Severe drought (D2) conditions that developed in parts of Lincoln County, Oneida County and Vilas County in November 2012 continued into March 2013.
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.
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.
Severe drought (D2) conditions that developed in parts of Lincoln County, Oneida County and Vilas County in November 2012 continued into March 2013.
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 Jan 31, 9:54 PM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 954 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 UPDATED AVIATION PORTION FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE .SHORT TERM...TNGT/FRI. RELATIVELY QUIET...AT LEAST COMPARED TO THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. ARCTIC AIR WL BE STRENGTHENING ITS GRIP ON THE AREA. WIND CHILL ADVISORY ALREADY POSTED. VALUES IN THE UPDATED APPARENT TEMP GRIDS SUGGEST IT MAY BE STARTING A FEW HRS TOO EARLY...ESP ACRS THE WEST. BUT DON/T SEE THAT AS BEING A BIG DEAL SO WL STICK WITH GOING ADVISORY AS IS. END TIME ARND 18Z TOMORROW LOOKS ON TRACK. RATHER STRANGE SENSIBLE WX CONDITIONS EARLIER TDA. AUTOMATED OBSERVING SYSTEMS WERE GENERALLY REPORTING OVC SKIES. BUT STLT IMAGERY SUGGESTED CLDS WERE VERY THIN IN MANY PLACES...AND HAD AT LEAST FILTERED SUNSHINE MOST OF THE DAY AT THE WX OFFICE. BUT CLDS HAVE INCREASED SOME IN THE PAST COUPLE HRS...AND RADAR RETURNS INCRG AS WELL. LOOKS LIKE JUST SOME VERY LGT SNOW AND FLURRIES ACRS THE AREA...THOUGH WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SCT SHSN BEFORE THE AFTN IS OVER. WL JUST START FCST OUT WITH OCNL S-/S--...THEN TAPER BACK TO JUST FLURRIES DURING THE EVENING. WINDS A LITTLE MORE WLY THAN IDEAL FOR LAKE-EFFECT OFF LAKE SUPERIOR. BUT SOME SHSN HAVE BEEN MAKING IT INTO AREAS NR THE UPR MICHIGAN BORDER FROM TIME TO TIME BEFORE DISSIPATING. THINK THAT WL GRADUALLY DECR DURING THE NGT AS THE AIR UPSTREAM FM THE LAKE IS VERY DRY...AND AS ANY LIFT FM SHRTWV CROSSING THE AREA IS LOST. EXPECT CLDS TO DECR DURING THE NGT. SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT WL STAY UP ENOUGH TO KEEP SOME WIND GOING...SO THERE WON/T BE IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS. BUT THE AIR MASS IS STILL VERY COLD...AND WE NOW HAVE A DEEP FRESH SNOWCOVER ACRS THE RGN. STAYED AOB GUID FOR MINS. THINK THE COLDEST MAXES TOMORROW WL BE IN CENTRAL WI...WITH THE NORTH PROBABLY GETTING A LITTLE MORE OF A DIURNAL RECOVERY AS IS TYPICAL THIS TIME OF YEAR. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN INDICATES THAT NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK THANKS TO A PERSISTENT MEAN TROUGH WHICH WILL BE POSITIONED OVER NORTHEAST NORTH AMERICA. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK THE PATTERN FLATTENS AS ENERGY DIGS OFF THE WEST COAST OF THE U.S. IN THE MEANTIME...COLD TEMPERATURES AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM CLIPPERS ARE THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS OVER THIS PERIOD. MODEL AGREEMENT IS ONLY FAIR FOR THIS FORECAST CYCLE. IN REGARDS TO THE FIRST CLIPPER SATURDAY NIGHT...THE GFS IS A TAD STRONG WITH THE SURFACE LOW BY 06Z SUN. FOR THE CLIPPER SUNDAY NIGHT...MODELS HAVE TRENDED FARTHER SOUTHWEST IN THE FORECAST CYCLE AND THE SPREAD SEEMS TO HAVE INCREASED. SINCE THE SHORTWAVE IS OF RATHER LOW AMPLITUDE...WILL DISCOUNT THE GEM AND GO WITH A BLEND OF THE GFS/ECMWF. WILL CONTINUE THE BLEND FOR THE REST OF THE FORECAST. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...SURFACE RIDGE AXIS WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT WHICH WILL LEAD TO LIGHT WINDS AND VERY COLD CONDITIONS. HIGH CLOUDS...FROM A CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVING FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS...WILL BE OVERHEAD FOR MUCH OF THE STATE...WHICH WILL LIMIT HOW COLD TEMPS GET. MOST OF THE GUIDANCE KEEPS POPS WELL SOUTHWEST OF THE REGION BUT PREVIOUS SHIFT ADDED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW TO CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SO WILL KEEP IT FOR NOW. THICKNESS OF THE CIRRUS WILL DETERMINE HOW LOW TEMPS GO. SEEING PLENTY OF 20 BELOWS IN THE GUIDANCE AND WILL DROP TEMPS OVER N-C WISCONSIN. PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS WILL BE PRESENT AT THE START OF SATURDAY MORNING BUT SHOULD SEE SOME CLEARING TAKE PLACE DURING THE AM HOURS. BUT CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE NEXT CLIPPER. LIGHT SNOW FROM THE CLIPPER WILL BE PUSHING ACROSS WESTERN WISCONSIN DURING THE AFTERNOON...AND WILL BE KNOCKING ON THE DOOR INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN BY EARLY IN THE EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND A BIT ON SATURDAY INTO THE LOW TO MID TEENS. THE CLIPPER WILL THEN TRACK FROM CENTRAL MINNESOTA TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS ON SATURDAY NIGHT. FORCING IS PRETTY WEAK...SO NOT EXPECTING MORE THAN A HALF INCH OR AN INCH OF FLUFFY SNOW OUT OF IT. THE CLIPPER WILL BE GONE BY THE START OF SUNDAY AND SHOULD SEE A MOSTLY SUNNY/PARTLY CLOUDY DAY. TEMPS WILL MODERATE ONLY SLIGHTLY AND LOW TO MID TEENS SEEM APPROPRIATE ONCE AGAIN. REST OF THE FORECAST...THE NEXT CLIPPER IS PROGGED TO IMPACT THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. THOUGH THE SHORTWAVE IS NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT....THE BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL BE TIGHTER...THUS RESULTING IN STRONGER MID-LEVEL FGEN. QPF AMOUNTS ARE THEREFORE SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE PREVIOUS CLIPPER AND 1-3" OF FLUFFY SNOW LOOKS TO BE POSSIBLE GIVEN THE HIGH SNOW TO LIQUID RATIOS. MODELS ARE TRENDING A BIT SOUTHWEST WITH THE TRACK OF THIS WAVE...SO WILL KEEP HIGHEST ACCUMS OVER CENTRAL WI. THIS CLIPPER WILL EXIT MONDAY MORNING BUT STILL EXPECTING A MOSTLY CLOUDY DAY AS THE NEXT CLIPPER WILL FOLLOW CLOSE ON ITS HEELS. COULD BE ANOTHER 1-3 INCHER AS THE MID-LEVEL WAVE LOOKS FAIRLY DECENT. HIGH PRESSURE THEN RETURNS ON WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES OVER THE PERIOD WILL BE CLOSE TO NORMAL. && .AVIATION...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SCATTERED MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS DUE TO LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE LAKE SUPERIOR SNOWBELT...VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. TDH && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY FOR WIZ012-013-021-022- 038>040-048>050-073-074. WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY FOR WIZ005-010-011- 018>020-030-031-035>037-045. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 243 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-012045- 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- 243 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS COULD LEAD TO SOME SLIPPERY SPOTS ON AREA ROADWAYS THIS EVENING. ARCTIC AIR PUSHING INTO THE AREA WILL DRIVE WIND CHILLS INTO THE DANGER CATEGORY OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LOW WIND CHILLS WILL LINGER THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. SEVERAL CLIPPER SYSTEMS COULD BRING LIGHT SNOW TO THE AREA OVER THE PERIOD...ONE SATURDAY NIGHT...ANOTHER SUNDAY NIGHT...AND FINALLY A LAST ONE ON TUESDAY. TRACKS OF EACH CLIPPER REMAIN UNCERTAIN...BUT EACH ONE HAS POTENTIAL TO BRING A DUSTING TO A COUPLE INCHES OF LIGHT FLUFFY SNOW TO MUCH OF THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT. LMZ521-522-541>543-012045- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 243 PM CST THU JAN 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. SKOWRONSKI/MPC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Despite above normal precipitation across north-central Wisconsin southwest Vilas County remained in the severe drought (D2) category throughout February 2013.
Despite above normal precipitation across north-central Wisconsin western Oneida County remained in the severe drought (D2) category throughout February 2013.
Despite above normal precipitation across north-central Wisconsin northwest Lincoln County remained in the severe drought (D2) category throughout February 2013.
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, February 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: 427992, 427993, 427994.