Wisconsin, 2013

Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, May 1 to 3, 2013

May 1 to 3, 2013 · NWS DLH · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An unusually late and strong winter storm brought a narrow band of heavy snow of up to about 20 inches to parts of northwest Wisconsin. The main band of over 14 inches of snow stretched from about Rochester, MN to Ashland, WI.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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.

An unusually late and strong winter storm brought a narrow band of heavy snow of up to about 20 inches to parts of northwest Wisconsin. The main band of over 14 inches of snow stretched from about Rochester, MN to Ashland, WI. Storm reports included 18 inches near Clam Lake, 18 inches near Mellen, 17.4 inches near Ashland, 17.3 inches near Saxon, 15.4 inches near Upson, 14.2 inches near Hayward, 13 inches near Odanah, and 10.3 inches near Bayfield.

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 May 1, 5:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 5:25 PM CST, 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 1, 3:16 PM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Washburn

When
May 1, 6:00 PM CST to May 3, 12:00 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, Sawyer

When
May 1, 7:00 PM CST to May 3, 12:00 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, Iron

When
May 1, 11:00 PM CST to May 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ashland

When
May 2, 2:00 AM CST to May 3, 12:00 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
May 2, 4:00 AM CST to May 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.635, -91.181 (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

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, May 2013

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: 447913, 447914, 447912, 447911, 447910.