Wisconsin, 2002

Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 2 to 3, 2002

March 2 to 3, 2002 · NWS GRB · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system intensified as it moved from Texas, across lower Michigan, to Ontario. Snowfall totals were mostly in the eight to twelve inch range across east central Wisconsin and the lakeshore counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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 strong low pressure system intensified as it moved from Texas, across lower Michigan, to Ontario. Snowfall totals were mostly in the eight to twelve inch range across east central Wisconsin and the lakeshore counties. Wind gusts with the storm were in the 30 to 35 mph range across most of the area and in the 40 to 45 mph range near Lake Michigan. The strong gusts combined with the snow in the lakeshore counties to create near white out conditions. Some of the highest snowfall totals included 13.0 inches 4 miles east of Sister Bay (Door), 11.5 inches at Bailey's Harbor (Door co.), 11.0 inches at Oshkosh (Winnebago co.) and 10.0 inches at Kiel (Manitowoc 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 1, 9:45 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 9:45 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
945 PM CST FRI MAR 1 2002

ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE TO AFTERNOON ZONE PACKAGE. SNOW STARTED A COUPLE
EARLIER THAN ANTICIPATED IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES...AND ETA HAS CAUGHT
ON TO THIS TREND WITH THE 00Z RUN. ETA IS NOW GENERATING A THIRD OF AN
INCH OF WATER EQUIV ACROSS MY FAR SOUTHERN COUNTIES...INDICATING A
POTENTIAL FOR UP TO 5 INCHES THERE OVERNIGHT. SATL TRENDS SHOW COOLING
CLOUD TOPS OVER SE IA...S WI AND N IL...AND RADARS TO OUR SOUTH SHOW
SOME NICE BANDS OF SNOW SHIFTING TOWARD US...SO WILL BUY INTO THE ETA
SOLN. LIFT TO BE PROVIDED BY STG WAA/ISENT LIFT AND THE RRQ OF UPPER JET
OVER LK SUP.

OVERALL SNOWFALL TOTALS STILL LOOK REASONABLE...BUT HAVE ADJUSTED THE
TIMING OF THE ACCUMS A BIT. IN GENERAL...I INCREASED THE AMOUNTS FOR
TONIGHT AND DECREASED THE AMOUNTS SAT NGT (EXCEPT OVER NC WI...WHERE
LK-EFFECT WILL BE THE MAIN PLAYER). NEW ETA/NGM SHOW THE SYSTEM LIFTING
RAPIDLY OUT OF THE REGION SAT NGT...WITH ACCUMS NOT LIKELY TO EXCEED
1-3 INCHES OVER THE FAR EASTERN COUNTIES...WITH LESS FARTHER WEST
(OUTSIDE OF THE LK-SUP SNOW BELT).

.GRB...WINTER STORM WARNING SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY
       WIZ005-

       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT
       WIZ010-018-

       WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT
       WIZ011>013-019-021-073-

       WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT
       WIZ020-022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-074-

KIECKBUSCH
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

16 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Marinette

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Marinette forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
45.351, -88.002 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Menominee

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Menominee forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
45.004, -88.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oconto

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Oconto forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Door

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Door forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marathon

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Marathon forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.898, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shawano

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Shawano forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wood

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Wood forecast zone
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
44.455, -90.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Portage

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Portage forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Waupaca

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Waupaca forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.470, -88.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Outagamie

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Outagamie forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kewaunee

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Kewaunee forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
44.483, -87.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Waushara

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Waushara forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
44.113, -89.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Winnebago

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Calumet

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Calumet forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Manitowoc

When
March 2, 2:00 AM CST to March 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Manitowoc forecast zone
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
44.091, -87.700 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5285021, 5285022, 5285023, 5285024, 5285143, 5285144, 5285145, 5285146, 5285147, 5285148, 5285149, 5285150, 5285151, 5285152, 5285153, 5285154.