Wisconsin, 2001

Winter Storm in Wisconsin, November 26 to 27, 2001

November 26 to 27, 2001 · NWS DLH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell overnight with snow accumulations ranging from 6 to 17 inches. A band of 18 to 20 inches fell from Burnett County, into northern Washburn County, and then into northern Sawyer County and southern Bayfield County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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.

Heavy snow fell overnight with snow accumulations ranging from 6 to 17 inches. A band of 18 to 20 inches fell from Burnett County, into northern Washburn County, and then into northern Sawyer County and southern Bayfield County. Twenty inches of snow fell at Minong, Mason, and near Clam Lake in a 24 hour period. Strong winds blowing over 20 mph created near-blizzard conditions.

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 Nov 26, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 26, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
330 AM CST MON NOV 26 2001

FORECAST CONCERNS ARE ON APPROACHING WINTER STORM. MODELS ARE IN
GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH SOME MINOR DIFFERENCES. WILL USE A BLEND OF
ETA AND AVN.

STORM IS MOVING INTO THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE WITH -SN SPREADING INTO
SW MN PER 88D RADAR MOSAIC. OVER THE CWFA...SOME PATCHY --SN AND
FOG PER SFC OBS. SOME LAKE ENHANCED BANDS OF -SN FALLING ALONG THE
SOUTH SHORE OF LS WITH ASX REPORTING 1SM -SN AND NE WIND FOR A
PERIOD OF TIME.

STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO SW IA WITH UPPER LEVEL LOW LAGGING BEHIND IN
NE NEBRASKA TODAY. MOISTURE AND LIFT SURGING N OF THIS SYSTEM ON
STRONG JET. EXPECT -SN TO OVERSPREAD THE CWFA BY AFTERNOON WITH
INCREASING NE SFC WINDS. WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A WARNING. SFC LOW
MOVES INTO NE IA TONIGHT AND INTO SOUTHERN WI ON TUESDAY WHERE IT
BEGINS TO WEAKEN. ENOUGH FORCING/LIFT TO KEEP THE SNOW GOING TONIGHT
THROUGH TUESDAY OVER CWFA. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL ALSO KEEP
THE WIND SPEEDS UP. WILL ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NW
PORTION FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.

NE WINDS AND FAVORABLE FETCH WILL PRODUCE SOME LAKE ENHANCED SNOW
ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE OF LS. WILL ADD LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS TO
THIS AREA. MOS TEMPS GENERALLY FOLLOWED.

COORD WITH FGF...ARX...MPX AND GRB.

.DLH...WINTER STORM WARNING THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY
       MN ZONES 12-19>21-25-26-33>38 AND WI ZONES 1>4-6>9.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MN ZONES
       10-11-18.

GSF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Bayfield

When
November 26, 1:00 PM CST to November 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Burnett

When
November 26, 1:00 PM CST to November 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Burnett forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Douglas

When
November 26, 1:00 PM CST to November 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iron

When
November 26, 1:00 PM CST to November 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, November 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: 5272505, 5272506, 5272507, 5272508.