Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 20, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 20, 2002
Start: 2002-02-20T04:00
End: 2002-02-20T19:00
Location: Wisconsin

February 20, 2002 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell in northwestern Wisconsin. The precipitation started out as rain late at night, then changed to snow early in the morning.

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.

Heavy snow fell in northwestern Wisconsin. The precipitation started out as rain late at night, then changed to snow early in the morning. Final snow amounts include 12 inches at South Range, 13 inches at Prentice, 12.2 inches near Phillips, and 10 inches near Shell Lake, Grandview, and Hurley.

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 Feb 20, 3:31 AM CST, 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 3:31 AM CST, 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
331 AM CST WED FEB 20 2002

FORECAST CONCERNS ARE ON SNOW. MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT...BUT
AVN SEEM TO HAVE THE BETTER HANDLE ON CURRENT FEATURES AND WILL
FOLLOW.

LOOP OF 88D RADAR MOSAIC INDICATES DEFORMATION ZONE PERSISTING
ACROSS NW WI CWFA. THIS HAS BEEN FAIRLY STATIONARY OVER THE LAST
FEW HOURS. LATEST SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS COOLEST CLOUD TOPS OVER
NW WI INTO MN ARROWHEAD DRIVEN BY VORT MAX NEAR EAU.

WESTERN TIER OF MN FA WILL HAVE THE -SN ENDING AS HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDS IN TODAY. NE WINDS OFF OF LAKE SUPERIOR AND CAA TODAY AND
TONIGHT OVER NW WI. DELTA TS BECOME FAVORABLE WITH TIME...COUPLED
WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT AND SPECIFIC HUMIDITIES OF 2 TO 3 G/KG TODAY AND
TONIGHT...WILL ISSUE LAKE SNOW WARNING FOR SOUTH SHORE COUNTIES.
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE REST OF NW WI.

UPPER LEVEL/SFC RIDGING COVER THE FA ON THURSDAY. HAVE BLENDED MOS
VALUES.

COORD WITH MQT.

.DLH...LAKE SNOW WARNING WIZ001>004. WINTER STORM WARNING
       WIZ006>009.

GSF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Douglas

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bayfield

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ashland

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Iron

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Burnett

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Burnett forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washburn

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Washburn forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sawyer

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Sawyer forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.880, -91.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Price

When: February 20, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM 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

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, February 2002

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: 5279592, 5279593, 5279594, 5279595, 5279596, 5279597, 5279598, 5279599.