Winter Weather in Wisconsin, April 4, 2003

Name: Winter Weather in Wisconsin, April 4, 2003
Start: 2003-04-04T15:00
End: 2003-04-04T22:00
Location: Wisconsin

April 4, 2003 · NWS MKX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow resulted in a slight galzing of ice and sleet. Ice accumulations were only about 1/8 inch.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 7

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 MKX wrote it up.

A mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow resulted in a slight galzing of ice and sleet. Ice accumulations were only about 1/8 inch. Toward the end of this event, 1 inch snow accumulations were reported. During the event, northeast winds were gusting to 26 to 30 knots (30 to 35 mph). There were some reports of minor tree and power line damage. Numerous vehicle accidents were noted in newspapers. One driver was critically injured in a vehicle accident near Oregon (Dane Co.). Many social events were cancelled, and some schools cancelled classes. Synoptically, low pressure moved east across central Illinois with a warm front ahead of it. Warm, moist, and somewhat unstable air was pulled north up and over a layer of cold air about 3 to 5,000 feet thick over Wisconsin.

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 Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 4, 2:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 2:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 4, 11:40 AM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes before

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-051715-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1140 AM CST FRI APR 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

GENERALLY NORTH OF A MADISON TO MILWAUKEE LINE...OCCASIONAL FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. THE FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET WILL CHANGE TO SNOW THIS EVENING. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1
TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ANOTHER ROUND OF MIXED PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED LATE SUNDAY THROUGH
MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR SNOWFALL
MEASUREMENTS OR ROAD CONDITION REPORTS.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Dane

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Waukesha

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Milwaukee

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Walworth

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Racine

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Kenosha

When: April 4, 3:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, April 2003

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: 5348390, 5348391, 5348392, 5348393, 5348394, 5348395, 5348396.