Historic Blizzard Prompts Thousands of Service Calls Across Wisconsin

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A historic blizzard that dropped dozens of inches of snow across northeast Wisconsin has led to a significant increase in service calls for local authorities. The Brown County Sheriff's Office reported a 52% jump in calls from the prior week, with 70% of them weather-related, including 193 driver assistance requests. The Door County Sheriff's Office also responded to over 50 vehicles in ditches and numerous downed wires and trees during the storm.

Why it matters

The high volume of service calls highlights the severe impact of the blizzard on local communities, straining emergency resources and underscoring the need for robust winter weather preparedness and response plans. The data provides insight into the scale of the storm's disruption to transportation and infrastructure.

The details

According to officials, the Brown County Sheriff's Office received 304 service calls from midnight on March 15 until 5 p.m. on March 16, a nearly 52% increase from the prior week. 70% of these calls were considered weather-related, with 193 being driver assistance requests. The Door County Sheriff's Office responded to at least 50 vehicles in ditches from Saturday night until Tuesday morning, along with 36 motorist assist calls, 10 calls for downed wires, and 2 calls for downed trees.

• The service call data is from the period of midnight on March 15 until 5 p.m. on March 16.
• The Door County Sheriff's Office responded to incidents from Saturday night until Tuesday morning.