A powerful low pressure center, passing south of Wisconsin, produced blizzard conditions across much of southern Wisconsin from the evening hours of Tuesday, February 1st into the early morning of Wednesday, February 2nd. Snow associated with the system began in the mid-afternoon hours of February 1st in far southern Wisconsin and became heavy as it pushed northward into the state through the late afternoon and evening. Very strong winds were associated with this storm for an extended period of time. Sustained northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph were common through the event, with peak wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph, with the stronger wind gusts near Lake Michigan. The lakeshore observation site at Milwaukee reported a 54 mph wind gust at 7 pm CST on February 1st. The combination of high winds and heavy snow created widespread sustained visibilities of less than 1/4 mile, with frequent whiteout conditions and near zero visibilities. Twenty-four hour snowfall totals were between 12 and 22 inches, with 22 inches of snow measured in Hales Corners (Milwaukee County), 18 inches recorded 4 miles southwest of Muskego (Waukesha County) and 12.1 inches at the NWS office in Sullivan (Jefferson County). Snowfall totaled 16.1 inches at Mitchell International Airport, which tied for the 5th greatest 24-hour snowfall total in Milwaukee. Most flights in and out of the airport were canceled until later in the day on February 2nd.  In addition to the snow that fell during the blizzard, several inches of snow fell on Jan 31, with light lake effect snow through the day on Feb 1st. It's possible that some locations did not see a break in snowfall between the evening of January 31st and the morning of February 2nd. Many cooperative observer stations set records for multi-day snowfall totals. Whitnall Park in Hales Corners (Milwaukee County) set a record with 28 inches of snow from January 31st through February 1st. Snow drifts of 3 to 12 feet were common, with reports of some drifts reaching 12 to 15 feet in open rural areas. A Civil Danger Warning was issued by Wisconsin Emergency Management concerning the dangerous driving conditions. Drifting snow closed Interstate 94 from the Illinois border north to Milwaukee, and Interstate 43 from Beloit to Mukwonago, with many stranded motorists having to be rescued from vehicles buried in the drifting snow. About 100 National Guardsman were mobilized statewide in response to Gov. Scott Walker's emergency declaration for 29 counties to help rescue motorists and run emergency shelters at armories. Most businesses, several restaurants and all of the Milwaukee-area shopping malls were closed for at least part of the day on February 2nd. The blizzard even caused the Milwaukee County Zoo to cancel the annual Groundhog Day festivities. Emergency rooms across Southeast Wisconsin reported dozens of heart attacks and injuries from snow blower accidents. Three Milwaukee area men, two with heart problems, died while shoveling snow. Milwaukee area law enforcement reported 24 vehicle accidents, with two injuries and 47 disabled vehicles. Jefferson County reported 1 indirectly-related injury due to a vehicle accident, with a total of 122 weather related calls. At the height of the storm, WE Energies reported 5,200 customers were without power across Southeast Wisconsin.  An outdoor siren belonging to the city of Waukesha was blown down by the winds and had to be replaced.  In the Port of Milwaukee, the wind gusts imploded at least 5 metal panals or siding and a roll-down door on a large storage pole shed.

Blizzard in JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN
From 01-FEB-11 19:00:00 to 02-FEB-11 07:00:00 (CST-6)
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Blizzard in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 01-FEB-11 19:00:00 to 02-FEB-11 07:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 24.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Blizzard in MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
From 01-FEB-11 19:00:00 to 02-FEB-11 07:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 10.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS