A strong Spring system brought a variety of precipitation types to the region early April (4/1 to 4/2). Low pressure swept across Minnesota and Wisconsin from the SW to the NE with warmer air south of the low's core and colder air north.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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 MPX wrote it up.
A strong Spring system brought a variety of precipitation types to the region early April (4/1 to 4/2). Low pressure swept across Minnesota and Wisconsin from the SW to the NE with warmer air south of the low's core and colder air north. Areas across western Wisconsin observed a mix of rain/snow/freezing rain/and sleet. This system produced two waves; the first wave arrived during the evening hours of April 1st and lasted into the following day and produced several hours of freezing precipitation. Given concerns of heavy icing, Ice Storm warnings were issued for portions of western WI. On early April 2nd, law enforcement dispatches in Dunn, Chippewa, and Eau Claire Counties reported downed trees and powerlines due to icing. The thickest ice accretion report was located in St. Croix County of measuring 3/8 inches thick 2 miles NNE of Woodville.
A lull of activity followed the first wave of precipitation. The second wave arrived April 3rd and persisted into early April 4th. Given that the low's track kept western WI within the warm sector of this system, the precipitation type was mostly rain.
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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 11:31 PM CST, 4 hours 29 minutes earlier.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 353 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 MNZ053-060>063-066>070-074>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 020900- Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-McLeod-Sibley-Carver- Scott-Dakota-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan- Blue Earth-Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron- Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- 353 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Minnesota...east central Minnesota...south central Minnesota... southeast Minnesota...northwest Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. A wintry mix of snow, sleet, rain, and freezing rain develops tonight. Ice accumulations up to a quarter of an inch along with snow & sleet accumulations of an inch or two are likely. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. The wintry mix comes to an end Thursday morning. Another round of accumulating snow is likely Saturday across central Minnesota & western Wisconsin. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed. MNZ041>045-047>052-054>059-064-065-073-020900- Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns- Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi- Meeker-Wright-Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood- 353 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Minnesota...east central Minnesota...southwest Minnesota and west central Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Light to moderate snow develops this evening with accumulations of 2-5" expected. A light wintry mix of sleet & freezing rain is also likely at times. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Accumulating snow of 2-5" comes to an end Thursday afternoon. Another round of accumulating snow is likely Saturday across central Minnesota & western Wisconsin. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather, 3 winter storm, 3 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
CoCoRaHS observer 2 miles WNW of Ladysmith reported a small amount of sleet mixed in with freezing rain.
CoCoRaHS Observer 3 miles NNE of Stockholm measured two tenths of an inch of ice accretion.
CoCoRaHS Observers measured an inch of snow across the county. Additionally, observers 2 to 6 miles south of Ellsworth, reported sleet and freezing rain with ice accumulations of 0.13 inches.
Multiple reports of trees down from icing in Colfax and Menomonie. One tree had fallen onto powerlines.
Multiple reports of trees and two powerlines down due to icing 2 miles SE of Altoona. Additionally, an official NWS Observation in Eau Claire measured 0.13 inches of ice on both sides of a tree branch.
Multiple reports of trees and powerlines down due to icing 2 miles NNE of Chippewa Falls.
CoCoRaHS Observers measured one quarter to three eighths of an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain 2 miles NNE of Woodville.
CoCoRaHS Observer in Rice Lake reported about one tenth of an inch of ice accretion from freezing rain.
CoCoRaHS Observer 3 miles NNW of Deer Park measured 0.13 inches of ice accretion from freezing rain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 2026
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: 1335291, 1335428, 1335429, 1335264, 1335274, 1335275, 1335430, 1335289, 1335287.