Wisconsin, 2020

Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, April 12 to 13, 2020

April 12 to 13, 2020 · NWS DLH · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An area of low pressure developed over the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle region on the 12th and then lifted northeast to the Straits of Mackinac and deepened considerably by the morning of the 13th. This low brought a narrow area of heavy snow to parts of northwest Wisconsin mainly during the afternoon of the 12th and into the overnight hours of the 13th, leaving a swath of 6 to 16 inches of snow…

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.

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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 area of low pressure developed over the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle region on the 12th and then lifted northeast to the Straits of Mackinac and deepened considerably by the morning of the 13th. This low brought a narrow area of heavy snow to parts of northwest Wisconsin mainly during the afternoon of the 12th and into the overnight hours of the 13th, leaving a swath of 6 to 16 inches of snow from Washburn County eastward into Iron and Price counties. Snowfall amounts dropped off quickly to the south and the highest amounts were closer to Lake Superior where winds off the lake brought additional moisture into the system.

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, Sawyer

When
April 12, 3:00 AM CST to April 13, 2:00 AM 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
April 12, 6:00 AM CST to April 13, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Price

When
April 12, 7:00 AM CST to April 13, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Price forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.680, -90.361 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bayfield

When
April 12, 8:00 AM CST to April 13, 7:00 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 12, 8:00 AM CST to April 13, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Ashland forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
46.510, -90.720 (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 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 2020

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 882021, 882019, 882022, 882017, 882018.