A Polar trough brought a narrow north to south band of light snow that slowly moved east across southeast Wisconsin. The air and road temperatures, which were above freezing during the day and early evening, cooled below freezing with icy roads quickly developing.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 MKX wrote it up.
A Polar trough brought a narrow north to south band of light snow that slowly moved east across southeast Wisconsin. The air and road temperatures, which were above freezing during the day and early evening, cooled below freezing with icy roads quickly developing. Dozens of slide-offs and accidents occurred including a 30-vehicle pileup on highway 45 in Wauwatosa. This was the last winter weather event that occurred in spring. Due to the very cold and snowy cold season, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is requesting $27.3 million from the state legislature to cover the counties costs of additional salt and plowing. The $27.3 million is the total for the entire state of Wisconsin.
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 Apr 14, 2:17 PM CST, 5 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 317 PM CDT MON APR 14 2014 .SHORT TERM... .TONIGHT - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM STRONG H2-H3 JET MAX CRUISING NEWD ON ERN SIDE OF MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS HELPING TO ENHANCE SHSN ACROSS PORTIONS OF SC AND SE WI. THIS BAND EXTENDS SW INTO NE MO AND IS HANDLED FAIRLY WELL BY LATEST HRRR. SO THIS WILL KEEP THE SE CORNER VULNERABLE FOR LIGHT SNOW INTO THE EVENING HOURS. LOTS OF MELTING GOING ON SO NOT EXPECTING ANY ISSUES WITH THIS. WILL CARRY HIGH POPS INTO THE EVENING IN THE SE. LLVL RH PROGS AND MOS BOTH SUGGEST SOME CLEARING TRYING TO MOVE IN AFTER 6Z. WINDS EXPECTED TO EASE A BIT AS THE NIGHT GOES ON...ESP IN THE WRN CWA. SO A DECENT TEMP DROPOFF EXPECTED WHEN ANY HOLES OPEN UP THERE. .TUESDAY - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM WHILE MAIN UPPER TROUGH AXIS WILL BE TO THE EAST...THERE WILL STILL BE UPPER CYCLONIC CURVATURE INTO THE NE. BUFKIT SHOWS SOME LINGERING STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES ALONG WITH A SMATTERING OF LIGHT QPF. GFS AND 4KM SPC WRF LOOK MOST AGGRESSIVE AND THIS WOULD BE MAINLY IN THE EAST/NORTHEAST CWA. PER COORD WITH GRB HAVE LEFT PCPN OUT OF FORECAST BUT HAVE BEEFED UP SKY COVER ESPECIALLY WITH UPSTREAM CU FIELD ACROSS MN. ANOTHER CHILLY DAY WITH TEMPS ONLY NEARING 40 AT BEST. .TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE...HIGH THE MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES ZONAL BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE UPPER JET MAX INCREASES TO 100 KNOTS OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. UPPER DIVERGENCE INCREASES SOMEWHAT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BUT THE STRONGEST DIVERGENCE OCCURS JUST TO THE NORTH IN THE ENTRANCE REGION OF THE JET. LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION BEGINS TUESDAY NIGHT AND STRENGTHENS WEDNESDAY. MODERATE 700 MB UPWARD MOTION BEGINS LATER TUESDAY NIGHT OVER NORTHWEST AREAS...WITH WEAKER UPWARD MOTION SOUTHEAST. SATURATION OCCURS ACROSS MOST OF THE SOUTH AT 700 MB OVERNIGHT...THAT LIFTS INTO NORTHERN WISCONSIN BY NOON WEDNESDAY AS A 55 KNOT 700 MB JET MAX MOVES ACROSS WISCONSIN. A STRONG 850 MB JET MAX OF 60 KNOTS APPROACHES SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN BY SUNRISE...BEFORE EXTENDING ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN WEDNESDAY. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION STAYS NORTH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING..BUT THE NAM DOES BRING SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION MAINLY NORTH OF A DELLS TO SHEBOYGAN LINE. THICKNESS AND 850 MB TEMPERATURES ARE COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW. NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW DRY AIR BLOW 800 MB...BUT MID LAPSE RATES ARE RATHER STEEP SO THAT MAY NOT PREVENT PRECIP FROM REACHING THE GROUND IF IT IS MORE CONVECTIVE IN NATURE. EXPECT A WINDY DAY WITH BRISK SOUTH WINDS. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE...HIGH THE MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES SOUTHWEST THURSDAY AS A TROUGH DEVELOPS ACROSS THE PLAINS. UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE OCCURS AHEAD OF THE TROUGH ACROSS WISCONSIN. WEAK TO MODERATE 700 MB UPWARD MOTION MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN WEDNESDAY EVENING...WITH VERY WEAK UPWARD MOTION SOUTHEAST BY THURSDAY. A NARROW BAND OF HIGHER 850/700 MB RELATIVE HUMIDITY MOVES INTO SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN BY THURSDAY. PRECIPITATION IS ALONG AND JUST BEHIND THE SURFACE TROUGH AXIS AS IT MOVES INTO SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN...BUT DIMINISHES OVERNIGHT...WITH THE NAM NOT SHOWING ANY PRECIPITATION OVER THE SOUTHEAST. .THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE...HIGH THE 12Z GFS/06Z DGEX AND 00Z ECMWF ALL SWING A RATHER SHARP SHORTWAVE INTO WISCONSIN FRIDAY AND BRINGS A BAND OF PRECIPITATION INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. 850 AND THICKNESS VALUES WOULD INDICATE SNOW. HOWEVER BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURES ARE MARGINAL. .LONG TERM... .FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM THE MID LEVEL TROUGH EXITS THE LAKE MICHIGAN AREA FRIDAY EVENING WITH A SECOND SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY. THE 12Z GFS IS STRONGER AND MORE SOUTH THAN THE 00Z ECMWF. THE ECMWF HAS MORE LINGERING LIGHT PRECIPITATION THAN THE GFS. BOTH MODELS BRING A LOW ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES SATURDAY. .SUNDAY AND MONDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM THE GFS AND 00Z ECMWF BRINGS THE SHORTWAVE INTO WISCONSIN SATURDAY...WITH THE GFS BEING STRONGER. THE SHORTWAVE REACHES THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES MONDAY. BOTH THE 12Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF BRINGS IN SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION SUNDAY...BUT THE GFS IS FASTER AND HAS JUST A LITTLE MORE QPF. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED MONDAY. && .AVIATION/00Z TAFS/... STILL SOME LINGERING LGT SNOW INTO THE EVENING WITH SLOW ARRIVAL OF MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS AND STRONG UPPER JET ON EASTERN SIDE OF SAID TROUGH. PLENTY OF MVFR CIGS AROUND AND BRIEFLY LOWER VSBYS IN THE HEAVIER SHSN. EXPECT THIS TO PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS IN FAR SE WI. MOS TRENDS DON/T LOOK TOO BAD IN THIS REGARD. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY SLACKEN AS WELL AS LOW CONTINUES TO PULL FURTHER AWAY AND GRADIENT SLACKENS. CU LIKELY TO FILL IN FOR TUESDAY WITH STILL QUITE A BIT OF CYCLONIC FLOW IN THE UPPER LEVELS. AT THIS POINT LEAVING ANY PRECIP OUT OF FORECAST. && .MARINE...PRESSURE GRADIENT STILL SUPPORTIVE OF KEEPING SMALL CRAFT HEADLINE GOING INTO THE EVENING HOURS. IF WINDS EASE ENOUGH...EARLY CANCELLATION CAN BE CONSIDERED BUT STILL A LOT OF WAVE ACTION TO SUBSIDE. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ643>646. && TONIGHT/TUESDAY AND AVIATION/MARINE...COLLAR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...HENTZ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 115 PM CDT MON APR 14 2014 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-150915- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 115 PM CDT MON APR 14 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE ON THE RISE ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 36 TO 48 HOURS. SOME RIVERS ARE FORECAST TO EXCEED FLOOD STAGE...SO BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD YOU LIVE NEAR ANY OF THESE SWOLLEN RIVERS OR STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MANY RIVERS WILL STILL RISING INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS WEEK. LMZ643>646-150915- 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- 115 PM CDT MON APR 14 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 4 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT DUE TO INCREASING SOUTHEAST WINDS AS ANOTHER STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES THE REGION. COLLAR WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Air and road temperatures cooled below freezing during the evening as light snow was occurring. Wet roads quickly become icy and dozens of slide-offs and accidents occurred. Portions of I-43 and I-94 were shut down due to the accidents. No serious injuries were reported.
Air and road temperatures cooled below freezing during the evening as light snow was occurring. Wet roads quickly become icy and dozens of slide-offs and accidents occurred. A 30 car pileup, which included two trucks and two buses, occurred on highway 45 in Wauwatosa. Only one injury was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 2014
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: 500713, 500714.