Blizzard conditions impacted southern Wisconsin in February of 2011.
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Overview
During the overnight hours of Tuesday, February 1st into Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011, a powerful low pressure center passing through Illinois produced blizzard conditions across much of southern Wisconsin. Snow associated with the system began in the mid-afternoon hours in far southern Wisconsin and pushed northward into the state through the evening. Very strong winds were associated with this storm for an extended period of time. Many locations saw blizzard conditions from early Tuesday evening through early Wednesday morning.
Large Storm
An infrared satellite imagery loop from Tuesday February 1, 2011 at nineteen UTC through Wednesday February 2nd at ten UTC. Satellite imagery shows the comma head structure of the low pressure system moving from the central Mississippi River Valley northeast through the Great Lakes Region and into the province of Quebec, Canada.
Infrared (IR) satellite loop
Impacts from this powerful winter storm stretched from the southern Plains all the way up into the Great Lakes! The infrared (IR) satellite loop to the right shows the vast size of the system as it tracked across the center of the United States.
The National Weather Service issued numerous winter headlines for this event (see image below). Winter storm watches were in place from the New Mexico/Mexico border up through the Northeast/Canadian border. Embedded within the heart of the winter storm were blizzard warnings stretching from central parts of Oklahoma, through the Midwest, and across the southern Great Lakes.
The National Weather Services Continental United States map of watches, warnings and advisories from February 1, 2011 at 10:40 AM CST. Winter Storm Warnings and Blizzard Warnings blanket a large portion of the map from New Mexico east through Oklahoma then northeast through Missouri, Michigan, New York and all the way up to Maine. North of this line of Winter Storm Warnings and Blizzard warnings are Wind chill warnings and advisories for all of the Northern Plains.
NWS Watch, Warning, and Advisory Map from the morning of February 1, 2011, showing how widespread the impacts were from this powerful winter storm
Surface pressure map from February 2, 2011. The low pressure is centered over central Indiana. The white lines are isobars (lines of pressure) plotted in increments of 2. Wind barbs and metar reports are in black. The background is colored based on pressure with values of 1000 to 1010 hectopascals in orange, 1010 to 1030 transitions from dark blue to light blue, and 1030 to 1040 are shades of green. The center of the low is orange with colors changing to show increasing pressure as you move away from the center of the low.
Surface Pressure Map valid at 12 AM February 2, 2011
The image below is an analysis of sea level pressure at midnight on February 2nd. The tight pressure gradient (white lines close together) over southern Wisconsin is the reason why the winds were so strong!
Snowfall totals in excess of 12 inches stretched from Tulsa, Oklahoma up through central Missouri, and into northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. At least 28 states were affected by this storm, especially the transportation industry. Numerous flights were cancelled, and many sections of interstate highways closed. There were power outages and school closings for a large portion of the country. Wisconsin was one of the states heavily affected by the large winter storm.
Snowfall map of the Great Lakes, Northern Plains and Central Plains region. A line of higher values ranging from Tulsa Oklahoma to Milwaukee has values of 10 to 21 inches of snowfall. These snowfall totals are from January 31st through February 2, 2011.
Regional Snowfall Totals Jan 31 - Feb 2, 2011
Southern Wisconsin
Radar loop of snowfall from Tuesday at fourteen UTC through Wednesday at 16 UTC. Radar image is only from the National Weather Service Milwaukee Radar. Shows snow quickly moving in and maintaining some deeper banding for multiple hours before gradually decreasing.
Radar loop
The radar animation on the right shows the multiple rounds of snow that occurred over the 3-day stretch, from Monday, January 31st through Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011.
In addition to the period of heavy snow and blizzard conditions February 1st and 2nd, several inches of snow fell on Monday, January 31st. Snowfall totals from 7 AM Monday to 4 PM Tuesday were generally 3 to 6 inches with isolated 8 inch amounts. The three-day snowfall total ranged from 7 inches toward central Wisconsin to over two feet in far southeast Wisconsin!
With the snow that overspread southern Wisconsin on the afternoon/evening of Monday, January 31st, the heavy snow associated with the low tracking through Illinois Tuesday evening and overnight, and then lingering lake effect snow in southeast Wisconsin into Wednesday afternoon, some locations did not see a break in snowfall. There was a widespread snow depth of over 20 inches across southern Wisconsin by Wednesday morning, February 2nd. It is not often that we see such a snow depth in this area!
Slider bar between two images: Left is the Groundhog day Blizzard Snowfall Totals and right is the 24 hour snow depth ending at 7 AM Central Time.
Snowfall Records
Six hour snowfall totals from our two climate sites at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison and Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Highest 6 hour snowfall occurred between 6 PM and Midnight CST on the 1st and between midnight and 6 AM CST on the 2nd. Totals during these two periods were around 5.5 inches to 7.5 inches.
Observed snowfall amounts every 6 hours at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison and Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee
The snow fell fast and furious across much of southern Wisconsin from Monday night, January 31st, through Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011. It was a record-breaking snowfall for many.
Milwaukee Records
Monday night through Tuesday afternoon: 3.8"
Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning: 16.0"
The 16.0" in a 24-hour period ranked 5th highest for the period of record. The 19.6" of snow that fell in a 48-hour period also ranked 5th highest. The 9.1" that fell on February 2nd broke the daily snowfall record.
Madison Records
Monday night through Tuesday afternoon: 6.0"
Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning: 12.7"
The 8.3" reported on February 1st broke the daily snowfall record. The 48-hour total snowfall of 14.3" ranked 5th highest. The 18.7" storm total for the three-day period ranked 2nd highest.
A National Weather Service employee in a dark red jacket and blue jeans measuring the snow depth at the office with a large ruler. Several inches of snow had already fallen at this time.
NWS Meteorologist demonstrating the depth of the snow with a ruler
Twenty-four hour snowfall totals were between 20 and 26 inches in far southeast Wisconsin, with 26 inches of snow measured in Pell Lake, and 24 inches recorded at both the Racine Wastewater Treatment Plant (a one-day record) and by a cooperative observer 4 miles southwest of the city of Kenosha. Racine set new two-day (1/31-2/1) and three-day (1/31-2/2) record snowfalls with 26 inches for each period, and Kenosha also set new two-day (1/31-2/1) and three-day (1/31-2/2) record snowfalls with 25.3 inches and 27.3 inches respectively.
Many rural roads drifted shut overnight as snowplow crews pulled their plows off the roads due to the poor visibility and dangerous conditions. There were numerous cases of slide-offs, some roll-overs, and stranded vehicles. In some cases, emergency personnel were unable to reach the stranded vehicles as drifts grew to 5 to 12 feet!
Winds & Waves
Peak wind gusts in miles per hour during the Groundhog Day Blizzard. Peak wind gusts ranged from 40 to 60 mph with the highest values found along Lake Michigan. Lowest values were across the northwest portion of our forecast area (west central Wisconsin).
Peak wind gusts in miles per hour, from February 1-2, 2011
Very strong winds were associated with this storm for an extended period of time. Peak wind gusts during the blizzard occurred between 7 PM Tuesday, February 1st and 4 AM Wednesday, February 2nd. Sustained northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph were common through the event, with peak wind gusts between 45 and 65 mph, with the strongest gusts near Lake Michigan. The lakeshore observation site at Kenosha reported a 64 mph wind gust at 1:20 AM CST on February 2nd. The canopy over gas pumps at a gas station in the City of Kenosha was damaged by the high winds.
Forecast wave heights from February 2, 2011 at 9 AM CST. Sustained northeast winds have caused waves to grow to 15 to 20 feet across the southwest portions of Lake Michigan.
Forecast waves for 9 AM Feb 2, 2011. There is no actual wave height data for this period since buoys get removed from the lake each winter.
As the surface low tracked east-northeast, just south of Lake Michigan, these very strong winds were primarily coming from the north-northeast. This led to an ample fetch over Lake Michigan and caused waves to build significantly down the spine of Lake Michigan and it's shoreline along the southern half of the lake.
The high waves crashed along the shoreline from Milwaukee to Chicago and also into northern Indiana and southwest lower Michigan. There were numerous reports of lakeshore flooding and extensive wind damage in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas.
Strong winds down Lake Michigan damaged a storage building in the Port of Milwaukee. Two garage doors are blown in and metal siding is displaced around the doors.
Storm damage to buildings in the Port of Milwaukee, photo taken February 2, 2011
Impacts
The blizzard forced roads to close, schools and businesses to shut down, and airports to cancel flights. Many people lost power in their homes and others became stranded in their vehicles. Impacts were felt far and wide across the area. The governor declared a state of emergency in 29 counties, primarily in southern Wisconsin.
Major interstate highways closed during the blizzard, along with many rural roads. Interstate-43 closed around 10 pm Tuesday, Feb 1st from Beloit to Mukwonago (Waukesha County) and reopened by early Wednesday afternoon. Portions of Interstate-94 from Milwaukee to the Illinois border were closed by late Tuesday evening, eventually leading to a complete closure overnight. It was impassable until late Wednesday afternoon due to the gusty northeast winds and persistent lake effect snow showers. Several Kenosha County sheriff deputies had to be rescued from their squad cars on I-94 after being stranded for six to seven hours.
Many rural roads drifted shut overnight as snowplow crews pulled their plows off the roads due to the poor visibility and dangerous conditions. There were numerous cases of slide-offs, some roll-overs, and stranded vehicles. In some cases, emergency personnel were unable to reach the stranded vehicles as drifts grew to 5 to 12 feet!
The Wisconsin National Guard and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were mobilized by late Tuesday afternoon, Feb 1st, after the governor declared a state of emergency. The National Guard used Humvees and DNR officials used snowmobiles to assist stranded motorists and conduct survey trips on certain roads as requested by County Emergency Managers. At least 100 stranded vehicles were reported in Dane County during this event. As of 2 pm Wednesday, the WI National Guard and WI DNR wardens were still searching for stranded motorists in Rock, Kenosha, and Ozaukee Counties.
Requested by Wisconsin Emergency Management, a Civil Danger Warning was issued for travelers to inform them that emergency personnel may not be able to rescue stranded motorists (12:33 AM Wednesday, February 2nd for all of south central and southeast Wisconsin). A different Civil Danger Warning was issued at 3:56 AM for just southeast Wisconsin pertaining to closures of I-43 and I-94.
Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee closed around 10 pm Tuesday, February 1st and ended up cancelling all flights until late Wednesday afternoon. The Dane County Regional Airport in Madison remained open, but many flights were cancelled.
Emergency rooms across Southeast Wisconsin reported dozens of heart attacks and injuries from snow blower accidents. The Racine Fire Department alone responded to 150 emergency calls related to the storm. There were 37 serious residential cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties. A 52-year old Yorkville (Racine County) resident died from exposure to the cold after being dropped off by a tow truck driver at the foot of her driveway and became disoriented in the whiteout conditions. Her body was found 300 feet from her home.
Snow drifts and snowfall at night in Racine Wisconsin. Snow blown up against a detached garage with a black mid size SUV to the right.
Plow truck in Racine, Wisconsin moving multiple inches of snowfall out of the roadway.
Path shoveled through the snow drift on the side of the road in front of a shop in Racine Wisconsin. Snow drift is several feet high.
Blowing and drifting snow in Waterford, Wisconsin has brought a couple feet of snow back onto an already plowed residential street.
Snow covered streets and walkways. Photo taken at night with yellow tint to the entire image. Street lights are in the distance.
Snow drifts next to a residence. Someone in the mid ground in a dark jacket with dark gloves is waving at the camera. The snow drifts come up to chest height on this person.
Snow covered roadway with two vehicles trapped in the snow and a person walking away from the camera roughly center frame. Snow depth is a couple feet high with the top of the windows and roof of both cars being the only visible indication of depth. Some minor blowing and drifting snow is occurring with snowflakes being kicked up in the distance. Person walking away from the camera is wearing all black snow gear, including hat, jacket and snow pants.
Snow covered street near dusk with cars parked on the side. Snow has stopped falling and cars are being cleared off. Multiple inches of snow blanket the sidewalks.
Snow drifts up against a garage in Caledonia, Wisconsin. Snow drifts are just shy of covering the entire left door on this two stall detached garage. The right door has significantly less snow in front of it.
Small round table on a deck with roughly 2 feet of snow on top of the table. Snow around the table on the deck is piling up around the table.
Drifting snow against a fence. Snow is up to the top of the 6 foot fence on one side with only a couple of inches on the other side of the fence. A pine tree is on the right side of the image.
Snow covered pick up truck in Racine Wisconsin. Truck is parked along the side of the road in front of some residential houses. Snow is up to the hood with all doors blocked.
Blowing and drifting snow in Racine, Wisconsin. Snow has blown up against a back door and is covering all but the very top of the door. Trash cans have been displaced with on can on the far right side and another on the far left.
Several inches of snowfall in Racine, Wisconsin. Residential street is unplowed but there are tire tracks in the road.
Snowfall in a multi-family residential complex in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Streets have been plowed, but snow is drifting back onto the road ways. Snow is drifting and building on the decks and roofs of the buildings.
A person is snow blowing in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Snow banks are almost as tall as the person. The person snow blowing is in a dark jacket with brown boots and jeans.
Car lost in the snow drifts. A sedan is almost completely covered with the very top of the cab and trunk behind the only visible parts of the vehicle. A path is slowly being dug to the car.
Snowfall and drifts up against glass double doors of a residence. Snow has piled over half way up the door with the knob and lock below the snow line.
Satellite Data
Satellites are equipped with numerous scientific instruments. They get launched into space and many are set to orbit the earth and send data to scientists. Some data get assimilated into supercomputers and help evaluate and forecast the weather.
Some satellites stay in a fixed position over a location on earth during their orbit. These are called Geostationary Satellites. The GOES series (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) Network is owned and operated by the United States. Other satellites, called polar-orbiting satellites, take a position closer to Earth and their orbits pass over the north and south poles and collect data in specific paths. The complete history of all U.S. Satellites can be found at https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/history-noaa-satellites.
When we think of satellite data in regard to weather, we think of seeing images of clouds over the Earth. Meteorologists typically look at visible satellite imagery during the day and infrared satellite imagery during the night in order to view the clouds. Water vapor imagery is also a common satellite channel to view the clouds and the water content in the higher levels of the atmosphere. In addition to seeing the clouds on these channels, we can also see trees and vegetation, lakes and rivers, and snowpack.
Weather satellites, like all types of technology, have evolved through the years since they were first launched in the late 1950s. The most significant change between the imagery offered from the past to the present is the resolution, both spatially and temporally. We used to be able to see a visible satellite image once every hour and each pixel would cover hundreds of square kilometers. With the launch of the GOES R-S series in 2016 and 2018, we are now able to receive new visible satellite imagery for a sector of the United States every minute with each pixel on the order of 0.5 km.
