March 4-5, 2025 -- Rain, Snow & Wind Event Summary
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Event Overview Deep low pressure originating over the southwestern United States - sometimes termed as a “Colorado Low” - lifted into the western Great Lakes by daybreak Wednesday, March 5. The low resulted in a multi-faceted hazardous weather event across central and northeast Wisconsin including heavy rain, strong winds, and heavy snow beginning on the afternoon of Tuesday (March 4) and continuing through the early evening of Wednesday, March 5. Highlights from this storm included almost 2 inches of total liquid precipitation over northern portions of Door County, around a foot of snow leading to snow covered roads and difficult travel over north-central Wisconsin from Vilas to Florence counties, and gusty winds reaching as high as 54 mph at Wausau. To start off, a swath of moderate to heavy rain arrived from the south early Tuesday evening and spread across the entire area. A few lightning strikes also accompanied the rain in the Wausau area. As cold air worked in from the north, the rain quickly changed to snow as early as 9 pm at Rhinelander. Heavy snow fell the rest of the evening with snowfall rates of 1”/hr observed through midnight. In areas further south and east where precipitation didn't change over to snow, the rain became heavy at times overnight, pushing many rivers in the area above bankfull. Some additional minor flooding and ponding was also reported in low-lying and poor drainage areas. The rain finally fully switched over to snow over portions of central Wisconsin shortly before daybreak early Wednesday morning. As the low shifted over central Lake Michigan through the latter part of Wednesday morning, the remaining areas of rain changed over to rain across the rest of central and northeast Wisconsin. Despite the switch to snow relatively early in the day, little to no accumulation was observed across east-central Wisconsin due to the relatively warm ground temperatures across eas- However, warmer ground temperatures still present. Accumulations didn't really start in these areas until around midday when ground temperatures finally dropped below freezing, but were limited mainly to grassy areas and untreated roads. Northerly winds were on the increase during this time, with gusts increasing up to over 40 mph from west to east through the early afternoon. The combination of wind and snow led to considerable blowing and drifting snow and poor visibility down to 1/4 to 1/2 mile at times. The worst of the snow, blowing snow, and poor visibility for the Fox Valley and east-central Wisconsin occurred late Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a slower than normal evening commute. As the low tracked into northern lower Michigan Wednesday afternoon, snow began to diminish over north-central and central Wisconsin. The gusty winds did lead to lingering blowing snow in open areas. The last of the snow ended by mid-evening over northeast and east-central Wisconsin. Temperatures falling into the teens and 20s Wednesday evening caused any lingering moisture from the earlier rain and snow to freeze on roads and surfaces, resulting in icy conditions on untreated roads for the next morning. The highest snowfall totals were observed across northern Wisconsin, with widespread amounts of 8 to 12 inches. The rest of the area saw lesser snow amounts, generally from 1 to 5 inches, due to a slower than expected change from rain to snow and the warmer ground temperatures at the start of the change over to snow. All areas saw moderate to heavy precipitation totals (rain and melted snow combined) of 0.75 to 1.50 inches, and isolated amounts from 1.50 inches to nearly 2 inches. The gusty winds affected most of the area as well, reducing visibility due to the falling snow and causing tree limbs to break under the weight of the wet, sticky snow, which led to sporadic power outages. Please see tabs below for more information. |
Radar Loop from 3pm Tue, March 4, 2025 - 11pm Wed, March 5, 2025
Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis with station plots showing the track of the surface low pressure system from 12am-11pm Wed, March 5, 2025. |
Snow Reports
Map shows estimated observed snowfall over a 48-hour period ending at 6 AM CST 3/6/25. ...PRELIMINARY 48-HOUR SNOWFALL REPORTS... Location Amount Time/Date Provider ...Wisconsin... ...Brown County... Green Bay 3.8 SSE 2.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Howard 1.7 SSW 1.6 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS 3 NW Ashwaubenon 1.5 in 0600 AM 03/06 Official NWS Obs Wrightstown 0.4 ENE 0.5 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Denmark WWTP 0.4 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP ...Calumet County... Brillion 1.0 in 0630 AM 03/06 COOP ...Door County... Forestville 4 E 1.2 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Sturgeon Bay Exp Farm 1.0 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Egg Harbor 2.4 ENE 1.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Florence County... Spread Eagle 1 NW 13.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Florence 10.3 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP Aurora 0.7 E 10.0 in 0530 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Forest County... Argonne 1.5 NW 9.9 in 0745 AM 03/06 COOP ...Kewaunee County... Kewaunee 0.7 in 0615 AM 03/06 COOP ...Langlade County... White Lake 1.4 SE 3.5 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP ...Lincoln County... Tomahawk 1.2 SSW 6.2 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Merrill 8 W 5.1 in 0600 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Manitowoc County... Two Rivers 1.5 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP St. Nazianz 2 W 0.9 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Millhome 2 E 0.2 in 0713 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Marathon County... Wausau 2.4 W 3.8 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Wausau 1.6 ENE 3.5 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Weston 1 NE 2.9 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Wausau WSAW TV 2.8 in 1100 PM 03/05 COOP Dancy 1 NNW 2.3 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Spencer - Wwtp 0.5 in 0730 AM 03/06 UCOOP Stratford 1 NW 0.3 in 0615 AM 03/06 COOP ...Marinette County... Athelstane 1.6 E 3.4 in 0600 AM 03/06 UCOOP Peshtigo 1 S 2.0 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Amberg 9 E 1.7 in 0646 AM 03/06 UCOOP Marinette - Wps 1.3 in 0637 AM 03/06 UCOOP Wausaukee 1.6 NW 1.0 in 0749 AM 03/06 COOP ...Oconto County... Mountain 0.9 E 3.3 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Oconto Falls 1.0 SE 2.9 in 0630 AM 03/06 COCORAHS 2 E Sampson 2.5 in 0641 AM 03/06 Trained Spotter Shawano Lake 6 NNE 1.5 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Oneida County... 2 W Pelican Lake 10.5 in 1000 PM 03/05 Public Rhinelander 5.5 NW 10.1 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS 4 ESE Mc Naughton 10.1 in 0424 PM 03/05 Public 3 W Goodnow 10.0 in 0234 PM 03/05 Public Rhinelander 9.9 in 0914 PM 03/05 Broadcast Media Rhinelander 2 SW 8.0 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Hazelhurst 2.1 SSE 8.0 in 0700 AM 03/05 COCORAHS Minocqua 6.0 in 0630 AM 03/06 COOP ...Outagamie County... Shiocton 0.6 NW 5.0 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Appleton 1.4 in 0500 AM 03/06 COOP ...Portage County... Almond 5 NE 3.4 in 0800 AM 03/06 UCOOP Amherst 3 SE 3.4 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP 5 SW Amherst 3.1 in 0400 PM 03/05 Trained Spotter Wisconsin Rapids 9.8 SE 3.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Stevens Point 2.7 in 0712 AM 03/06 COOP Plover 1.4 S 2.1 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Rudolph 1 NNE 1.5 in 0500 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Shawano County... Pella 3 SE 5.0 in 0530 AM 03/06 UCOOP Shawano 2 SSW 5.0 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP ...Vilas County... Phelps 4.2 N 11.0 in 0733 AM 03/06 COOP Conover 4.8 WNW 8.5 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS St Germain 0.6 NW 7.7 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP Woodruff 2.5 NE 7.2 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Boulder Junction 9 ENE 7.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Boulder Junction 1.4 NE 6.7 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Arbor Vitae-Johnson Lake 5.0 in 0600 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Waupaca County... Clintonville 4.5 in 0700 PM 03/05 Trained Spotter Waupaca 1.4 W 4.5 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Ogdensburg 2 E 3.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS New London - WWTP 2.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Waushara County... Wild Rose 0.5 E 2.8 in 0500 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Plainfield 2.5 in 0900 PM 03/05 Public ...Winnebago County... Neenah 1.1 ENE 2.1 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Oshkosh 2.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP ...Wood County... Hewitt 0.8 N 2.4 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Port Edwards 2 E 2.3 in 0730 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Marshfield 6.5 S 2.3 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Pittsville - WWTP 2.0 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.
Rainfall Reports
Map shows estimated observed precipitation (rainfall and melted down snow) over a 48-hour period ending at 2 PM CST 3/6/25. ...PRELIMINARY 48-HOUR PRECIPITATION REPORTS... Location Amount Time/Date Provider ...Wisconsin... ...Brown County... Howard 1.7 SSW 1.47 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Green Bay 3.8 SSE 1.42 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS 3 NW Ashwaubenon 1.36 in 1200 AM 03/06 Official NWS Obs Wrightstown 0.4 ENE 1.36 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Denmark WWTP 1.34 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP ...Calumet County... Chilton 0.5 E 1.36 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP Brillion 4.9 S 1.31 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Brillion 1.22 in 0630 AM 03/06 COOP ...Door County... Sister Bay 1 N 1.91 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Ellison Bay 0.0 SE 1.88 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Egg Harbor 2.4 ENE 1.85 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Sturgeon Bay Exp Farm 1.72 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Fish Creek 1 E WWTP 1.48 in 0836 AM 03/06 UCOOP Forestville 4 E 1.29 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Florence County... Florence 1.12 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP ...Forest County... Argonne 1.5 NW 1.33 in 0745 AM 03/06 COOP ...Kewaunee County... Luxemburg 0.9 S 1.36 in 0722 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Casco 0.4 NNW 1.23 in 0610 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Langlade County... White Lake 1.4 SE 1.15 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP ...Lincoln County... Merrill 8 W 1.35 in 0600 AM 03/06 UCOOP Tomahawk 1.2 SSW 0.98 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Manitowoc County... Two Rivers 1.2 N 1.57 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Manitowoc 0.6 NE 1.52 in 0600 PM 03/05 COOP Two Rivers 1.49 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP Mishicot 0.1 NNW 1.44 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Two Rivers 4.1 WNW 1.40 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS St. Nazianz 2 W 1.32 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Manitowoc 5.1 SW 1.30 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Millhome 2 E 1.26 in 0713 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Marathon County... Rothschild 0.5 ENE 1.55 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Wausau 1.6 ENE 1.54 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Wausau 2.4 W 1.44 in 0800 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Weston 1 NE 1.43 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Dancy 1 NNW 1.24 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Spencer - Wwtp 0.77 in 0730 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Marinette County... Amberg 9 E 1.28 in 0646 AM 03/06 UCOOP Athelstane 1.6 E 1.24 in 0600 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Oconto County... Mountain 0.9 E 1.29 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Oconto Falls 1.0 SE 1.27 in 0630 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Oneida County... Rhinelander 5.5 NW 1.45 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Rhinelander 2 SW 1.13 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Minocqua 1.10 in 0630 AM 03/06 COOP ...Outagamie County... Appleton 3.0 ESE 1.37 in 0620 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Shiocton 0.6 NW 1.36 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Appleton 1.32 in 0500 AM 03/06 COOP ...Portage County... Amherst 3 SE 1.36 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Wisconsin Rapids 6.6 ESE 1.24 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Plover 1.4 S 1.18 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Stevens Point 1.17 in 0712 AM 03/06 COOP Almond 5 NE 1.14 in 0800 AM 03/06 UCOOP Rudolph 1 NNE 0.82 in 0500 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Shawano County... Shawano 2 SSW 1.39 in 0800 AM 03/06 COOP Pella 3 SE 1.17 in 0530 AM 03/06 UCOOP ...Vilas County... Woodruff 2.5 NE 1.00 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Phelps 4.2 N 0.94 in 0733 AM 03/06 COOP Conover 4.8 WNW 0.92 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS St Germain 0.6 NW 0.91 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP Boulder Junction 9 ENE 0.88 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Waupaca County... New London - WWTP 1.34 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Waupaca 7.6 SW 1.20 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Waupaca 1.4 W 1.00 in 0600 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Waushara County... Wild Rose 0.5 E 1.42 in 0500 AM 03/06 COCORAHS ...Winnebago County... Neenah 1.1 ENE 1.41 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Menasha 0.3 W 1.36 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Oshkosh 1.5 SSE 1.34 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Oshkosh 1.22 in 0700 AM 03/06 COOP ...Wood County... New Rome 3 WNW 1.23 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Port Edwards 2 E 1.13 in 0730 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Rudolph 2.1 W 1.04 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Marshfield 5.6 SSW 1.02 in 0700 AM 03/06 COCORAHS Pittsville - WWTP 0.93 in 0700 AM 03/06 UCOOP Hewitt 0.8 N 0.85 in 0730 AM 03/06 COOP Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.
Peak Wind Reports:
...PRELIMINARY PEAK WIND GUST REPORTS...
Location Amount Time/Date Provider
...Wisconsin...
...Brown County...
De Pere 46 MPH 0500 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
Green Bay Airport 46 MPH 0253 PM 03/05 ASOS
Green Bay - Leo Frigo Bridge 41 MPH 0547 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
De Pere 39 MPH 0540 PM 03/05 CWOP
Wrightstown 35 MPH 0525 PM 03/05 CWOP
...Calumet County...
Brillion 39 MPH 0445 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Door County...
Sturgeon Bay Airport 48 MPH 0608 PM 03/05 AWOS
Washington Island Airport 47 MPH 0635 PM 03/05 AWOS
Chambers Island 1 NNW 46 MPH 0440 PM 03/05 NDBC
Sturgeon Bay Airport 45 MPH 0514 PM 03/05 AWOS
Ephraim Airport 41 MPH 0535 PM 03/05 AWOS
Egg Harbor 3.1 SE (MAWN) 36 MPH 0420 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Florence County...
Sth 70 At Sth 139 47 MPH 0137 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Kewaunee County...
Kewaunee MET, WI 49 MPH 0212 PM 03/05 NOS-NWLON
Kewaunee 37 MPH 0535 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Langlade County...
Antigo Airport 49 MPH 0255 PM 03/05 AWOS
Antigo 2 ENE 43 MPH 0305 PM 03/05 RAWS
Antigo 37 MPH 0430 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Lincoln County...
Merrill Airport 37 MPH 0415 PM 03/05 AWOS
...Manitowoc County...
Manitowoc Airport 46 MPH 0630 PM 03/05 AWOS
Valders 41 MPH 0530 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
Reedsville 38 MPH 0600 PM 03/05 CWOP
Valders 36 MPH 0510 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
MANITOWOC 36 MPH 0455 PM 03/05 CWOP
...Marathon County...
Wausau Airport 54 MPH 0257 PM 03/05 ASOS
Marshfield 41 MPH 0115 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
Mosinee Airport 39 MPH 0450 PM 03/05 AWOS
...Marinette County...
Menominee 41 MPH 0500 AM 03/05 NOS-NWLON
...Oconto County...
Breed 5 NE 43 MPH 0530 PM 03/05 RAWS
Suring 39 MPH 0340 PM 03/05 MESOWEST
...Oneida County...
Rhinelander Airport 36 MPH 0649 PM 03/05 ASOS
...Vilas County...
Arbor Vitae Airport 43 MPH 0135 PM 03/05 AWOS
Eagle River Airport 37 MPH 0415 PM 03/05 AWOS
Manitowish Waters Airport 36 MPH 0355 PM 03/05 AWOS
Land O Lakes Airport 36 MPH 0315 PM 03/05 AWOS
...Waupaca County...
Clintonville Airport 37 MPH 0415 PM 03/05 AWOS
Waupaca Airport 35 MPH 0535 PM 03/05 AWOS
...Winnebago County...
Oshkosh Airport 44 MPH 0436 PM 03/05 ASOS
Oshkosh 38 MPH 0645 PM 03/05 CWOP
...Wood County...
Marshfield Airport 51 MPH 0503 PM 03/05 AWOS
...Maritime Stations...
Gills Rock 1 ENE 51 MPH 0400 PM 03/05 NDBC
Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying
equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers
for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.
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