Residents of central Wisconsin were still digging in the dirt as a record-breaking snowstorm swept through the region from late March 14 to noon on March 16.
Gus Kaiser, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, told USA TODAY NETWORK’s Wisconsin reporter that most of the area had between 20 and 25 inches of snow, with reports of snow depths exceeding 30 inches.
Kaiser said the snow accumulation from the storm event could approach or break the region’s single-day snow accumulation, single-storm event snow accumulation and daily snow total records for March 15 or 16. The storm will also set other records for March snowfall totals and season totals.
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Wausau sets new all-time snowfall record
Kaiser said an official observer in Wausau confirmed a record-breaking single snowstorm with 30.9 inches of snowfall in nearly 36 hours, and a new 24-hour record on March 15 with 23.4 inches of snowfall. The National Weather Service did not have similar official observers in other central Wisconsin cities to confirm the record-breaking numbers, but other cities and villages likely set new records, Keizer said.
Kaiser said the highest snowfall was in the Mountain area, with 34 inches, followed by Shawano, Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor with 33 inches.
Notably, the storm also produced blizzard and near-blizzard conditions for about 12 hours from late March 15 to March 16, with sustained wind gusts in excess of 30 mph, sometimes reaching over 40 mph, and visibility less than 1 mile, which was unusual for the area, Kaiser said.
More snow is expected on March 17 and 18, followed by warmer temperatures expected
Kaiser said another system will move through the region late night March 17 into the morning March 18, which will bring another inch of light powdery snow that could slow down the morning commute on March 18.
Kaiser said temperatures will stay in the mid-20s on March 17, then start to warm up on March 18 with temperatures in the mid-30s. Temperatures may reach the mid-40s during the day on March 19-20, drop to freezing at night, and reach the mid-50s on March 21-22.
Kaiser said a slow warming trend combined with thawing ground has largely eased previous concerns about flooding in the coming days, but some rivers are still expected to reach full bank conditions.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY Network Wisconsin, emphasizing his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him: epfantz@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared in Stevens Point Journal: Wausau breaks two all-time snowfall records during March 14-16 blizzard