Wisconsin, 2022

Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 21 to 22, 2022

December 21 to 22, 2022 · NWS DLH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A large area of low pressure moved across the Upper Midwest in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday, bringing a storm with two distinct phases. The first phase occurred on the 21-22nd with widespread snowfall across the region of 3 to 7 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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 large area of low pressure moved across the Upper Midwest in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday, bringing a storm with two distinct phases. The first phase occurred on the 21-22nd with widespread snowfall across the region of 3 to 7 inches. Higher amounts to 8.5 inches were received near Webb Lake in Burnett County. Tater phase of the storm featured blizzard conditions in Iron County.

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 Dec 21, 6:03 AM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 6:03 AM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 21, 5:55 AM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 21, 8:01 AM CST, 1 hour 59 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

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Burnett

When
December 21, 10:00 AM CST to December 22, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Burnett forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.863, -92.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 4 to 7 inches was recorded across the county with a high report of 8.5 inches near Webb Lake.

Heavy Snow, Washburn

When
December 21, 10:00 AM CST to December 22, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Washburn forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.899, -91.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals of 5 to 6 inches were seen across the county with a high report of 8.5 inches south-southeast of Webb Lake.

Heavy Snow, Price

When
December 21, 11:00 AM CST to December 22, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Price forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
45.680, -90.361 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals of 4 to 6 inches were seen across the county with a high report of 6.5 inches near Park Falls.

Heavy Snow, Iron

When
December 21, 1:00 PM CST to December 22, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall of 4 to 6 inches was observed across the county with a high report of 6.1 inches near Mercer.

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 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2022

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: 1071551, 1071552, 1071553, 1071550.