National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Tracking Two Storms Impacting the Northern U.S. Through Thanksgiving and into This Weekend

Heavy lake effect snow, gusty winds, and localized blizzard conditions will persist through Thanksgiving near and downwind of the Great Lakes. Rain and mountain snow are forecast for the Pacific Northwest. Confidence is increasing for another winter storm to develop over the northern and central Rockies Friday and track across the central Plains through the Midwest and Great Lakes this weekend. Read More >

Overview

A strong area of low pressure listed northeast across the region, bringing a swath of heavy snow to southern Wisconsin late Friday, March 24th into Saturday, March 25th, 2023. 

Initially, the surface low was forecast to track northeast across southern Illinois and central Indiana, with a west to east area of banded snowfall. However, as the event unfolded the surface low tracked further northwest across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. This allows the banded area of heavy snow to shift to the west and become oriented more south to north. 

The snow stacked up quickly due to impressive snowfall rates on Saturday morning, leading to difficult travel and a few isolated power outages. Both Madison and Milwaukee saw record snowfall during this event. Head over to the Snow Records and Reports tab to see these records! 

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How the storm track and axis of heavier snow shifted west.
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