Historic March 14-16, 2026 Winter Storm

Overview

A historic, record-setting winter storm impacted northeast Wisconsin from Saturday evening, March 14, 2026, through Monday evening, March 16. A potent Colorado low deepened as it tracked from the central Plains toward Chicago and eventually Lake Huron, placing a long duration of heavy precipitation directly over the region. The storm began as snow Saturday evening before transitioning to a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain, and sleet across central and east-central Wisconsin after 3 AM Sunday. This mix produced a few hundredths of an inch of ice in east-central Wisconsin before changing back to all snow early Sunday afternoon.

Snow became very heavy over central Wisconsin early Sunday morning with snowfall rates up to 4 inches per hour. Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were observed at times in thundersnow and thundersleet. These heavy snowfall rates shifted east through the morning, reaching northeast Wisconsin around midday Sunday. Near-blizzard conditions developed Sunday afternoon, fueled by northeast winds gusting between 35 and 50 mph. Peak gusts reached 59 mph at the Green Bay Airport and 60 mph in De Pere. This combination of heavy falling snow and high winds created whiteout conditions and massive drifting.

After a brief lull in snowfall Sunday evening, heavy snow redeveloped from south to north early Monday morning. This second round of precipitation was intense, with snowfall rates reaching 1 to 3 inches per hour at times across the Fox Valley and lakeshore. The combination of this heavy snow and powerful north winds, gusting between 40 and 55 mph, resulted in a return to blizzard conditions. Visibility frequently dropped to a quarter-mile or less, creating whiteout conditions that made travel impossible. By Monday morning, this overnight surge had dumped an additional 6 to 12 inches of snow on top of what had already fallen.

Final snowfall totals were historic, with a widespread 1 to 2 feet across the area and localized amounts exceeding 30 inches from Wausau to Marinette and Door County. Green Bay recorded 26.6 inches, marking its second-largest snowstorm on record. Impacts were severe and wide-reaching. Travel became nearly impossible, leading to numerous flight cancellations and significant road drifting, including a 10-foot drift reported in Ephraim. Roads were severely impacted throughout the event with tow bans in place and some municipalities suspending plowing. "No Travel Advised" was posted for an extended period on the Wisconsin DOT webpage. The heavy snow load and high winds caused widespread power outages, most notably in Door and Marinette Counties, and building collapses were reported in Sturgeon Bay and Kewaunee County. Many schools and businesses remained closed through Monday.

Additional Event Summaries

NWS Milwaukee

NWS La Crosse

NWS Twin Cities

Animation of radar imagery from March 14-16.

Animation of KGRB radar imagery from 6:30 PM March 14, 2026 until 6:00 PM March 16, 2026

Snow Totals/Records
Wind Gusts
Photos/Additional

Snow Totals/Records

Storm total snow reports received at NWS Green Bay Observed Snowfall Graphic

Storm total snow reports received at NWS Green Bay (left) and Observed Snowfall graphic (right) for the winter storm.

Snowfall Records

**3-day Storm Total Records**
Site	Old Record	3/15 - 3/17, 2026
Appleton COOP	21.2" (2018)	27.0"
Wausau	22.1" (1959)	30.9"
Marshfield COOP	20.0" (2010)	21.5"
Oshkosh COOP	15.5" (1996)	16.0"
Stevens Point COOP	20.7" (2018)	24.0"

**Single Day Snowfall**
Site	Old record	2026
Appleton COOP	14.0" (12/12/1909)	18.2" (3/16)
Oshkosh COOP	12.0" (1910, 1918, 1990)	12.0" (3/16)
Wausau	15.7" (02/12/2019)	23.4" (3/15)

...3 DAY STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL REPORTS...

Location                     Amount    Time/Date       Provider             

...Wisconsin...

...Brown County...
4 WNW New Franken            28.0 in   0200 PM 03/16   Amateur Radio        
Suamico                      27.5 in   0856 AM 03/16   Public               
Denmark WWTP                 27.5 in   0715 AM 03/17   COOP                 
NWS Green Bay                26.6 in   0639 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Howard 1.7 SSW               25.5 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
2 WNW Howard                 25.2 in   0113 PM 03/16                        
1 SE Green Bay               24.0 in   1043 AM 03/16   Public               
Wrightstown                  20.8 in   0927 AM 03/16   Public               
Wrightstown 0.4 ENE          18.0 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Green Bay 2.3 E              17.5 in   0730 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Green Bay 4.9 SSW            17.3 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Calumet County...
Chilton                      23.9 in   0408 PM 03/16                        
1 SW Darboy                  17.0 in   0915 AM 03/16   Public               

...Door County...
2 ENE Egg Harbor             33.0 in   1224 PM 03/16                        
Forestville 4 E              32.0 in   0800 AM 03/17   UCOOP                
Egg Harbor 2.4 ENE           29.0 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Fish Creek 1 E WWTP          28.5 in   0850 AM 03/16   UCOOP                

...Florence County...
Spread Eagle 1 NW            25.0 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Aurora 0.7 E                 24.1 in   0555 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Florence 0.5 E               21.3 in   1230 PM 03/16   COCORAHS             

...Lincoln County...
Merrill 8 W                  15.5 in   0600 AM 03/17   UCOOP                
Tomahawk 1.2 SSW             12.9 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Manitowoc County...
Two Rivers 1.2 N             20.5 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Two Rivers 2 NW              19.1 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Two Rivers 1.5 ENE           17.1 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Mishicot 0.1 NNW             16.0 in   0800 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Marathon County...
Wausau                       30.9 in   0100 PM 03/16   Broadcast Media      
1 WSW Brokaw                 28.0 in   0845 AM 03/16   Public               
Mosinee 3.6 NE               25.8 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
7 ESE Knowlton               24.0 in   0248 PM 03/16                        
Wausau 1.6 ENE               22.6 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Wausau 2.4 W                 22.3 in   0800 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Dancy 1 NNW                  18.3 in   0600 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Marinette County...
Peshtigo                     30.0 in   0907 AM 03/16   Public               
2 SSW Mcallister             28.5 in   1042 AM 03/16   Public               
Peshtigo 1 S                 23.0 in   0730 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Athelstane 1.6 E             22.4 in   0600 AM 03/17   UCOOP                

...Oconto County...
5 S Hayes                    29.0 in   1117 AM 03/16   Public               
Mountain 0.9 E               26.0 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Oconto Falls 1.0 SE          25.3 in   0708 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Sobieski                     22.5 in   0930 AM 03/16   Public               

...Oneida County...
Minocqua                     18.6 in   0630 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Rhinelander 2 SW             11.7 in   0730 AM 03/17   COOP                 

...Outagamie County...
Appleton                     27.5 in   0900 AM 03/16   Public               
Shiocton 0.6 NW              24.8 in   0730 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Greenville                   24.0 in   0242 PM 03/16                        
New London 4.1 N             22.8 in   0600 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Appleton 3.0 ESE             18.9 in   0705 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Portage County...
Almond                       25.0 in   0904 AM 03/16   Public               
Stevens Point                24.0 in   0730 AM 03/17   COOP                 
4 W Plover                   22.5 in   1142 AM 03/16   Public               
Plover 1.4 S                 20.8 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Shawano County...
1 W Shawano                  33.0 in   0533 PM 03/16   Public               
Pella                        30.0 in   0845 AM 03/16   Public               
Shawano 2 SSW                25.8 in   0800 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Leopolis                     25.0 in   0849 AM 03/16   Public               
Shawano 1.2 WSW              22.5 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Vilas County...
Phelps 4.2 N                 19.5 in   0719 AM 03/17   COOP                 
Eagle River                  15.0 in   0704 PM 03/16   NWS Employee         

...Waupaca County...
3 ENE Northland              30.5 in   0810 PM 03/16   Public               
Waupaca                      28.0 in   0927 AM 03/16   Public               
Clintonville                 26.5 in   1240 PM 03/16   Trained Spotter      
Weyauwega                    25.0 in   0948 AM 03/16   Trained Spotter      
Waupaca                      24.9 in   1042 AM 03/16   Public               
3 SSW Sheridan               23.8 in   0920 AM 03/16   Public               
Clintonville 0.9 N           23.0 in   0600 AM 03/17   COOP                 
New London - WWTP            18.0 in   0700 AM 03/17   UCOOP                

...Winnebago County...
Menasha 0.3 W                27.7 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
2 NW Menasha                 25.3 in   1013 AM 03/16   Public               
Neenah 1.1 ENE               22.6 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Winneconne                   22.0 in   0854 AM 03/16   Public               
Neenah                       21.0 in   1029 AM 03/16   Public               
Appleton 2.3 SW              18.3 in   0700 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

...Wood County...
Wisconsin Rapids 4.5 SSE     30.0 in   0600 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             
Marshfield 6.5 S             21.6 in   0800 AM 03/17   COCORAHS             

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.

Wind Gusts

Max wind gusts March 15 2026 Max wind gusts March 16 2026

Max wind gusts observed on March 15, 2026 (left) and March 16, 2026 (right)

...HIGHEST WIND GUSTS OVER THE PAST 48 HOURS...

Location                     Speed     Time/Date       Lat/Lon/Elev (ft.) 

...Wisconsin...

...Brown County...
De Pere                      59 MPH    1040 AM 03/16   44.44N/88.05W/643    
Green Bay Airport            59 MPH    0543 PM 03/15   44.48N/88.13W/686    
De Pere                      48 MPH    0420 AM 03/16   44.33N/87.97W/895    
Green Bay 1 N                45 MPH    0730 PM 03/15   44.54N/88.00W        
Wrightstown                  42 MPH    1001 AM 03/16   44.33N/88.17W/652    
Denmark                      41 MPH    1135 AM 03/16   44.39N/87.86W/859    

...Calumet County...
Brillion                     47 MPH    0335 AM 03/16   44.10N/88.05W/833    
Forest Junction              41 MPH    0424 PM 03/16   44.21N/88.21W/833    

...Door County...
Washington Island Airport    53 MPH    0615 AM 03/16   45.38N/86.92W/658    
Ellison Bay 2.2 S (MAWN)     51 MPH    0320 PM 03/16   45.22N/87.07W/691    
Ephraim Airport              48 MPH    0215 PM 03/16   45.13N/87.18W/747    
Sturgeon Bay Airport         46 MPH    0139 AM 03/16   44.85N/87.42W/685    
Egg Harbor 3.1 SE (MAWN)     46 MPH    1230 PM 03/16   45.01N/87.23W/728    
Carlsville 4.1 SW (MAWN)     45 MPH    0825 AM 03/16   44.88N/87.33W/731    
Maplewood 1.4 W (MAWN)       41 MPH    1155 AM 03/16   44.79N/87.46W/688    
Southern Door                37 MPH    0640 AM 03/16   44.78N/87.36W/699    
Egg Harbor 1.2 NE (MAWN)     35 MPH    0525 AM 03/16   45.05N/87.26W/734    

...Florence County...
Fence                        36 MPH    0420 PM 03/16   45.76N/88.56W/1493   

...Forest County...
Crandon                      41 MPH    0225 PM 03/16   45.52N/88.92W/1621   
Wabeno 2 NNW                 37 MPH    0230 PM 03/16   45.46N/88.68W/1560   

...Kewaunee County...
Kewaunee MET, WI             58 MPH    0942 PM 03/15   44.47N/87.50W/583    
Luxemburg 2.0 NE (MAWN)      46 MPH    0500 AM 03/16   44.56N/87.65W/714    
Kewaunee                     40 MPH    0450 AM 03/16   44.40N/87.66W/750    

...Langlade County...
Antigo                       46 MPH    0825 PM 03/15   45.16N/89.12W/1512   
Antigo Airport               43 MPH    0235 AM 03/16   45.15N/89.12W/1518   
Antigo 2 ENE                 40 MPH    0205 PM 03/16   45.16N/89.11W/1499   

...Lincoln County...
Merrill Airport              38 MPH    0255 PM 03/15   45.20N/89.72W/1310   
Gleason                      36 MPH    0315 AM 03/16   45.30N/89.50W/1459   

...Manitowoc County...
Manitowoc Airport            46 MPH    0728 AM 03/16   44.12N/87.67W/618    
Valders                      42 MPH    0205 PM 03/16   44.00N/87.82W/810    
Reedsville                   39 MPH    0330 PM 03/16   44.23N/87.96W/869    

...Marathon County...
Wausau Airport               44 MPH    1002 PM 03/15   44.93N/89.62W/1208   
Moon 6 SW                    43 MPH    0905 PM 03/15   44.70N/89.87W/1149   
Marshfield                   41 MPH    0900 AM 03/16   44.76N/90.10W/1312   
Mosinee Airport              39 MPH    0135 AM 03/16   44.78N/89.67W/1282   
Sth Wb 29 0.4 Mi West Of Ros 38 MPH    0949 AM 03/15   44.95N/90.27W/1365   
Wausau                       35 MPH    0354 PM 03/16   44.95N/89.64W/1240   

...Marinette County...
Menominee                    58 MPH    0630 AM 03/15   45.10N/87.59W/580    
Crivitz                      42 MPH    0140 PM 03/16   45.17N/88.00W/688    
Wausaukee 2 NW               38 MPH    0205 PM 03/16   45.39N/87.97W/763    

...Oconto County...
Breed 5 NE                   43 MPH    0830 AM 03/16   45.12N/88.37W/910    
Suring                       42 MPH    0815 AM 03/16   45.00N/88.34W/839    
Lena                         40 MPH    1035 AM 03/16   45.01N/88.03W/688    
GILLETT                      40 MPH    0740 AM 03/16   44.89N/88.32W/849    
Oconto Airport               38 MPH    0255 PM 03/16   44.87N/87.92W/602    

...Oneida County...
Rhinelander Airport          43 MPH    0323 PM 03/15   45.63N/89.48W/1599   
Rhinelander                  40 MPH    0730 PM 03/15   45.65N/89.27W/1598   
Tomahawk 3 W                 37 MPH    0410 PM 03/15   45.59N/89.72W/1535   

...Outagamie County...
Appleton Airport             43 MPH    0255 AM 03/16   44.27N/88.52W/888    
Seymour                      42 MPH    0935 AM 03/16   44.54N/88.25W/830    
Grand Chute                  39 MPH    0844 AM 03/16   44.31N/88.42W/801    

...Portage County...
Plover                       39 MPH    1007 PM 03/15   44.44N/89.55W/1082   
Stevens Point Airport        38 MPH    0335 PM 03/15   44.55N/89.53W/1106   

...Shawano County...
Shawano Airport              40 MPH    0315 AM 03/16   44.78N/88.57W/814    
Wittenberg                   38 MPH    0915 PM 03/15   44.87N/89.02W/1131   
Keshena 2 WNW                36 MPH    0931 PM 03/15   44.85N/88.63W/876    

...Vilas County...
Arbor Vitae Airport          40 MPH    0615 AM 03/16   45.93N/89.73W/1620   
Eagle River Airport          39 MPH    0635 PM 03/15   45.93N/89.27W/1641   
Manitowish Waters            38 MPH    0855 PM 03/15   46.08N/89.84W/1613   
Land O Lakes Airport         36 MPH    0355 PM 03/16   46.15N/89.22W/1694   
Phelps 2 SW                  35 MPH    1131 PM 03/15   46.04N/89.10W/1770   

...Waupaca County...
Waupaca                      41 MPH    0158 AM 03/16   44.34N/89.11W/889    
Clintonville Airport         40 MPH    1030 PM 03/15   44.62N/88.73W/816    
Iola                         39 MPH    0920 PM 03/15   44.50N/89.02W/878    
Waupaca Airport              38 MPH    0455 AM 03/16   44.33N/89.02W/809    

...Waushara County...
Wautoma Airport              39 MPH    0103 PM 03/16   44.03N/89.30W/855    
Hancock                      35 MPH    0140 AM 03/16   44.12N/89.53W/1096   

...Winnebago County...
Oshkosh Airport              52 MPH    0647 PM 03/15   43.97N/88.55W/794    
Ripon                        40 MPH    0610 AM 03/16   43.91N/88.85W/850    
Omro                         35 MPH    1001 PM 03/15   44.07N/88.69W/748    

...Wood County...
Marshfield Airport           48 MPH    0603 AM 03/16   44.63N/90.18W/1241   
Wisconsin Rapids Airport     46 MPH    0652 AM 03/16   44.37N/89.83W/1020   
Babcock                      41 MPH    0455 AM 03/16   44.25N/90.27W/940    

...Maritime Stations...
Gills Rock 1 ENE             63 MPH    0300 PM 03/16   45.29N/86.98W        

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.

$$

Photos/Additional

Photos


Wisconsin DOT webcam (Green Bay) (511wi.gov)	Wisconsin DOT webcam (Wausau) (511wi.gov)	Waupaca (Diana Gski)	Shawano (Victoria Celmer)

NWS Green Bay Office	NWS Green Bay Office	Norway, MI - yard stick in photo (Steve Brown)	Norway, MI - Menominee River in background (Steve Brown)

Services


Graphic issued 3/15 highlighting historic snow amounts and impacts	Short term forecast graphic issued 3/15	Winter weather headlines in effect during the blizzard event	Regional messaging of the historic blizzard (NWS WPC)

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