Dense Fog, Marquette
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Marquette forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 16 to 17, 2001
Abundant low-level moisture and light winds led to the development of dense fog which reduced visibilities to 1/8 to 1/4 mile. Several vehicle accidends were noted in newspapers and some airplane traffice was delayed.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.
Abundant low-level moisture and light winds led to the development of dense fog which reduced visibilities to 1/8 to 1/4 mile. Several vehicle accidends were noted in newspapers and some airplane traffice was delayed. On December 16, 2001, Madison and Milwaukee recorded new high mininums of 37 and 41, respectively. Through Dec 16th, Milwaukee average temperature was 40.4, or an incredible 13.5 degrees above normal, and 3 degrees above the wamest December on record (1877)! Colder air during the last week of December, 2001, lowered the monthly average several degrees. Madison recorded its latest measurable snowfall in a winter season when 2/10 of an inch of snow finally fell on December 23, 2001. By the end of December 2001, Milwaukee Mitchell Field would measure only 9.4 inches of snow for the entire calendar year of 2001, breaking the old "minimum" record of 14.5 inches set in 1922!
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense Fog, Green Lake
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Green Lake forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Fond du Lac
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Fond du Lac forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Sauk
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Sauk forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Columbia
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Columbia forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Dodge
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Dodge forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Iowa
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Dane
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Dane forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Jefferson
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Lafayette
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Lafayette forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Green
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Green forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Rock
- When
- December 16, 7:15 PM CST to December 17, 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Dense Fog
- Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Texas, December 16, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Texas, December 16, 2001
- Flooding in Missouri, December 16 to 18, 2001
- Storm Surge in Washington, December 16, 2001
- Flooding in Washington, December 16 to 19, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Arkansas, December 16, 2001
- Flooding in Kentucky, December 16 to 18, 2001
- Tornado in Texas, December 16, 2001
- High Wind in Washington, December 16, 2001
- High Wind in Washington, December 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Texas, December 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Texas, December 16, 2001
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2001
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5276199, 5276200, 5276201, 5276202, 5276249, 5276250, 5276251, 5276252, 5276253, 5276254, 5276255, 5276256.