Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 31, 2008

Name: Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 31, 2008
Start: 2008-03-31T10:00
End: 2008-03-31T23:59
Location: Wisconsin

March 31, 2008 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A low pressure system brought over 6 inches of snow to most of northwestern Wisconsin. The greatest amounts, from 10 to 14 inches, fell from southern Bayfield County through the Gogebic Range of Ashland and Iron counties.

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.

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 Mar 31, 9:20 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 9:20 AM CST, 40 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 4:42 AM CST, 5 hours 18 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
542 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-011030-
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-
542 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH
TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN AND PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN MINNESOTA...ROUGHLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM
WALKER...TO HIBBING...TO SILVER BAY MINNESOTA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES FROM PINE RIVER...TO THE
BRAINERD LAKES...TO HILL CITY TO DULUTH...AND UP TOWARD TWO
HARBORS AND SILVER BAY. 6 TO 11 INCHES IS EXPECTED ACROSS
NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN...AND ACROSS PINE COUNTY IN MINNESOTA.
LESSER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED FARTHER NORTH ACROSS MINNESOTA. IN
ADDITION TO THE SNOW...GUSTY WINDS WILL BE DEVELOPING AND CREATE
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE WIND WILL BE STRONGEST AT THE HEAD
OF LAKE SUPERIOR AROUND THE TWIN PORTS.

WINTER STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN
AND PINE COUNTY IN MINNESOTA FOR TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH A
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR CARLTON...AITKIN...SOUTHERN
CASS... SOUTHERN SAINT LOUIS AND SOUTHERN LAKE AND COOK COUNTIES.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS...REFER TO THE WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY THE DULUTH NATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

LSZ121-140>148-011030-
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-
542 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF
WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FROM TWO HARBORS...TO
DULUTH...TO SAXON HARBOR TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...AND FROM
TWO HARBORS TO GRAND PORTAGE TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. SEE
THE LATEST NEARSHORE MARINE FORECAST FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE
OPEN WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. SEE THE LATEST OPEN WATERS
FORECAST FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. PLEASE SEE THE
LATEST NEARSHORE MARINE FORECAST FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

MELDE/LILES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Burnett

When: March 31, 10:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Burnett forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sawyer

When: March 31, 11:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sawyer forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.880, -91.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washburn

When: March 31, 11:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washburn forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ashland

When: March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bayfield

When: March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Douglas

When: March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Price

When: March 31, 12:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Price forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.680, -90.361 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Iron

When: March 31, 2:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, March 2008

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: 89222, 89227, 89228, 89219, 89220, 89224, 89226, 89225.