A strengthening area of low pressure tracked from eastern Iowa northeast to Lower Michigan. Cold air poured into the region behind the storm system on gusty northwest winds and changed rain into snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A strengthening area of low pressure tracked from eastern Iowa northeast to Lower Michigan. Cold air poured into the region behind the storm system on gusty northwest winds and changed rain into snow. The combination of snowfall from the low pressure system and subsequent lake effect brought over a foot of accumulation to northwest Vilas County. The town of Winchester reported 13.0 inches of snow.
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 Apr 19, 2:57 AM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 357 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR ROUTINE MORNING FORECAST ISSUANCE .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 348 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 WINDY WITH SNOW SHOWERS TODAY...AND MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOWS IN THE LAKE-SUPERIOR SNOWBELT. THE LARGE SCALE FLOW ACRS THE CONUS WL UNDERGO A LITTLE DEAMPLIFICATION DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE FCST PERIOD...THEN REAMPLIFY AGAIN LATER NEXT WK. THE MEAN TROF POSN...THOUGH SHIFTING ARND A BIT...WL BASICALLY BE IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CONUS. THOUGH THE COLDEST TEMPS ARE LIKELY EARLY IN THE PERIOD...THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN WL STILL KEEP TEMPS BLO NORMAL...MAINLY DUE TO CHILLY DAYTIME HIGHS. THE PROXIMITY OF THE LARGE SCALE TROF WL RESULT IN SEVERAL PCPN EPISODES...AND AOA NORMAL PCPN FOR THE PERIOD. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY...TONIGHT...AND SATURDAY ISSUED AT 348 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 LARGE UPR DRY SLOT DROVE NE ACRS THE ENTIRE FCST AREA YDA EVENING...SHUTTING PCPN DOWN TO JUST DZ...AND SOME FZDZ IN THE FAR NW. UPR LOW CURRENTLY LIFTG NE ACRS NW WI. STG DYANMICS THAT GENERATED PRONOUNCED DEFORMATION ZONE PCPN SHIELD NW OF THE UPR LOW WL LIFT AWAY FM THE AREA WITH THE UPR SYSTEM. BUT REMNANTS OF THE DEFORMATION ZONE WL SWING BACK INTO THE WRN PART OF THE FCST AREA WHILE WEAKENING. DEEPENING MOISTURE AND COOLING TEMPS WL SWITCH PCPN OVER TO SN FM W-E...AND THAT CHANGE HAS ALREADY MADE IT TO ABOUT AN MFI-AUW-EGV LINE. ALTHOUGH SYSTEM SNOWS PROBABLY WON/T BE AS GREAT AS EXPECTED YDA...STILL LOOKS LIKE PRETTY FAVORABLE LAKE-EFFECT SET-UP FOR THE SNOWBELT IN VILAS COUNTY. WINDS WILL PICK UP TOO...AND WITH TEMPS FALLING BLO FZG...SHOULD BE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING. NOT SURE TOTALS ALONE WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE WARNING...BUT GIVEN THE WIND AND INHERENT UNCERTAINTY DEALING WITH LAKE-EFFECT...OPTED TO STICK WITH THE WARNING. NEEDED TO EXTEND THE HEADLINE TO 00Z FOR VILAS COUNTY REGARDLESS OF HEADLINE TYPE SINCE BEST LAKE-EFFECT WL OCCUR DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. MAIN CONCERN ACRS THE REST OF THE AREA WL BE WINDS. ALREADY HAD ONE ROUND OF PRETTY STG GUSTS OVER THE SE PART OF THE FCST AREA RIGHT BEHIND THE OCCLUSION. WINDS ACRS THE REST OF THE AREA STILL NOT TOO STG AS CYCLONE JUST PULLING THROUGH THE AREA. SHOULD BE A SIG UPTICK IN WINDS LATER THIS MORNING AS CAA BEHIND THE DEPARTING CYCLONE STEEPENS LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES...PROMOTING MIXING INTO 40 KT WLY WINDS ALOFT. SHRTWV SLIDING EWD ACRS THE AREA WL PROBABLY KEEP AT LEAST SOME PATCHES OF CLDS ARND TNGT. RAISED MINS A BIT...ESP E-C WI WHERE WINDS SHOULD REMAIN UP ALL NGT. QUIET WX EXPECTED SAT AS SFC HIGH SLIDES INTO THE RGN. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY ISSUED AT 348 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER MOST OF THE CONUS DURING THE PERIOD. THERE WILL BE AT LEAST A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST AS SYSTEMS IN NORTHWEST FLOW MOVE INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THE SPEED OF THE SYSTEMS...ALONG WITH DIFFERENCES IN TIMING AMONG THE MODELS...MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO GO WITHOUT AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND/OR SNOW THROUGHOUT THE LONG TERM. THERE IS EVEN SOME DIFFICULTY IN TIMING THE SYSTEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. MODEL SOLUTIONS WERE GENERALLY QUICKER WITH PRECIPITATION IN RETURN FLOW BEHIND A DEPARTING SURFACE HIGH AND AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONT. HAVE STILL HELD OFF EVEN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS UNTIL AFTER 06Z SUNDAY IN THE FAR WESTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. LOOKS COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW IN MOST LOCATIONS AT THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION BUT TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM UP ENOUGH TO CHANGE IT ALL TO RAIN BY EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL BE SLOW TO PASS THROUGH WISCONSIN AS A LOW FROM THE PLAINS MOVES ALONG THE FRONT AND INTO THE REGION. PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN THROUGH MONDAY EVENING IN WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE FRONT. AFTER THAT...A MIX OR CHANGEOVER TO SNOW IS LIKELY IN THE NORTH. PRECIPITATION TYPE ISSUE CONTINUE THROUGHOUT MUCH OF NEXT WEEK AS WELL. TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD WILL REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS. && .AVIATION...FOR 12Z TAF ISSUANCE ISSUED AT 348 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 CIGS WL IMPROVE TO MVFR MOST AREAS THIS MORNING...THOUGH LOWER CIGS AND VSBYS WL PERSIST OVER THE NW PART OF THE AREA. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TNGT. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR WIZ010- 018. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR WIZ005. && SYNOPSIS.......SKOWRONSKI SHORT TERM.....SKOWRONSKI LONG TERM......MG AVIATION.......SKOWRONSKI
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 438 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-201100- 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- 438 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL GENERATE SOME HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS IN NORTH- CENTRAL WISCONSIN TODAY. THE POOREST CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE LAKE-SUPERIOR SNOWBELT...WHERE HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA. GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. THE STRONG GUSTS COULD BLOW AROUND UNSECURED OUTDOOR OBJECTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD SNOWFALL MEASUREMENTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY. LMZ521-522-541>543-201100- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 438 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GALE FORCE GUSTS FROM THE WEST ARE EXPECTED TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SKOWRONSKI
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 427 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 WIZ005-010-018-191200- VILAS-ONEIDA-LINCOLN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...EAGLE RIVER...RHINELANDER...TOMAHAWK 427 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2013 ...SNOW EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS MORNING... AT 420 AM...WEATHER OBSERVING STATIONS INDICATED THAT THE PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA HAD CHANGED TO SNOW. A BAND OF HEAVIER SNOW WAS JUST WEST OF THE AREA...AND IS EXPECTED TO EDGE EAST DURING THE MORNING. SO THERE WILL LIKELY BE AN INCREASE IN THE SNOWFALL INTENSITY DURING THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS...ESPECIALLY IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF VILAS...ONEIDA...AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. AS TEMPERATURES FALL FARTHER BELOW FREEZING...THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE ON UNTREATED SIDEWALKS AND ROADWAYS...AND RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. THE SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE IN MOST AREAS BY MID-MORNING. BUT HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER LAKE SUPERIOR...AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE SNOWBELT AREA THROUGH THE DAY. IN ADDITION...WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE. SINCE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW FREEZING DURING THE DAY...THE WINDS WILL LIKELY GENERATE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW. BE SURE TO USE EXTRA CAUTION IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN TODAY. SKOWRONSKI
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The NWS cooperative observer measured 13.0 inches of snow in the town of Winchester.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 2013
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: 444903.