Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 1 to 2, 2005

Name: Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 1 to 2, 2005
Start: 2005-01-01T00:00
End: 2005-01-02T04:00
Location: Wisconsin

January 1 to 2, 2005 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A New Year's Day winter storm hit northwestern Wisconsin. Six inches of snow fell over northern Douglas County and northwestern Bayfield County, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning.

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.

A New Year's Day winter storm hit northwestern Wisconsin. Six inches of snow fell over northern Douglas County and northwestern Bayfield County, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning. Over the rest of northwestern Wisconsin the precipitation fell mainly in the form of sleet, with some freezing rain, then it switched to snow. Snow accumulations were 1 to 3 inches. Sleet accumulated over a half inch. In Park Falls sleet accumulated 1.5 inches before it switch to snow, which accumulated to 3 inches.

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 Dec 31, 2:30 PM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 2:30 PM CST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 7:30 AM CST, 16 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
730 AM CST FRI DEC 31 2004

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-011330-
ASHLAND-BAYFIELD-BURNETT-C. ST. LOUIS-CROW WING-DOUGLAS-IRON-
KOOCHICHING-N. AITKIN-N. CASS-N. ITASCA-N. LAKE/N. COOK-N. ST. LOUIS-
PINE-PRICE-S. AITKIN-S. CASS-S. COOK/LAKESHORE-S. ITASCA-
S. LAKE/LAKESHORE-S. ST. LOUIS/CARLTON-SAWYER-WASHBURN-
730 AM CST FRI DEC 31 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND
AND NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE REGION TODAY.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD GENERALLY BE AN INCH OR LESS. A GALE
WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. SEE THE OPEN
LAKE FORECAST ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MARQUETTE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE
ENTIRE REGION. A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SATURDAY
NIGHT. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER PRODUCT ISSUED BY THE DULUTH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR MORE INFORMATION. MORE ACCUMULATING
SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

...SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE REMINDED TO CALL IN THEIR SNOW AND ICE REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING URL:

HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DLH

DAP

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Douglas

When: January 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bayfield

When: January 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ashland

When: January 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iron

When: January 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Burnett

When: January 1, 1:00 PM CST to January 2, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Burnett forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washburn

When: January 1, 2:00 PM CST to January 2, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Washburn forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sawyer

When: January 1, 3:00 PM CST to January 2, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Sawyer forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.880, -91.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Price

When: January 1, 3:00 PM CST to January 2, 3:00 AM 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

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, January 2005

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: 5436197, 5436198, 5436199, 5436200, 5436201, 5436202, 5436203, 5436204.