Winter storm dumps snow statewide, causing school closings and power outages across Wisconsin

Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent
·2 min read
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A storm system moving across the state Wednesday night brought snow to much of Wisconsin early Thursday, causing schools and businesses to close and leaving over 50,000 Wisconsin residents without power.

Though the storm weakened as it moved east, it still brought plenty of measurable snow to most of the state, except for Milwaukee and surrounding areas.

This was expected, according to Scott Cultice, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay. "Overall, (the storm) played out like it should."

What are the snowfall totals in Green Bay, Appleton, Wausau, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and more cities?

  • Appleton: 2 to 4 inches of snow

  • Green Bay: 3.5 inches

  • Stevens Point: 5.2 inches

  • Wisconsin Rapids: 6 inches

  • Weston: 6 inches

  • Wausau: 7.5 inches

  • Marshfield area: 6.5 inches

  • Madison: 4 inches

  • La Crosse: 2 inches

  • Rhinelander: 6.3 inches

  • Fond du Lac: 2.8 inches

  • Two Rivers: 2.5 inches

  • Sheboygan: 1.5 inches

  • Bayfield County: 15 inches

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, the most snowfall was reported in Bayfield County, with 15 inches in Cable, 16 inches in Moquah, and 12 inches in Washburn.

Power outages

And early this morning, nearly 50,000 WPS, We Energies, Alliant and Xcel customers in Wisconsin were without power, especially in the northern half of the state. While the direct cause of the outages is still being determined, many of them were reported either early Thursday or late Wednesday, while the storm was moving through.

There's not much more snow or wintry mix coming our way, Cultice said. Wisconsin can expect "some scattered drizzle and snow showers," especially in the northern part of the state.

Instead, a blast of Arctic air is expected to bring below-normal temperatures from Sunday to Tuesday, with highs ranging from the single digits in the Northwoods to the teens or 20s in Green Bay.

Schools closed in Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point and more

The Wausau School District is moving to virtual learning Thursday, while Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield and many surrounding districts are closed Thursday. The Green Bay School District is opening today with a two-hour delay as are in the districts in the Green Bay metro area. No closings are reported in Appleton, though Hortonville, New London, Pulaski, Oconto are closed. Oshkosh is opening with a two-hour delay.

Green Bay weather radar

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Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Snow, power outages, school closings widespread across Wisconsin