Winter Storm — Pepin, Wisconsin

2025-12-28 to 2025-12-29 · Pepin, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Snowfall reports ranged from 5 to 7 inches, and the highest report was 7.0 inches near Lund. Winds became breezy at times, dropping surface visibilities at nearby KRGK to 1 mile or less at times while snow was falling.

Wider weather episode

A strong winter system pivoted over Minnesota and Wisconsin on December 28th, allowing widespread snow to last nearly 24 hours. Surface temperatures started near or slightly above freezing on the morning of the 28th, resulting in a few hours of rain before a rapid cool down occurred and rain transitioned to all snow. As this transition happened, some areas experienced a flash freeze and winds increased out of the northwest, gusting to around 25 to 35 mph. The combination of strong winds and heavy snow dropped visibilities as low as 1/4 mile and resulted in difficult travel.

Although the snow ended at night on the 28th, reduced visibilities and travel impacts lingered into the morning of the 29th due to blowing snow. Around 6 to 10 inches of snow fell across the entirety of west central Wisconsin.

The top snowfall reports were:

9.6 inches 6 miles SW of Haugen, WI (Barron).

9.5 inches 3 miles NE of Tilden, WI (Chippewa).

9.2 inches 3 miles NW of Turtle Lake, WI (Polk).

9.0 inches 8 miles E of Haugen, WI (Barron).

9.0 inches 5 miles SW of Nye, WI (Polk).

9.0 inches in Menomonie, WI (Dunn).

9.0 inches 7 miles SW of Eau Claire, WI (Eau Claire).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1307124. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.