Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, April 7 to 9, 2016

Name: Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, April 7 to 9, 2016
Start: 2016-04-07T22:00
End: 2016-04-09T06:00
Location: Wisconsin

April 7 to 9, 2016 · NWS DLH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A combination of synoptic and lake effect snow April 7th into the 8th brought heavy snow to parts of northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior. 2 near Washburn, and 8 near Herbster.

Where it happened

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.

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: 3

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.

A combination of synoptic and lake effect snow April 7th into the 8th brought heavy snow to parts of northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior. Snowfall reports included 16 near Bayfield, 14 near Cornucopia, 13 near Sand Bay, 11.6 in Gile, 11.2 near Washburn, and 8 near Herbster.

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 Apr 7, 6:51 PM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 6:51 PM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 7, 1:14 PM CST, 8 hours 46 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
214 PM CDT THU APR 7 2016

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-081915-
KOOCHICHING-NORTH ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-
NORTH ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/NORTH SHORE-
SOUTHERN COOK/NORTH SHORE-NORTH CASS-SOUTH ITASCA-SOUTH CASS-
CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTH AITKIN-CARLTON/SOUTH ST. LOUIS-
PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON-BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
214 PM CDT THU APR 7 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SNOW SHOWERS..HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE MINNESOTA
IRON RANGE THIS EVENING...INTENSIFYING OVER THE MINNESOTA
ARROWHEAD REGION OVERNIGHT. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 INCHES
OR MORE...WILL BE FOUND ACROSS COOK COUNTY.

THE COLD AIR AND NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BRING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF
SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR. LOCATIONS
ALONG THE SNOWFALL OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN CAN EXPECT SNOWFALL
TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY WITH ACCUMULATIONS
MAINLY CONFINED TO THE SNOWBELT REGION OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN. PLEASE
REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR DETAILS ON TIMING
AND AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SNOW SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT THEIR SNOWFALL MEASUREMENTS
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LSZ121-140>148-081915-
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN-
GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN-
TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN-
SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI-
214 PM CDT THU APR 7 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NEARSHORE
WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY...RESULTING IN
BUILDING WAVES AND HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT. A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY.

LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY WILL BRING INCREASING WESTERLY
WINDS...POSSIBLY LEADING TO HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT.

GRANING

MORE INFORMATION AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 7, 6:09 PM CST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 7, 6:24 PM CST, 3 hours 36 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:50 PM CST, 10 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

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Bayfield

When: April 7, 10:00 PM CST to April 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Bayfield forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ashland

When: April 7, 10:00 PM CST to April 9, 6:00 AM 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, Iron

When: April 7, 10:00 PM CST to April 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.317, -90.264 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, April 2016

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 632708, 632709, 632710.