Spring storm drops nearly two feet of snow on parts of Wisconsin

Digital Producer

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. -- A spring snowstorm dumped nearly two feet of fresh powder in west-central Wisconsin on Sunday and into Monday, just days after parts of the state saw temperatures soar into the 80s.

Twenty-two inches of snow were reported in Neillsville, about 60 miles southeast of Eau Claire, while in Mindoro, about 25 miles northeast of La Crosse, residents were left to clean up 20.5" of snow. Sparta, meanwhile, saw 16" of snow, while 11" fell in New Lisbon.

Snow totals quickly dropped off in the Madison area, with the capital city recording just 1.2", most of which quickly melted. Milwaukee saw just 0.6" of new snow.

The storm created headaches for drivers Sunday night and Monday morning, toppling trees and power lines and leading to numerous crashes. It also knocked out power to thousands of customers. Xcel Energy reported at peak, around 10,000 customers were in the dark. As of 6:45 p.m. Monday, around 560 Wisconsin customers remained without power.

As the snow melts and with more rain in the forecast, already high water levels on the Mississippi River are expected to continue to climb. The National Weather Service said chances of major flooding are increasing.

As of Monday afternoon, the river is expected to reach 15.3 feet of depth by the weekend in La Crosse, just shy of major flood stage.

Download the First Warn Weather app to stay up-to-date on current weather conditions and the latest forecast.

​COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Digital Producer

Logan Reigstad is a digital producer for Channel3000.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].