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RSS FeedsMixed Precipitation Winter Storm
of February 20-21, 2011
| Snowfall Forecast Maps | Storm Photos | Observed Snowfall Totals | Storm Reports | Peak Wind Gusts |
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A potent storm system moved out of the Rockies and across the nation's mid-section on February 20, 2011. Abundant moisture and relatively warm air pushed north ahead of this storm which led to explosive development of precipitation early in the day. A mixed bag of precipitation types impacted the area, from heavy snow to heavy sleet to thunderstorms and freezing drizzle. By daybreak, freezing rain and sleet were moving through Iowa producing a thin layer of glaze. The precipitation continued to move north producing quick bursts of snow and scattered sleet showers during the day. Snow continued to increase in intensity as it spread north and northeast into Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even thunder snow was observed. Click on the radar loop to the right to see the surge in moisture. The precipitation types and amounts varied greatly from south to north, based on the temperatures in the atmosphere. Some glazing and rain were the main impact in northeast Iowa and far southwest Wisconsin. In some places, ice accumulated on objects up to a 1/2 inch thick bringing down tree branches and causing brief power outages. Closer to Interstate 90, quick accumulation of snow changed over to a mix of freezing rain and heavy sleet which occurred off and on through much of the day. North of Interstate 90, where air was the coldest, snow was the primary concern and by late evening had accumulated in the 8 to 12 inch range. To top it off, northeast winds of 15 to 20 mph gusted to nearly 40 mph at times producing some blowing and drifting of snow, mainly along and north of Interstate 90. |
Radar loop on Sunday February 20, 2011 from 6 a.m. to Noon. Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes shown as "+" or "-" in green. Click to see the loop (caution: large file - 4.7 MB).
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The La Crosse National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Winter Storm Watch on Friday, February 18th, followed by Winter Storm Warnings during the early morning hours of February 19th, over 24 hours before the precipitation moved in. The image to the right (click to enlarge) shows the different warnings and advisories by the NWS as of 5:22 a.m. February 20, 2011. |
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Media use of NWS Web News Stories is encouraged. Please acknowledge the NWS as the source of any news information accessed from this site.
Snowfall Forecast Maps (Click on image to enlarge)
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| National forecast snowfall and ice graphic from February 20th. | Forecast snowfall map from the La Crosse National Weather Service on February 20th. |
Storm Photos (Click on image to enlarge)
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| Ice accumulation in southwest Wisconsin. | Ice accumulation in northern Iowa. | Ice accumulation in northern Iowa. |
Observed Snowfall Totals (Click on image to enlarge)
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Regional view of observed snowfall, ending 8:00 a.m. February 21, 2011. |
Local view of observed snowfall, ending 8:00 a.m. February 21, 2011. |
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Regional view of the 48 hour observed snowfall, ending 8:00 a.m. February 22, 2011. |
Local view of the 48 hour observed snowfall, ending 8:00 a.m. February 22, 2011. |
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1118 AM CST MON FEB 21 2011
...24 HOUR SNOWFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE AREA...
LOCATION SNOWFALL TIME LAT/LON
IOWA
...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY...
LANSING 4SE 0.8 0904 AM 43.32N 91.16W
WAUKON 8NW 0.5 0904 AM 43.34N 91.60W
...CHICKASAW COUNTY...
IONIA T 0700 AM 43.03N 92.50W
...CLAYTON COUNTY...
VOLGA T 0700 AM 42.81N 91.52W
...FAYETTE COUNTY...
FAYETTE T 0700 AM 42.85N 91.82W
...FLOYD COUNTY...
CHARLES CITY 0.2 0904 AM 43.06N 92.69W
NASHUA T 0700 AM 42.94N 92.57W
...HOWARD COUNTY...
CRESCO 0.2 0700 AM 43.37N 92.11W
ELMA T 0700 AM 43.24N 92.44W
...MITCHELL COUNTY...
OSAGE 1.0 0700 AM 43.28N 92.81W
ST ANSGAR 0.2 0700 AM 43.37N 92.83W
MINNESOTA
...FILLMORE COUNTY...
LANESBORO 4.0 0700 AM 43.72N 91.97W
SPRING VALLEY 3E 3.9 0700 AM 43.68N 92.33W
PETERSON 1S 3.9 0923 AM 43.78N 91.82W
PRESTON 3.0 0700 AM 43.67N 92.07W
HARMONY 2.4 0700 AM 43.55N 92.01W
...HOUSTON COUNTY...
CALEDONIA 6S 3.0 0923 AM 43.54N 91.50W
SPRING GROVE 4N 2.8 0700 AM 43.61N 91.62W
...MOWER COUNTY...
AUSTIN KAAL TV 3.5 0700 AM 43.68N 92.95W
AUSTIN 3.2 0700 AM 43.67N 92.95W
...OLMSTED COUNTY...
BYRON 4N 6.8 0923 AM 44.08N 92.67W
ELGIN 6.1 0700 AM 44.10N 92.27W
ROCHESTER AP 2NE 5.3 0700 AM 43.93N 92.48W
...WABASHA COUNTY...
LAKE CITY 8.0 0700 AM 44.43N 92.28W
THEILMAN 6.5 0700 AM 44.28N 92.19W
WABASHA 4.8 0923 AM 44.37N 92.04W
...WINONA COUNTY...
WINONA 8.6 0923 AM 44.05N 91.66W
ST CHARLES 3N 6.5 0923 AM 44.02N 92.07W
WINONA 6.0 0700 AM 44.09N 91.67W
LA CRESCENT DAM 7 5.0 0700 AM 43.87N 91.31W
WISCONSIN
...ADAMS COUNTY...
ARKDALE 9.1 0929 AM 44.03N 89.88W
FRIENDSHIP 7.9 0929 AM 43.96N 89.82W
...BUFFALO COUNTY...
MONDOVI 6S 9.5 0700 AM 44.48N 91.67W
ALMA DAM 4 6.3 0700 AM 44.33N 91.92W
...CLARK COUNTY...
OWEN 9.4 0700 AM 44.98N 90.55W
ROCK DAM LAKE 9.0 0929 AM 44.73N 90.84W
NEILLSVILLE 3SW 6.0 0700 AM 44.53N 90.64W
NEILLSVILLE 4NNE 6.0 0929 AM 44.61N 90.56W
...CRAWFORD COUNTY...
LYNXVILLE DAM 9 0.5 0700 AM 43.21N 91.10W
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN 0.1 0700 AM 43.05N 91.13W
...GRANT COUNTY...
LANCASTER 4WSW 0.3 0700 AM 42.83N 90.79W
...JACKSON COUNTY...
TAYLOR 7.0 0700 AM 44.32N 91.12W
BLACK RIVER FALLS 5.6 0700 AM 44.29N 90.85W
...JUNEAU COUNTY...
NECEDAH 7.5 0929 AM 44.03N 90.07W
...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
HOLMEN 2S 8.3 0700 AM 43.93N 91.25W
HOLMEN 2NW 6.9 0929 AM 43.98N 91.29W
WEST SALEM 6.5 0929 AM 43.90N 91.10W
LA CROSSE 4NNW 6.1 0700 AM 43.87N 91.27W
LA CROSSE NWS 5.9 0929 AM 43.82N 91.19W
LA CROSSE AIRPORT 5.5 0700 AM 43.88N 91.26W
...MONROE COUNTY...
WARRENS 5WSW 8.9 0700 AM 44.10N 90.59W
FOUR CORNERS 7.6 0700 AM 44.07N 90.92W
SPARTA 5.9 0700 AM 43.94N 90.82W
...RICHLAND COUNTY...
RICHLAND CENTER 1NW 2.0 0700 AM 43.36N 90.42W
RICHLAND CENTER 1.2 0700 AM 43.32N 90.38W
...TAYLOR COUNTY...
MEDFORD 8W 12.0 0700 AM 45.14N 90.45W
MEDFORD 4NW 9.3 0929 AM 45.14N 90.35W
MEDFORD 8.0 0700 AM 45.13N 90.34W
JUMP RIVER 4.0 0700 AM 45.36N 90.80W
...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
OSSEO 9.3 0700 AM 44.58N 91.22W
TREMPEALEAU DAM 6 5.0 0700 AM 44.00N 91.44W
BLAIR 2NW 5.0 0700 AM 44.31N 91.27W
TREMPEALEAU 5.0 0929 AM 44.01N 91.44W
GALESVILLE 2ESE 4.3 0700 AM 44.08N 91.34W
...VERNON COUNTY...
ONTARIO 3E 6.4 0700 AM 43.72N 90.60W
STODDARD 2NE 4.9 0929 AM 43.69N 91.18W
STODDARD 5NNE 4.8 0929 AM 43.72N 91.17W
WESTBY 3ENE 4.1 0700 AM 43.68N 90.81W
LA FARGE 3.8 0700 AM 43.57N 90.64W
DESOTO 1SE 3.1 0700 AM 43.41N 91.19W
GENOA 3.0 0700 AM 43.57N 91.23W
OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING
EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURE. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1148 AM CST TUE FEB 22 2011 ...REPORTED 2 DAY SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM AROUND THE AREA... LOCATION SNOWFALL TIME LAT/LON IOWA ...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY... LANSING 4SE 2.2 0700 AM 43.32N 91.16W WAUKON 8NW 1.0 0728 AM 43.34N 91.60W ...CHICKASAW COUNTY... IONIA 2.5 0700 AM 43.03N 92.50W ...CLAYTON COUNTY... EDGEWOOD 2.5 0700 AM 42.65N 91.40W VOLGA 1.3 0700 AM 42.81N 91.52W ELKADER 6SSW 0.9 0700 AM 42.79N 91.45W ...FAYETTE COUNTY... FAYETTE 3.6 0700 AM 42.83N 91.80W ...FLOYD COUNTY... CHARLES CITY 3.2 0700 AM 43.05N 92.67W ...HOWARD COUNTY... ELMA 1.6 0700 AM 43.24N 92.43W CRESCO 1 NE 0.8 0700 AM 43.38N 92.10W ...MITCHELL COUNTY... OSAGE 3.1 0700 AM 43.28N 92.80W ST ANSGAR 1.6 0700 AM 43.38N 92.92W MINNESOTA ...FILLMORE COUNTY... LANESBORO 5.0 0700 AM 43.72N 91.97W SPRING VALLEY 3E 4.6 0700 AM 43.68N 92.33W PRESTON 4.2 0700 AM 43.67N 92.08W ...HOUSTON COUNTY... CALEDONIA 6S 4.5 0815 AM 43.58N 91.50W ...MOWER COUNTY... AUSTIN 4.2 0700 AM 43.67N 92.97W ...OLMSTED COUNTY... BYRON 8.7 0700 AM 44.04N 92.64W ELGIN 2SSW 7.1 0700 AM 44.10N 92.27W ROCHESTER AP 2NE 6.0 0700 AM 43.93N 92.48W ...WABASHA COUNTY... THEILMAN 10.8 0700 AM 44.29N 92.19W LAKE CITY 10.0 0700 AM 44.45N 92.28W WABASHA 6.0 0700 AM 44.38N 92.03W ...WINONA COUNTY... WINONA DAM 5A 9.0 0700 AM 44.09N 91.67W ALTURA 5W 7.9 0700 AM 44.06N 92.04W LA CRESCENT DAM 7 7.0 0700 AM 43.87N 91.31W WISCONSIN ...ADAMS COUNTY... FRIENDSHIP 9.3 0700 AM 43.98N 89.83W ...BUFFALO COUNTY... ALMA 8.0 0700 AM 44.33N 91.93W ...CLARK COUNTY... ROCK DAM 12.0 0700 AM 44.73N 90.84W OWEN 11.9 0700 AM 44.95N 90.53W NEILLSVILLE 3SW 8.0 0700 AM 44.53N 90.64W ...CRAWFORD COUNTY... LYNXVILLE 1.5 0700 AM 43.22N 91.10W SOLDIERS GROVE 1.3 0700 AM 43.40N 90.78W PRAIRIE DU CHIEN 0.6 0700 AM 43.03N 91.15W ...GRANT COUNTY... CUBA CITY 0.7 0700 AM 42.63N 90.46W ...JACKSON COUNTY... TAYLOR 8.5 0700 AM 44.32N 91.12W BLACK RIVER FALLS 7.6 0700 AM 44.28N 90.85W ...LA CROSSE COUNTY... HOLMEN 2S 9.8 0700 AM 43.93N 91.25W WEST SALEM 9.0 0700 AM 43.90N 91.09W HOLLAND 8.7 0700 AM 43.97N 91.29W LA CROSSE 8.1 0700 AM 43.87N 91.27W LA CROSSE AIRPORT 7.7 0700 AM 43.88N 91.26W ...MONROE COUNTY... WARRENS 5WSW 11.8 0700 AM 44.10N 90.59W SPARTA 7.1 0700 AM 43.93N 90.82W ...RICHLAND COUNTY... RICHLAND CENTER 1NW 4.5 0700 AM 43.36N 90.42W ...TAYLOR COUNTY... MEDFORD 9.5 0700 AM 45.12N 90.37W ...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY... OSSEO 11.1 0700 AM 44.58N 91.22W WHITEHALL 8.0 0700 AM 44.37N 91.32W ETTRICK 7.5 0700 AM 44.11N 91.22W TREMPEALEAU 7.3 0700 AM 44.00N 91.44W ...VERNON COUNTY... ONTARIO 8.2 0700 AM 43.71N 90.59W WESTBY 3ENE 7.0 0700 AM 43.67N 90.84W STODDARD 5NNE 6.6 0700 AM 43.72N 91.17W LA FARGE 5.3 0700 AM 43.57N 90.64W DE SOTO 1SE 5.1 0700 AM 43.41N 91.19W VIROQUA 4.0 0700 AM 43.54N 90.87W OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURE. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL. FOR THIS...AND A WEALTH OF OTHER RIVER AND WEATHER INFORMATION... VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/LACROSSE $$
Storm Reports (Ice / Freezing Rain / Heavy Snow)
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1042 AM CST TUE FEB 22 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0456 AM FREEZING RAIN WEST UNION 42.96N 91.81W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH FAYETTE IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
NUMEROUS ROADS HAD THIN LAYER OF GLAZE ALREADY.
0600 AM FREEZING RAIN CLAYTON CENTER 42.88N 91.32W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH CLAYTON IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
LIGHT ICING REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 13. ICING ON OBJECTS
STARTED OVER PAST TWO HOURS.
0640 AM FREEZING RAIN OSAGE 43.28N 92.81W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH MITCHELL IA EMERGENCY MNGR
LIGHT GLAZE IS BEGINNING TO BE SEEN ON EXPOSED SURFACES.
0650 AM FREEZING RAIN CUBA CITY 42.60N 90.43W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH GRANT WI PUBLIC
FREEZING RAIN BEGINNING TO CREATE SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS.
0700 AM FREEZING RAIN 1 NW CLERMONT 43.01N 91.67W
02/20/2011 E0.10 INCH FAYETTE IA PUBLIC
PUBLIC ESTIMATES A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION
0700 AM FREEZING RAIN OSAGE 43.28N 92.81W
02/20/2011 E0.25 INCH MITCHELL IA EMERGENCY MNGR
EMERGENCY MANAGER ESTIMATES A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION ON TREES
0700 AM FREEZING RAIN NEW HAMPTON 43.06N 92.31W
02/20/2011 E0.25 INCH CHICKASAW IA PUBLIC
PUBLIC OBSERVED A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET
0705 AM FREEZING RAIN CRESCO 43.37N 92.12W
02/20/2011 E0.25 INCH HOWARD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT ESTIMATES A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION IN THE CITY OF CRESCO
0715 AM FREEZING RAIN 1 E OELWEIN 42.68N 91.89W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH FAYETTE IA CO-OP OBSERVER
1/16TH OF AN INCH OF GLAZE ON EXPOSED SURFACES.
0715 AM FREEZING RAIN 6 E MONONA 43.05N 91.27W
02/20/2011 E0.25 INCH CLAYTON IA PUBLIC
PUBLIC ESTIMATES A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION
0730 AM FREEZING RAIN PLATTEVILLE 42.74N 90.48W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH GRANT WI PUBLIC
LIGHT RAIN BEGINNING TO CREATE GLAZE ON EXPOSED SURFACES.
0745 AM FREEZING RAIN DE SOTO 43.43N 91.20W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH VERNON WI PUBLIC
RAIN AND SLEET CREATING A LIGHT COATING OF GLAZE ON
EXPOSED SURFACES.
0800 AM FREEZING RAIN DECORAH 43.31N 91.79W
02/20/2011 E0.25 INCH WINNESHIEK IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT ESTIMATES A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION ON TREES
0810 AM FREEZING RAIN CALMAR 43.18N 91.87W
02/20/2011 E0.00 INCH WINNESHIEK IA CO-OP OBSERVER
FREEZING RAIN WITH THUNDER CREATING GLAZE BETWEEN AN
1/8TH OF AN INCH AND 1/4 OF AN INCH.
0900 AM FREEZING RAIN LANCASTER 42.85N 90.71W
02/20/2011 E0.13 INCH GRANT WI LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT ESTIMATES AN EIGHTH OF AN INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION.
1217 PM FREEZING RAIN 4 SE LANSING 43.32N 91.17W
02/20/2011 E0.10 INCH ALLAMAKEE IA CO-OP OBSERVER
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER OBSERVED A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND
SLEET.
1217 PM FREEZING RAIN 8 NW WAUKON 43.35N 91.59W
02/20/2011 E0.20 INCH ALLAMAKEE IA PUBLIC
PUBLIC OBSERVED A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET
0500 PM SLEET 2 S HOLMEN 43.93N 91.26W
02/20/2011 E0.50 INCH LA CROSSE WI NWS EMPLOYEE
NWS EMPLOYEE ESTIMATED 1/4TH TO 1/2 OF INCH OF SLEET
0800 PM SLEET 4 NNW LA CROSSE 43.88N 91.26W
02/20/2011 M0.30 INCH LA CROSSE WI NWS EMPLOYEE
NWS EMPLOYEE MEASURED A THIRD OF AN INCH OF SLEET
0930 PM SNOW 2 S HOLMEN 43.93N 91.26W
02/20/2011 M7.8 INCH LA CROSSE WI NWS EMPLOYEE
LAST INCH WAS MIXED WITH SLEET
0338 AM SNOW 8 W MEDFORD 45.14N 90.51W
02/21/2011 E12.0 INCH TAYLOR WI LAW ENFORCEMENT
BLOWING SNOW AS WELL
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
520 AM CST MON FEB 21 2011
...HIGHEST WINDS FEBRUARY 20-21, 2011...
STATION COUNTY TIME SPEED GUST
2 SE EYOTA RWIS OLMSTED 706 PM 31 MPH 39 MPH
DODGE CENTER AWOS DODGE 834 PM 30 MPH 33 MPH
ROCHESTER ASOS OLMSTED 532 PM 28 MPH 37 MPH
OELWEIN AWOS FAYETTE 535 PM 26 MPH 31 MPH
PLATTEVILLE AWOS GRANT 656 PM 26 MPH 32 MPH
AUSTIN AWOS MOWER 255 PM 25 MPH 29 MPH
MEDFORD AWOS TAYLOR 415 AM 23 MPH 28 MPH
4 SSE ARLINGTON AWS FAYETTE 714 PM 23 MPH MPH
SPARTA AWOS MONROE 635 PM 23 MPH 32 MPH
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AWS CRAWFORD 749 PM 22 MPH MPH
KENDALL CWOP MONROE 711 PM 22 MPH 23 MPH
CAZENOVIA AWS RICHLAND 629 PM 21 MPH MPH
1 NE BEAR VALLEY CWOP WABASHA 350 PM 21 MPH 23 MPH
PRESTON AWOS FILLMORE 400 PM 21 MPH 28 MPH
1 WSW ONALASKA CWOP LA CROSSE 644 PM 21 MPH 21 MPH
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AWOS CRAWFORD 655 PM 20 MPH 31 MPH
WINONA AWOS WINONA 615 PM 20 MPH 24 MPH
1 WNW SIDNEY CWOP CLARK 1033 PM 20 MPH 0 MPH
1 W PLATTEVILLE CWOP GRANT 720 PM 20 MPH 33 MPH
LA CROSSE ASOS LA CROSSE 553 PM 20 MPH 32 MPH
KEY TO OBSERVATION TYPES
AWS - SENSORS FROM AWS INCORPORATED. OFTEN LOCATED AT SCHOOLS.
APRS - AUTOMATIC PACKET REPORTING SYSTEM. HAM RADIO WEATHER STATION DATA.
CWOP - CITIZEN WEATHER OBSERVER PROGRAM. HOME WEATHER STATION DATA.
RWIS - ROAD WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS. LOCATED ON MAJOR ROADS AND BRIDGES.
RAWS - FIRE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. OFTEN LOCATED IN FORESTS.
ASOS/AWOS - AVIATION WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. LOCATED AT AIRPORTS.
OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT
AND EXPOSURE. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.
- Web Site Owner:
- National Weather Service
- La Crosse, WI Weather Forecast Office
- N2788 County Road FA
- LaCrosse, WI 54601
- 608-784-7294
- Page Author: ARX Webmaster
- Web Master's E-mail: w-arx.webmaster@noaa.gov
- Page last modified: February 23rd 2011 12:13 AM