Ice Storm in Wisconsin, January 29 to 30, 2001

Name: Ice Storm in Wisconsin, January 29 to 30, 2001
Start: 2001-01-29T21:00
End: 2001-01-30T04:00
Location: Wisconsin

January 29 to 30, 2001 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Freezing rain resulted in 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice on exposed surfaces. The ice was followed by 1 to 4 inches of snow, making driving very treacherous.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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 DLH wrote it up.

Freezing rain resulted in 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice on exposed surfaces. The ice was followed by 1 to 4 inches of snow, making driving very treacherous. Most schools were closed on January 30th.

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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 29, 2:35 PM CST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 29, 2:35 PM CST, 6 hours 25 minutes before

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-300400-

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
330 PM CST MON JAN 29 2001

FORECAST PROBLEM IS APPROACHING FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT...TIMING...
TEMPERATURE...AND AMOUNT.

TONIGHT...CIRRUS FROM APPROACHING SYSTEM HAS OUTRUN THE LOW CLOUDS.
THE SUN SETS IN ABOUT THREE HOURS...SO CLEAR SKIES EARLY THIS
EVENING SHOULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES...ALREADY BELOW FREEZING...TO
PLUNGE.  WE WILL ATTEMPT CLOCK TIMING ON APPROACHING FREEZING RAIN...
WITH ARRIVAL INTO THE SOUTHERN TIER AT 900 PM AND DLH AT 1100 PM.
MODELS DIFFER IN DEPTH OF THE LOW...WE PREFER THE ETA WITH A DEEPER
LOW CUTTING FURTHER NORTH AND PUSHING MOISTURE FURTHER NORTH.  WARM
LAYER ALOFT IS DEEP...AND COLD LAYER BENEATH IS ALSO DEEP...SO ONLY
FREEZING RAIN SHOULD FALL.  UPWARD VERTICAL VELOCITY IS SUBSTANTIAL
SO FREEZING RAIN IS APT TO BE HEAVY.

TUESDAY...FREEZING RAIN SHOULD CHANGE TO SNOW...EVERYWHERE AT ONCE
AND QUICKLY...JUST BEFORE NOON ON ALL THE MODELS.  WE/LL SEE IF THE
COLUMN COOLS THAT SUDDENLY. INTENSITY SHOULD DIMINISH SIGNIFICANTLY
WITH THE CHANGEOVER.

TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...WITH RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND STEADY
COOLING...SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD CONTINUE MOST PLACES.  A PARADE OF
STRONG VORTMAXS SHOULD KEEP SQUEEZING OUT MOISTURE.

WITH RELATIVELY COLD AIR ESTABLISHED AT THE SURFACE...WE WENT
SLIGHTLY BELOW MAV TEMPERATURES FOR EACH PERIOD.

COOrRDINATED WITH GFK/MSP/GRB.

.DLH...ICE STORM WARNING MN ZONES 20/33/34/35/36/37/38
       ICE STORM WARNING WI ZONES 1/2/3/4/6/7/8/9
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MN ZONES 12/19/21/25/26

EOM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Douglas

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Bayfield

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Ashland

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Iron

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Burnett

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Burnett forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Washburn

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Washburn forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Sawyer

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Sawyer forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.880, -91.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Price

When: January 29, 9:00 PM CST to January 30, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Price forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.680, -90.361 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5228406, 5228407, 5228408, 5228409, 5228410, 5228411, 5228412, 5228413.