Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 14 to 15, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 14 to 15, 2002
Start: 2002-03-14T16:00
End: 2002-03-15T06:00
Location: Wisconsin

March 14 to 15, 2002 · NWS GRB · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A low pressure system moved through Wisconsin to Lake Michigan dropping heavy snow and some mixed precipitation over northern Wisconsin. ).

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 GRB wrote it up.

A low pressure system moved through Wisconsin to Lake Michigan dropping heavy snow and some mixed precipitation over northern Wisconsin. The highest snowfall totals included 15.1 inches at Mincoqua (Oneida co.), 10.2 inches at Presque Isle (Vilas co.), 9.3 inches at Eagle River (Vilas co.) and 9.1 inches at Phelps (Vilas 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 Mar 14, 3:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 3:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
330 PM CST THU MAR 14 2002

FORECAST FOCUS ON WINTER WEATHER TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY FRIDAY.

RADAR TRENDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY HAVE INDICATED MODELS ARE TOO FAR SOUTH
WITH THE PRECIPITATION AND NOT TAKING THE DRY SLOT FAR ENOUGH NORTH. FOR
THIS RUN...THE AVN LOOKS THE BEST AS FAR AS THE POSITION AND SPEED OF
THE LOW...WHILE THE ETA APPEARS TO HAVE A BETTER HANDLE ON THE POSITION
OF THE PRECIPITATION AS IT KEEPS IT FARTHER NORTH. GIVEN THESE TRENDS IT
LOOKS AS IF THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES MAY NOT SEE PRECIPITATION AT ALL
TONIGHT WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW CONFINED TO A FEW COUNTIES OVER NORTH
CENTRAL WISCONSIN. WITH THIS IN MIND...HAVE DROPPED ALL HEADLINES FOR
EAST CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN AND BROUGHT
PRECIPITATION CHANCES DOWN TO A CHANCE...PUSHED THE ADVISORY NORTHWARD
TO INCLUDE MOST OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND DROPPED
PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO LIKELY...AND LEFT THE WARNING AND POPS FOR
NORTH CENTRAL. WARMER AIR ALSO APPEARS TO BE WORKING ITS WAY FARTHER
NORTH THAN EXPECTED SO HAVE INCLUDED ICY PRECIPITATION FOR ALL ZONES
EXCEPT NORTH CENTRAL.

THE STORM ALSO APPEARS TO BE MOVING OUT OF THE AREA SOONER THAN EXPECTED
ON FRIDAY GIVEN THE CURRENT TRENDS OF THE AVN. WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS IN
THE NORTHERN ZONES BUT WILL DROP THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA TO
CHANCY POPS. THE SNOW SHOULD DIMINISH TO FLURRIES RATHER QUICKLY FRIDAY
MORNING.

SKIES CLEAR OUT FRIDAY NIGHT AS TEMPERATURES PLUMMET OVERNIGHT. SKIES
SHOULD REMAIN RELATIVELY CLOUD FREE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND ADJUSTED
TEMPERATURES AND CLOUD TRENDS TO REFLECT THIS.

THE MRF SHOWS ANOTHER LOW APPROACHING THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK...BUT THE
LOW PASSES TO OUR NORTH INDICATING MOSTLY A RAIN EVENT. HOWEVER ANOTHER
SOUTHERN PLAINS LOW GETS GOING LATER IN THE WEEK WITH THE POSSIBILITY
FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION. THE MRF TAKES THIS LOW TO OUR
SOUTH...INDICATING MAINLY A SNOW EVENT.

COORDINATED WITH MQT AND ARX...THANKS.

.GRB...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING
WIZ005-010>012
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY
WIZ018-019-013
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT
WIZ020-021-030-031-035>037-073-074

KURIMSKI
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

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Vilas

When: March 14, 4:00 PM CST to March 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Vilas forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.053, -89.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oneida

When: March 14, 4:00 PM CST to March 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Oneida forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.706, -89.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Forest

When: March 14, 4:00 PM CST to March 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Forest forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.667, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Florence

When: March 14, 4:00 PM CST to March 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Florence forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.848, -88.398 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, March 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: 5285168, 5285169, 5285170, 5285171.