Winter Storm — Washington, Wisconsin

2009-03-28 to 2009-03-29 · Washington, Wisconsin

Wider weather episode

Strong low pressure tracked northeast from southeast Missouri to southeast Lower Michigan during the night of March 28th into the morning of March 29th. Maximum snowfall totals of 6 to 8 inches were recorded over Racine, Kenosha, and far southern Milwaukee counties. Specific accumulations included 8.3 inches 2NE of Sturtevant, 7.5 inches in Paddock Lake (Kenosha Co.), 6.5 inches in the northwest part of Franklin (Milwaukee Co.), an estimated 6 inches in the Muskego area (Waukesha Co.), 5 inches in Whitewater (Walworth Co.), 4.5 inches in Germantown (Washington Co.), and 3 to 4 inches in far southern Jefferson County and far northeastern Rock County. Spotters reported thundersnow near the city of Racine around 0500CST on the 29th, with wind gusts in excess of 40 mph near Lake Michigan creating near-blizzard conditions at times. While snow amounts to the north and west were less, a mixture of sleet, rain, freezing rain, and snow created very hazardous driving conditions. Ice accumulations of 0.10 of an inch, and sleet accumulations between 1/2 inch to 1 inch were reported during the course of the storm. The media reported dozens of vehicle accidents due to slippery road surfaces. In Richfield (Washington Co.) a 2-vehicle accident resulted in 3 fatalities and 4 injuries (all indirectly-related). In the City of Milwaukee (Milwaukee Co.) three men died while shoveling the heavy snow (indirectly-related). We Energies reported 13,000 customers lost electricity due to weather related damage in parts of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 159346. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.