRES GRAD
INDICATES AT LEAST 25-30 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS.  SUBSIDENT RGN OVER AT
LEAST THE THE SOUTH HALF OF WI ALSO HAS UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND...WITH
40-50 MPH WINDS JUST OFF THE SURFACE THAT COULD PRODUCE A FEW GUSTS
TO NEAR 45 MPH.  ONE OR TWO..OR BOTH OF THE SCENARIOS SUPPORT THE
ISSUANCE OF A WIND ADVSRY FOR TDY.  THANKS MKE FOR THE EARLY COORD.

TNT...BESIDES DIMINISHING WINDS...MAIN CHALLENGE TURNS TO CLEARING
TREND.  CYCLONIC FLOW WOULD SUPPORT CLOUDS LINGERING...BUT DRIER AIR
WRAPPING ARND DEPARTING SYSTEM SHOULD DECREASE SOME...SO LEFT TREND.
BIT.

NO OTHER CHGS TO LATER PDS.

COORD W MKE...DLH...MQT AND LSE.

.GRB...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY
       WIZ005-010>012-018-019-

       WIND ADVISORY TODAY
       WI013-020>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050.

HELMAN
WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/GRB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Brown

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Manitowoc

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.091, -87.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Outagamie

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Outagamie forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Door

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Door forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Winnebago

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Portage

When: February 25, 8:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, February 2001

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: 5231018, 5231099, 5231100, 5231101, 5231102, 5231103.