Over foot of snow hits parts of state
This much snow at end of March is not common
Parts of central and northern Wisconsin were hammered with over a foot of snow Sunday night.
Reports to the National Weather Service showed that four small communities near Wausau received at least a foot of snow. Birnamwood and Tigerton received 13.3 and 12 inches of snow respectively, and Mattoon and Antigo, received 12.4 and 12 inches each.
Meanwhile, Wausau and Weston, both received about 11 inches. Further north, into Rhinelander, the area received between 6 and 9 inches of snow.
“I don't think records were broken. To get that much snow at the end of March is not common, but we've had big snows in April,” said Tasos Kallas, a meteorologist at the Green Bay NWS office. “I think it's the fact that it's a mild winter that a lot of people were not expecting that much.”
The snow came after an unseasonably warm and sparse snow season in Wisconsin. That's mostly due to the weather phenomenon El Nino, which leads to higher temperatures and, thus, less snow in the season.
A system that dumped on the Minneapolis metro region and western Wisconsin brought totals close to one foot as well.
Menomonie and Eau Claire both received about 10 inches of snow and Balsam
Lake received 11.8 inches as well.
The northern portion of Wisconsin was forecast to receive heavy wind gusts and up to 1.5 inches of rain into Tuesday, as the system that brought the heavy snow transitions into rain, Kallas said. The eastern and southeastern portions of the state received close to zero snowfall from the system, with Mauston receiving 0.6 inches and Millhome 1.7 inches. Near Milwaukee, no totals were reported, however, rain is forecast for up to 1.25 inches in the area into Tuesday.