Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 1 to 3, 2007

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 1 to 3, 2007
Start: 2007-03-01T00:00
End: 2007-03-03T12:00
Location: Wisconsin

March 1 to 3, 2007 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

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 snowfall of over 20 inches combined with winds over 50 mph to create blizzard conditions over northwestern Wisconsin. The storm hit hardest in the Duluth/Superior area and along the western shoreline of Lake Superior, where it will be remembered as the Blizzard of 2007. Low pressure formed over Oklahoma, strengthening while moving northeastward towards eastern Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. The area of heavy snow occurred to the northwest of the low pressure center, over northwest Wisconsin and northeast Minnesota. Light snow began falling around midnight on the 1st. Winds began picking up during the morning of March 1st, with localized blizzard conditions beginning to be felt around the Duluth/Superior area by mid morning. Snow was falling heavily by mid afternoon as the first very intense snow bands arrived with the storm. Snowfall rates were up to 2 inches per hour during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 1st, with zero visibility occuring around Superior and the south shore of Lake Superior. The cities of Duluth and Superior pulled snow plows off the roads by late afternoon as travel became virtually impossible with sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph and gusts over 60 mph. A section of U.S. Highway 2 just west of Ashland was closed by the afternoon of March 1st due to blowing and drifting snow. Schools and many businesses were closed March 1st and 2nd. Although areas away from Lake Superior did not experience the intense winds, snowfall totals over 20 inches were common along far northwestern Wisconsin, including the Bayfield Peninsula and the Gogebic Range, which received up to 2 feet of snow. The snow finally tapered to just flurries the morning of March 3rd.

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 28, 9:11 PM CST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 9:11 PM CST, 2 hours 49 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
911 PM CST WED FEB 28 2007

.DISCUSSION...AREA OF SNOW IN CENTRAL MN WITH A BREAK IN SOUTHERN
MN NEAR IOWA BORDER. THE PROGRESSION OF THE SNOW IS A LITTLE
SLOWER THAN EARLIER THOUGHT. REPORTS FROM SNOWFALL AREA INDICATE
AROUND 2-3 INCHES. 00Z NAM HAS SLOWED DOWN THE PROGRESSION OF THE
SNOW. LATEST FORECAST FOR SNOW TO BEGIN TO FALL ALONG BRD-PINE
CITY-PBH LINE BY 04Z...DLH-ASX AROUND 06Z...IRON RANGE AROUND 08Z
BASED ON CURRENT MOVEMENT. WILL LOWER SNOW AMOUNTS FOR THE SLOWER
MOVEMENTS BEFORE 06Z. WILL LEAVE REST OF SNOW AMT FORECASTS ALONE.
WINDS HAVE BEEN INCREASING DURING THE EVENING HOURS AND ARE
GENERALLY 15-20 KNTS WITH GUSTS TO 25. BY MORNING...THE WINDS WILL
BE 20-30 MPH.

THERE MAY BE A BREAK THURSDAY MORNING IN THE SNOW BEFORE THER MAIN
SNOW EVENT ARRIVES THURSDAY AFTERNOON. REST OF FCST UNCHANGED.

STEWART

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 546 PM CST WED FEB 28 2007/

UPDATE...THIS DISCUSSION CONCERNS THE ONSET OF HEAVY SNOW ACROSS
THE DULUTH CWA OVER THE NEXT 3-6 HOURS...

VOLUMETRIC RADAR IMAGERY FROM SRN MN/NRN IA/SW WI SHOWS A RAPIDLY
INCREASING AREA OF ECHOES MOVING NORTHWARD AT AROUND 20 MPH. SOME
RADAR ECHOES ALOFT ARE IN THE 35 TO 40 DBZ RANGE..INDICATIVE OF VERY
INTENSE DYNAMIC FORCING FOR MESOSCALE ASCENT SPREADING NORTHWARD
INTO NE MN/NW WI OVER THE NEXT 3-6 HOURS.

LATEST SHORT TERM MODEL GUIDANCE CONTS TO INDICATE VERY STRONG DEEP
LAYER WARM ADVECTION SPREADING NORTHWARD THROUGH 06Z..CO-LOCATED
WITH INTENSE AND DEEP LAYER FROTOGENESIS ORIENTED ON A WNW/ESE AXIS.
THE AXIS OF MAX FORCING IS EXPECTED TO MOVE FROM ITS CURRENT
LOCATION ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO AND JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 94
CORRIDOR AT 23Z..TO AN AXIS FROM NEAR BRAINERD TO HINCKLEY AND
PHILLIPS WI BY 03-05Z. IN ADDITION TO THE INTENSE DYNAMIC
FORCING..MODEL CROSS SECTIONS ALSO REVEAL PRESENCE OF A DEEP LAYER
OF STRONGLY NEGATIVE EPV FEEDING INTO THE FGEN CIRCULATION FROM THE
SOUTH..AND THIS IS CONFIRMED BY LIGHTNING STRIKES OBSERVED OVER SRN
MN AND VERY UNSTABLE LOOKING CLOUD TOPS PER LATEST VIZ ZAT IMAGERY
OVER SRN MN AND NRN IA.

ALL THIS STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT HEAVY SNOW WILL ONSET ACROSS THE SRN
PART OF THE DLH CWA..WITH HOURLY RATES PERHAPS APPROACHING 1 INCH
PER HOUR IN THE CORRIDOR FROM BRAINERD/LAKE MILLE LACS/PINE
CITY/PHILLIPS BEGINNING BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM FROM SOUTH TO NORTH.
HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES AROUND 1 INCH PER HOUR ARE THEN EXPECTED TO
PERSIST AND SPREAD NORTHWARD THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
NIGHT..REACHING AREAS FROM THE TWIN PORTS EASTWARD ALONG THE SOUTH
SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR AND MOST OF NW WI BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 3 AM.

ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY ALOFT WILL BE DECREASING WITH TIME AND
NORTHWARD EXTENT..A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
OUR SRN ZONES..ALONG WITH LOCAL SNOWFALL RATES APPROACHING 2 INCHES
PER HOUR UNDERNEATH THE HEAVIEST BANDS.

FINALLY..IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW..LATEST GUIDANCE ALSO INDICATES A
STRONGLY TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND 3-5 MB PRESSURE FALLS
CENTERED JUST SOUTH OF DULUTH BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 AM..AND EAST
WINDS WILL LIKELY INCREASE INTO THE 25-35 MPH RANGE SUSTAINED..WITH
GUSTS AOA 40 MPH NEAR THE LAKE..RESULTING IN LOCAL WHITE OUT
CONDITIONS WHEN COMBINED WITH THE FALLING SNOW.
 MILLER

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

MN...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY
     FOR CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-PINE-
     SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR CROW WING-
     NORTHERN AITKIN-NORTHERN CASS-NORTHERN ITASCA-SOUTHERN
     AITKIN-SOUTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA.

     BLIZZARD WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
     SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE.

     BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
     CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS.

     SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM
     CST FRIDAY FOR KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS.

WI...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY
     FOR ASHLAND-BAYFIELD-BURNETT-IRON-PRICE-SAWYER-WASHBURN.

     BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
     DOUGLAS.

&&

POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DLH  21  29  17  24 / 100  90 100 100
INL  19  26  14  20 /  80  90  80  70
BRD  23  30  15  23 / 100 100 100  90
HYR  25  30  18  25 / 100 100 100 100
ASX  24  30  20  26 / 100  90 100 100

&&

.DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

MN...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY
     FOR NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-
     CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-NORTHERN CASS-NORTHERN ITASCA-
     PINE-SOUTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA.

     BLIZZARD WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
     SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE.

     BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST.
     LOUIS.

     SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
     KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS.

WI...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR ASHLAND-BAYFIELD-
     BURNETT-IRON-PRICE-SAWYER-WASHBURN.

     BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR DOUGLAS.

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 28, 3:27 PM CST, 8 hours 33 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
327 PM CST WED FEB 28 2007

LSZ121-140>148-162-MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-
006>009-011130-
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN-
GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN-
TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN-
SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI-
OPEN WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI
TO GRAND PORTAGE MN-KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-
NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-
SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE-SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-
SOUTHERN ITASCA-SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-
SOUTHERN AITKIN-CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-
ASHLAND-IRON-BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
327 PM CST WED FEB 28 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD ACROSS THE ENTIRE
NORTHLAND FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS A POWERFUL
WINTER STORM LIFTS INTO THE REGION. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH
TONIGHT WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES. IN ADDITION TO
THE SNOW...STRONG WINDS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL
BE ALONG THE NORTH SHORE AND HEAD OF LAKE SUPERIOR...WHERE
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. VARIOUS WINTER
WEATHER WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

A GALE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT STARTING LATE TONIGHT FOR THE
WESTERN HALF OF LAKE SUPERIOR...DUE TO THE STRONG EAST WINDS.
PLEASE SEE THE LATEST OPEN WATERS FORECAST FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 15 TO 20 INCHES
ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA. THE EXCEPTIONS ARE THE HIGHER
TERRAIN AREAS ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE...WHERE LOCALIZED
AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE...AND IN FAR NORTHERN
MINNESOTA NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL FALLS AREA...WHERE SNOW TOTALS
ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 7 TO 11 INCHES. STRONG WINDS WILL
CONTINUE TO CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THURSDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED ALONG THE
NORTH SHORE AND HEAD OF LAKE SUPERIOR. THE WINTER WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE SEE
THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

VERY STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. A GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT
THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. A STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM
THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF
LAKE SUPERIOR. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST OPEN WATERS FORECAST FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SNOWFALL SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THEIR SNOWFALL AND
STORM TOTALS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY PHONE OR
E-SPOTTER.

LILES

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 28, 10:54 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1054 PM CST WED FEB 28 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1048 PM     SNOW             1 W PHILLIPS            45.70N 90.42W
02/28/2007  M0.5 INCH        PRICE              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SG

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 storm, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Ashland

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bayfield

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Burnett

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Burnett forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Douglas

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iron

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Price

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Price forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.680, -90.361 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sawyer

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 2, 10:00 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, Washburn

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Washburn forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, March 2007

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: 23211, 23212, 23214, 23215, 23217, 23220, 23222, 23223.