Blizzard in Wisconsin, February 1 to 2, 2011

Name: Blizzard in Wisconsin, February 1 to 2, 2011
Start: 2011-02-01T19:00
End: 2011-02-02T07:00
Location: Wisconsin

February 1 to 2, 2011 · NWS MKX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 3
Injuries: 3
Property damage: $34,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 powerful low pressure center, passing south of Wisconsin, produced blizzard conditions across much of southern Wisconsin from the evening hours of Tuesday, February 1st into the early morning of Wednesday, February 2nd. Snow associated with the system began in the mid-afternoon hours of February 1st in far southern Wisconsin and became heavy as it pushed northward into the state through the late afternoon and evening. Very strong winds were associated with this storm for an extended period of time. Sustained northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph were common through the event, with peak wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph, with the stronger wind gusts near Lake Michigan. The lakeshore observation site at Milwaukee reported a 54 mph wind gust at 7 pm CST on February 1st. The combination of high winds and heavy snow created widespread sustained visibilities of less than 1/4 mile, with frequent whiteout conditions and near zero visibilities. Twenty-four hour snowfall totals were between 12 and 22 inches, with 22 inches of snow measured in Hales Corners (Milwaukee County), 18 inches recorded 4 miles southwest of Muskego (Waukesha County) and 12.1 inches at the NWS office in Sullivan (Jefferson County). Snowfall totaled 16.1 inches at Mitchell International Airport, which tied for the 5th greatest 24-hour snowfall total in Milwaukee. Most flights in and out of the airport were canceled until later in the day on February 2nd. In addition to the snow that fell during the blizzard, several inches of snow fell on Jan 31, with light lake effect snow through the day on Feb 1st. It's possible that some locations did not see a break in snowfall between the evening of January 31st and the morning of February 2nd. Many cooperative observer stations set records for multi-day snowfall totals. Whitnall Park in Hales Corners (Milwaukee County) set a record with 28 inches of snow from January 31st through February 1st. Snow drifts of 3 to 12 feet were common, with reports of some drifts reaching 12 to 15 feet in open rural areas. A Civil Danger Warning was issued by Wisconsin Emergency Management concerning the dangerous driving conditions. Drifting snow closed Interstate 94 from the Illinois border north to Milwaukee, and Interstate 43 from Beloit to Mukwonago, with many stranded motorists having to be rescued from vehicles buried in the drifting snow. About 100 National Guardsman were mobilized statewide in response to Gov. Scott Walker's emergency declaration for 29 counties to help rescue motorists and run emergency shelters at armories. Most businesses, several restaurants and all of the Milwaukee-area shopping malls were closed for at least part of the day on February 2nd. The blizzard even caused the Milwaukee County Zoo to cancel the annual Groundhog Day festivities. Emergency rooms across Southeast Wisconsin reported dozens of heart attacks and injuries from snow blower accidents. Three Milwaukee area men, two with heart problems, died while shoveling snow. Milwaukee area law enforcement reported 24 vehicle accidents, with two injuries and 47 disabled vehicles. Jefferson County reported 1 indirectly-related injury due to a vehicle accident, with a total of 122 weather related calls. At the height of the storm, WE Energies reported 5,200 customers were without power across Southeast Wisconsin. An outdoor siren belonging to the city of Waukesha was blown down by the winds and had to be replaced. In the Port of Milwaukee, the wind gusts imploded at least 5 metal panals or siding and a roll-down door on a large storage pole shed.

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 Feb 1, 2:52 PM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 2:52 PM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
252 PM CST TUE FEB 1 2011

TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY- CONFIDENCE...HIGH

BLIZZARD ON TRACK TO CLOBBER THE AREA. CURRENT BLIZZARD/WINTER STORM
HEADLINES LOOK RIGHT ON. INITIAL SURGE OF SNOW MAKING QUICK
PROGRESS INTO THE AREA FROM ILLINOIS...SO GOING START TIMES LOOK
FINE. STRONG UPPER JET COUPLING CENTERED ACROSS SOUTHERN WI. STRONG
500 MILLIBAR VORT CENTER TRACKS FROM NEAR ST. LOUIS TO NORTHWEST
INDIANA BY 12Z WEDNESDAY. DRY SLOT RACING NORTH THOUGH EXPECT IT NOT
TO MAKE IT INTO THE AREA...WE WILL REMAIN WITHIN THE DEFORMATION
ZONE...OR LEFT OF THE DRY SLOT. 700-300 MILLIBAR Q-VECTOR
CONVERGENCE EXCEEDS 50 UNITS IN SOUTHEAST WI. NAM SHOWS STRONG 600
MILLIBAR FRONTOGENESIS STRENGTHENING THIS EVENING AND PERSISTING
THOUGH 9Z.

NAM HAS UPPED QPF TOTALS INTO SOUTHERN WI IN LINE WITH
00Z AND 12Z ECMWF NUMBERS...AROUND 1.25 INCHES IN SE WI. GFS LESS
ROBUST. IMPRESSIVELY DEEP DENDRITE GROWTH ZONE IS A WHOPPING 13000
FEET BETWEEN 11 PM AND 4 AM...THIS COULD LEAD TO SOME VERY
IMPRESSIVE HOURLY SNOWFALL RATES. RATIOS KEY...AND AGAIN LEANED
TOWARDS THE LOWER ROEBBER VALUES...WHICH HANDLES WIND CONSIDERATIONS
BETTER THAN THE COBB TECHNIQUE. HOWEVER ADDITIVE FEATURES TO THE
EVENTUAL TOTALS INCLUDE THE LAKE CONTRIBUTION...WHICH PERSISTS FOR
THE DURATION OF THE EVENT. ALSO SOME POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION.

NOTICED ON THE WETZEL INGREDIENT PLOTS THAT THERE WAS SOME ELEVATED
INSTABILITY AROUND 500 MILLIBARS...WITH LARGE BULLSYSE OF PVU ACROSS
SOUTHEAST WI. INSTABILITY NOT AS CLEAR CUT ON BUFFY SOUNDINGS THOUGH
THUNDER ALREADY REPORTED IN MISSOURI. SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK BRINGS SOME
THUNDER POTENTIAL INTO THE FAR SOUTHEAST AS WELL. STRONG NORTHEAST
850 MILLIBAR LOW LEVEL JET OF 50-60 KNOTS WRAPS AROUND THE TIGHTLY
WOUND LOW CENTER...WITH 50 KNOTS AS LOW AS 925 MILLIBARS. WE WILL
SEE SOME OF THESE 50 KNOTS GUSTS MIXING DOWN TO THE SURFACE WITH LOW
LEVEL INSTABILITY TAPPING INTO THESE STRONGER WINDS.

THE LAKE EFFECT FLOWCHART SUGGESTS MODERATE TO HEAVY ADDITIONAL
TOTALS TO THE SYNOPTIC EVENT ITSELF...SO BOOSTED AMOUNTS EVEN MORE
LAKESIDE. FEEL THE ONGOING INLAND CONVERGENCE WILL REFOCUS MORE
TOWARDS THE LAKESHORE COUNTIES AS THE 1000-850 MILLIBAR SHIFTS
MORE TOWARDS THE NORTH...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. NAM SHOWS
1000-850 CONVERGENCE BULLSYE FROM MILWAUKEE TO KENOSHA BETWEEN 12Z
AND 15Z. HAVE USED A BLEND OF THE 12Z GFS/ECMWF QPF. HAVE TOTALS
OF 13-16 INCH IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST WITH MUCH LESSER TOTALS IN THE
FAR NORTHWEST...BUT WINDS THERE WILL STILL MAKE IT A WINTER STORM.
PLACEMENT OF PRIMARY LAKE EFFECT BAND WILL POTENTIALLY ENHANCE
TOTALS EVEN MORE FROM MILWAUKEE SOUTH.

BRUNT OF THE SNOW WILL WIND DOWN BY 15Z...9 AM...WITH THE STRONGER
Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE DECREASING AND SHIFTING EAST. LAKE EFFECT
TRAJECTORIES ALSO BECOME LESS FAVORABLE WITH 1000-850 MILLIBAR
CONVERGENCE SHIFTING OFFSHORE AFTER 15Z. GRADIENT WINDS AROUND THE
STRONG LOW WILL REMAIN A CONCERN INTO AT LEAST EARLY AFTERNOON.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS HIGH.

SOME CLOUDS LINGER IN THE SOUTHEAST EARLY...OTHERWISE...CLASSIC
CLEAR AND COLD NIGHT IN POST SNOWSTORM ENVIRONMENT. COLD AIR IN
PLACE BY EVENING...BUT TEMPS ABOVE THE BOUNDRY LAYER TRY TO
REBOUND AFTER MIDNIGHT IN BACKING FLOW AHEAD OF NEXT APPROACHING
TROF FROM THE NDORTHWEST. HOWEVER...WITH FRESH SNOW COVER THIS
WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL RIDE OVER THE TOP OF A SHARP BOUNDRY LAYER
INVERSION. TEMPS GENERALLY 0 TO 10 BELOW WITH WIND CHILLS DIPPING
TO 20 TO 30 BELOW. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED
LATER...JUST NOT NOW WITH ALL THE OTHER MAJOR HEADLINES IN EFFECT.

.THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS HIGH.

QUITE THIS PERIOD WITH TEMPS CONTINUING TO SLOWLY MODIFY AS WE GET
ATYPICAL WARM ADVECTION FROM THE NORTHWEST...COMING OUT OF
CANADA...AHEAD OF A DEEPING NORTHWEST TROF. THE COLUMN REMAINS
TOO DRY FOR ANY PRECIP WITH THE ADVECTION...AND IT ISN/T THAT
STRONG TO BEGIN WITH.

.FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM.

UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO DIG INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND CLOSES OFF
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...BEFORE OPENING BACK UP AND SHEARING
OFF TO THE EAST BY SUNDAY MORNING. NOT AN IMPRESSIVE AMOUNT OF
MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM...BUT ENOUGH TO HAVE SMALL POPS FOR
LIGHT SNOW AT THIS POINT.

.SUNDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM.

QUIET AND SEASONABLE UNDER SHORT WAVE RIDGING.

.EARLY NEXT WEEK...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM.

ANOTHER CLIPPER ARRIVES AND COULD BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO THE
AREA. IN THE WAKE OF THIS FAST SYSTEM...TEMPS COLLAPSE AGAIN BY
TUESDAY MORNING WITH BITTER CONDITIONS FORECAST.

&&

.AVIATION...LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW MOVES IN TO THE TAF SITES LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...BECOMING MODERATE TO HEAVY BY AROUND 00Z. EXPECT LONG
DURATION OF VLIFR VISBYS...FREQUENTLY TO 1/4 MILE...AS A RESULT OF
FALLING SNOW COMBINED WITH BLOWING SNOW. STRONG WINDS GRADUALLY
SHIFT FROM NORTHEAST THIS EVENING...TO NORTH BY MORNING. EXPECT
SUSTAINED WINDS 20 TO 30 KT...WITH GUSTS 35 TO 45 KT. THIS WILL
ALSO LEAD TO WIND SHEAR OF 20 TO 30 KT IN THE LOWEST 2KFT.

CONDITIONS BEGIN TO IMPROVE LATE MORNING AS THE SNOW DECREASES WEST
TO EAST. BLOWING SNOW CONTINUES THROUGH THE MORNING INTO THE EARLY
AFTERNOON WITH WINDS ABOVE 20KT. WINDS DECREASE INTO THE AFTERNOON
WITH IMPROVING GENERAL IMPROVING CONDITIONS.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL NOON CST WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ052-059-060-
     062>072.

     LAKESHORE FLOOD WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST
     WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ066-071-072.

     LAKESHORE FLOOD ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST
     WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ052-060.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST
     WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ046-047-056-057.

     BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST WEDNESDAY
     FOR WIZ051-058.

LM...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR
     LMZ643>646.

     STORM WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST WEDNESDAY
     FOR LMZ645-646.

     GALE WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR LMZ645-646.

     GALE WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR LMZ643-644.

&&

TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...COLLAR
AVIATION...ZABEL
BEYOND WEDNESDAY/MARINE...DAVIS

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 1, 3:20 PM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
320 PM CST TUE FEB 1 2011

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-021145-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
320 PM CST TUE FEB 1 2011

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

.DAY ONE...REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A BLIZZARD WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN WISCONSIN WITH STRONG NORTHEAST
WINDS...HEAVY SNOW...AND SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES AROUND ZERO DEGREES
WILL MAKE FOR EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR THOSE WHO MUST
TRAVEL OR VENTURE OUTDOORS.

A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS THE
LAKE RISES ABOUT 6 INCHES AND WAVES TO 14 FEET POUND THE SHORELINE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE BLIZZARD WARNING WILL END AT NOON ON WEDNESDAY AS THE SNOW
DIMINISHES...HOWEVER CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL
CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND BRISK WINDS WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS WIND
CHILL TEMPERATURES OF 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO LATE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SNOWFALL...SNOW DRIFT HEIGHTS...WIND GUSTS...AND REPORTS OF WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS ARE APPRECIATED. REPORTS OF COASTAL FLOODING OR BLUFF
EROSION ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE WOULD BE APPRECIATED ALSO.

LMZ643>646-021145-
SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI-
PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI-
NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI-
WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL-
320 PM CST TUE FEB 1 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

NORTHEAST GALES WILL INCREASE TO STORM FORCE BY MID EVENING AS
STRONG LOW PRESSURE MOVES TOWARDS INDIANA. VERY HIGH WAVES TO 16
FEET AND HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

STORM FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THEN
DIMINISH A BIT TO GALE FORCE FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. VERY HIGH
WAVES AND HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WILL CONTINUE AS WELL AND ALSO
SUBSIDE LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

BRISK SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL LIKELY REQUIRE A SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

COLLAR
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 1, 2:09 PM CST, 4 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
209 PM CST TUE FEB 01 2011

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

0200 PM     SNOW             NORTH PRAIRIE           42.94N 88.40W
02/01/2011  M7.0 INCH        WAUKESHA           WI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            STORM TOTAL.

&&

RSCHAAR

Local storm report, Feb 1, 4:35 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
435 PM CST TUE FEB 01 2011

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

0420 PM     BLIZZARD         2 WSW RACINE            42.72N 87.82W
02/01/2011                   RACINE             WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            VISIBILITY 1/8 MILE IN HEAVY SNOW BAND WITH PEAK WIND
            GUST OF 38 KNOTS AT NEARBY ASOS.

&&

MRC

Local storm report, Feb 1, 4:53 PM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
453 PM CST TUE FEB 01 2011

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

0400 PM     SNOW             2 E HOLY HILL           43.24N 88.29W
02/01/2011  M7.9 INCH        WASHINGTON         WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STORM TOTAL. 1.5 INCHES SINCE 6 AM.

&&

MRC

Local storm report, Feb 1, 5:03 PM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
503 PM CST TUE FEB 01 2011

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

0400 PM     SNOW             3 SE EAGLE              42.85N 88.43W
02/01/2011  M7.0 INCH        WAUKESHA           WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STORM TOTAL SO FAR. LATEST WIND GUST 35 MPH WITH
            VISIBILITY LESS THAN A HALF MILE.

&&

MRC

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Jefferson

When: February 1, 7:00 PM CST to February 2, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Waukesha

When: February 1, 7:00 PM CST to February 2, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Property damage: $24,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Milwaukee

When: February 1, 7:00 PM CST to February 2, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 3 indirect
Injuries: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Blizzard, Milwaukee	2011-02-01	53	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Indirect
Blizzard, Milwaukee	2011-02-01	54	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Indirect
Blizzard, Milwaukee	2011-02-01	66	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Indirect

What these are

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 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, February 2011

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: 286986, 286987, 286988.