Snow fell across north-central Wisconsin as a low pressure system passed north of the state. Once the system passed, lake-effect snow showers produced snow totals of 4 to 7 inches across Vilas County.
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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.
The episode as NWS GRB wrote it up.
Snow fell across north-central Wisconsin as a low pressure system passed north of the state. Once the system passed, lake-effect snow showers produced snow totals of 4 to 7 inches across Vilas County. The snow showers combined with northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph to cause blowing and drifting snow. The highest snow totals were 7.5 inches at Rest Lake, 7 inches at Winchester, 6.5 inches 3 miles northeast of Winchester and 5.3 inches 10 miles west of Land O Lakes.
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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 22, 10:33 PM CST, 4 hours 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 1033 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 UPDATED AVIATION PORTION FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE .UPDATE...ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MIDDLE 40S TO LOWER 50S ACROSS THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AREA ACROSS THE NORTH...THIS WILL NOT LAST LONG. WATCHING BAND OF PRIMARY SNOW...SOME RAIN AT LEADING EDGE...ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST WISCONSIN INTO MINNESOTA WITH MAIN SYSTEM. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN SHOWING THIS AREA TRACKING NORTHEAST INTO OUR FAR NORTH LATE THIS EVENING. VISIBILITIES IN SOME AREAS DID DROP DOWN TO LESS THAN A MILE IN SPOTS. WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED DROP SOME 10 TO 20 DEGREES OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND LOWER VISIBILITIES WITH THE BAND OF PRECIPITATION...WILL PROBABLY MOVE UP THE START TIME TO 10 PM TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS BAND. MOTORIST ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN SHOULD BE ON ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGE WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS. ALSO...WILL UPGRADE TO A GALE WARNING WITH THE 9 PM PACKAGE. GALES ARE LIKELY WHILE SOME GUSTS OVER NORTHERN DOOR COUNTY COULD APPROACH STORM FORCE IF THE WRF IS CORRECT. WILL OFF ON A WIND ADVISORY DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE MODELS WITH RESPECT TO 850MB WINDS AND HOW STRONG WINDS WOULD BE ACROSS DOOR COUNTY. THE WEAK MODELS WOULD SUGGEST GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH (CURRENT FORECAST) WHILE THE STRONGER GFS WOULD INDICATED GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH. THE STRONGEST MODEL WAS THE WRF WHICH WOULD INDICATED GUSTS TO AROUND 55 MPH IF THOSE 50 KNOTS AT 850MB CAN BE MIXED DOWN TO THE SURFACE OVER THE RELATIVELY WARMER WATERS OF THE BAY OF GREEN BAY. ECKBERG && .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED AT 505 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012... SYNOPSIS...MUCH COLDER WITH SOME SNOW TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...THEN QUIETER WITH MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD. THE DOMINANT UPR FEATURE DURING THE PERIOD WL BE THE STG RIDGE OUT NEAR THE DATELINE. THE FLOW DOWNSTREAM OVER NOAM WL BE IN TRANSITION...AS THE TROF POSN SHIFTS INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. BY MID WEEK...AND THEN INTO THE E BY NEXT WEEKEND. AN ABRUPT CHG TO MUCH COLDER WX WL OCCUR TNGT...THEN TEMPS NR OR A LITTLE BLO SEASONAL NORMALS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD. WHEN COMBINED WITH LAKE-EFFECT...STG CYCLONE CROSSING THE LAKE SUPERIOR RGN TNGT WL BRING SOME MODEST PCPN TOTALS TO THE N TNGT/FRI. THEN THERE WL BE A FEW CHCS FOR LGT PCPN THE REST OF THE PERIOD. SHORT TERM...TNGT/FRI. DEEPENING CYCLONE WL TRACK E FM LAKE SUPERIOR TNGT...AS SHARPENING UPR TROF DRIVES EWD FM THE NRN PLAINS. STG COLD FRONT TRAILING FM THE CYCLONE WL SWEEP ACRS THE FCST AREA THIS EVENING...BRINGING AN END TO THE UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPS. ALTHOUGH MOISTURE WITH THE SYSTEM WAS LIMITED...FORCING FM THE UPR SYSTEM WAS LEADING TO A GRADUAL INCR IN PCPN OVER THE NRN PLAINS THIS AFTN. SO EXPECT PCPN TO CONT TO INCR AS SYSTEM APPROACHES THIS EVENING. INITIALLY...PCPN SHOULD BE LIQUID...BUT COLDER AIR SURGING EWD SHOULD CAUSE A CHG TO SNOW DURING THE NGT. LOOKS LIKE N-C WI WL BE AFFECTED BY THE COMMA HEAD OF THE UPR LOW FOR A TIME OVERNIGHT. THEN WE SHOULD TRANSITION INTO A LAKE-EFFECT SITN AS THE SYSTEM PULLS AWAY LATE TNGT/FRI. UPPED POPS/QPF/SNOWFALL TOTALS FM PREV FCST. FAIRLY CONFIDENT IN GETTING ENOUGH SNOW FROM THE SYSTEM COMBINED WITH THE LAKE-EFFECT TO JUSTIFY AN ADVISORY FOR VILAS. ONEIDA/FOREST/FLORENCE MORE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE AS AMNTS PROBABLY WOULD NOT JUSTIFY AN ADVISORY UNDER MOST CIRCUMSTANCES. HOWEVER... GIVEN THAT WE ARE EARLY IN THE SEASON...THERE WL BE A SIG AMNT OF PEOPLE TRAVELING LATE TNGT AND FRI MORNING...AND THAT FALLING TEMPS COULD RESULT IN ICING OF ROADWAYS THAT MAY INITIALLY BE WET...WL OPT TO GO WITH AN ADVISORY FOR THESE AREAS AS WELL. RATHER WINDY CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED AND ALSO FAVOR THIS BEING A HIGHER IMPACT EVENT THAN SNOW TOTALS ALONE WOULD SUGGEST. EVEN ACRS THE REST OF THE AREA...THE WX FRIDAY WL BE IN SHARP CONTRAST TO TDA. AND PEOPLE WL PROBABLY PERCEIVE IT TO BE EVEN COLDER AFTER OUR RECENT STRETCH OF ABV NORMAL TEMPS. WINDS OVER DOOR COUNTY COULD REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA...BUT STRONGEST WINDS THERE PROBABLY WL NOT OCCUR UNTIL LATER IN THE DAY WHEN FLOW TURNS MORE NNWLY. GIVEN THE AMNT OF TIME BEFORE THEN...WL DEFER ISSUING A WIND ADVISORY NOW AND ALLOW LATER SHIFTS TO MAKE SURE LATER DATA STILL SUPPORT WINDS STG ENOUGH TO REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA. LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY. LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD DISSIPATE FRIDAY NIGHT AS DRIER AIR ARRIVES ALOFT AND WINDS DROP OFF AND PICK UP MORE OF A WESTERLY COMPONENT. THEN DRY AND COLD SATURDAY BEFORE CLIPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES SATURDAY NIGHT. IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE A LIGHT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE AIR IS INITIALLY DRY BUT SIGNIFICANT LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION SHOULD BE ABLE TO SATURATE THE AIR ENOUGH TO GET MAYBE AN INCH OF SNOW. ANOTHER PUSH OF COLD AIR ARRIVES BEHIND THE CLIPPER SYSTEM FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS BRING AN UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. THE GFS AND GEM HAVE A STRONGER UPPER SYSTEM AND A MORE SIGNIFICANT SURFACE LOW THAT IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BRING SOME SNOW TO THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THAT/S SEVERAL DAYS AWAY AND THE SYSTEM IS STILL OVER THE NORTHERN PACIFIC SO THE MODELS MAY NOT SETTLE ON A SOLUTION FOR ANOTHER DAY OR TWO. WILL KEEP THE CURRENT FORECAST GOING FOR NOW. AFTER THAT SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PUSH OF COLD AIR AS AN ARCTIC HIGH DROPS SOUTHEAST FROM NORTHWEST CANADA INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND GREAT LAKES. COULD GET SOME SUBZERO TEMPERATURES NEXT FRIDAY MORNING WHERE THERE IS SNOWCOVER IF SKIES ARE CLEAR AND WINDS ARE LIGHT. MARINE...MAY WELL NEED A GALE WARNING FOR THE WATERS OF THE BAY AND LAKE ADJACENT TO THE NORTHERN PART OF DOOR COUNTY. BUT SINCE STRONGEST WINDS THERE PROBABLY WON/T OCCUR UNTIL TOMORROW AFTN/EVENING...WL HOLD WITH SMALL CRAFT FOR NOW AND JUST HILIGHT THE POSSIBLE GALES IN THE NSH/MWW/HWO. && .AVIATION...GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. GUSTS OF 25 TO 40 KNOTS CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. VFR CIGS WILL GIVE WAY TO MVFR...AND IN SOME CASES IFR CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTH DUE TO LOW CLOUDS OR SNOW SHOWERS. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SNOW BELT REGION OF OF NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...AND WILL MORE THAN LIKELY LINGER INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY NIGHT. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST FRIDAY FOR WIZ005-010>012. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 253 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-232100- VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE- MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE- WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET- MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO- 253 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE COMBINATION OF RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW...FALLING TEMPERATURES...AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY HAZARDOUS TRAVEL IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN FRIDAY. SNOW SHOWERS COULD CAUSE SOME ROADWAYS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA TO BECOME SLIPPERY AS WELL. WINDS ACROSS DOOR COUNTY COULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO MAKE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES DIFFICULT FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD SNOWFALL MEASUREMENTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY. LMZ521-522-541>543-232100- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 253 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FEW GALE FORCE GUSTS TO 35 KTS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GALE FORCE GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS ADJACENT TO NORTHERN DOOR COUNTY. SKOWRONSKI/RDM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 939 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-230545- VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE- MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE- WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET- MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...EAGLE RIVER...RHINELANDER...CRANDON... TOMAHAWK...ANTIGO...KESHENA...STURGEON BAY...WAUSAU... WISCONSIN RAPIDS...STEVENS POINT...APPLETON...GREEN BAY... ALGOMA...WAUTOMA...OSHKOSH...CHILTON...TWO RIVERS...CRIVITZ 939 PM CST THU NOV 22 2012 ...WINDY AND MUCH COLDER WEATHER ALONG WITH SOME SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES TONIGHT AND FRIDAY... THE UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER IS COMING TO AN ABRUPT END. THE COLDER AIR WAS NOW WORKING INTO NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S ACROSS NORTHEAST WISCONSIN WILL FALL INTO THE MIDDLE 30S TO LOWER 40S BY MIDNIGHT. ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN...TEMPERATURES BY MIDNIGHT WILL BE IN THE UPPER 20S TO MIDDLE 30S. GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH WILL ADD A CHILL TO THE AIR. TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 30 DEGREES COLDER THAN TODAY. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL MAKE IT FEEL EVEN COLDER WITH WIND CHILL INDICES FROM 10 TO 20 DEGREES AT MOST LOCATIONS. AS THE COLD AIR BEGINS TO INVADE THE AREA...SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO THE REGION DURING THE NIGHT... REACHING EASTERN WISCONSIN FRIDAY MORNING. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN. UNTREATED ROADS...BRIDGES AND SIDEWALKS ACROSS THIS REGION WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. SNOWFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA WILL BE LIGHT...WITH ONLY A DUSTING EXPECTED. BUT WHEN COMBINED WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW FREEZING...EVEN A LIGHT SNOWFALL COULD RESULT IN SOME ICING OF ROADWAYS LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. ANYONE PLANNING ON HEADING OUT FOR SOME HOLIDAY SHOPPING EARLY FRIDAY SHOULD DRESS FOR THE COLDER WEATHER...AND BE ALERT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SLIPPERY ROADWAYS. ECKBERG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Lake-effect snow showers and blustery northwest winds produced plenty of blowing and drifting snow across Vilas County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, November 2012
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: 415802.