More than 50 inches of snow fell in Wausau in February, breaking record for snowiest month

Wausau Daily Herald

WAUSAU - As the snow fell in Wausau last month, so did the weather records.

Several days of major snowfall brought more than 50 inches of snow to the city in February, breaking the record for the snowiest month in Wausau's history.

Wausau surpassed the record for the snowiest month ever on Feb. 20 — and that was before more winter weather dumped another 14 inches on the city. In total, 54.3 inches of snow fell in Wausau in February.

The previous record for the snowiest month ever for the city was set in December 2008, when Wausau got 37.6 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

On Feb. 12, Wausau was hit with 15.7 inches of snow in one day, breaking the record for the city's snowiest day ever. The most snow in one day prior to Feb. 12 was 13 inches, an amount that fell on Feb. 5, 1908, and March 29, 1924.

In an average winter, Wausau gets about 60 inches of snow, according to National Weather Service data. So far this winter, Wausau has gotten 76.6 inches, and winter isn't expected to end anytime soon.

Portions of central and north central Wisconsin are likely to get another 1 to 3 inches of snow Friday evening, the National Weather Service forecasted.

The unusually snowy weather has taken a toll on virtually everyone in the community this month.

While students in Wausau have enjoyed seven days off from school because of the weather — three in January and four in February — administrators had to come up with a plan to make up so many missed days. School will start five minutes earlier and end five minutes later through the end of the year. Students will have full days of school on days that were originally set aside for professional development or half days.

Some local businesses lost out on days of potential profit, either because they made the decision to close or because customers didn't want to brave the snow to do their usual shopping.

Kevin Eichelberger, who owns Red Eye Brewing Co. and Patina Coffeehouse in Wausau, told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that he decided to close his restaurants a few times this year due to extremely cold weather or snow.

And the Marathon County Sheriff's Office has been busier than usual, responding to weather-related crashes and stranded vehicles. Chief Deputy Chad Billeb said sheriff's deputies responded to nearly 1,200 "traffic weather-related events."

"I can tell you that this is a considerable increase over what we would normally see in a normal February," Billeb said. "The weather has had a significant impact on us this month."