Ice Storm — February 22, 1922

Pictures like this were taken all over the Coulee Region on February 21-23, 1922. Taken at Westby’s intersection of Main and State streets looking north,

the Bekkedal Bank is visible on the left with the M.H. Iverson Tailor

Shop sign hanging above the entrance to the second floor.

On the east side of Main Street is the former Ole Westby’s second general store

soon to be torn down for one of our first filling stations.

This storm still stands out as one of the worst ice storms ever experienced in Wisconsin. Ice accumulations of 1-2", with a few reports of around 4", built up on trees, poles, and wires. Property damage was a staggering $10 million in Wisconsin. Additional ice damage was reported in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota, but newspaper accounts were rather sketchy on the extent of this damage.

Current David Mills Residence on State Street

Light rain and freezing rain began falling across the Upper Mississippi River Valley during the afternoon of February 21, 1922. The precipitation intensity increased during the overnight and continued into the evening of the 22nd as a surface low pressure system moved northeast from eastern Kansas to southern Lower Michigan by the morning of the 23rd. There were even reports of an occasional thunderstorm across the region. Precipitation amounts were generally in the 1-3" range; however, there were a few isolated reports of over 4" in central Wisconsin. 

Westby High and Grade School

In the following locations, February 22, 1922 stands as their wettest February day on record:  Fayette, Iowa (2.42"), Hillsboro, Wisconsin (3.00"), Hatfield, Wisconsin (1.45"), La Crosse, Wisconsin (2.05"), Mather, Wisconsin (1.56"), Neillsville, Wisconsin (1.78"), Richland Center, Wisconsin (1.80"), and Winona, Minnesota (1.65”).

According to the February 1922 Monthly Weather Review, a mixture of rain, sleet, and freezing rain fell across the southern two tiers of counties in Wisconsin. Further north, a mixture of freezing rain and sleet was seen north and west of a line from Prairie du Chien to Sheboygan and south of a line from Lake City, Minnesota to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ice accumulations of 1-2" were common in this area. Meanwhile, the remainder of Wisconsin saw a mix of sleet and heavy snow. Snowfall totals up to 3 feet were reported from Eau Claire to Green Bay.

Westby Standpipe

In Wisconsin, the heavy ice accumulation brought down 15,000-20,000 communication poles. This resulted in interruptions of power, telegraph, and phone service from 2 to 15 days. Along with the poles, there was considerable damage to timber, shade, and fruit trees. Ice accumulation on train tracks accounted for ten train wrecks as locomotives and cars slid off of their tracks. Minor flooding was reported in La Crosse, Sheboygan, Darlington, Fond du Lac, and a suburb in Milwaukee. This flooding caused considerable inconvenience, but little monetary loss. Fortunately, only two deaths were attributed to this storm.