Dense Fog, Marquette
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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, February 20, 2002
Dense fog developed overnight across south-central and southeast Wisconsin due to light rain and persistent, on-shore southeast to northeast winds. Visibilities were reduced to 1/8 to 1/4 mile, especially in river valleys and other low spots.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
- 20
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.
Dense fog developed overnight across south-central and southeast Wisconsin due to light rain and persistent, on-shore southeast to northeast winds. Visibilities were reduced to 1/8 to 1/4 mile, especially in river valleys and other low spots. This led to several vehicle accidents and flight delays or cancellations at airports.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 3:40 PM CST, 10 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 3:40 PM CST, 10 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 340 PM CST TUE FEB 19 2002 FCST FOCUS ON CONTINUING RAIN TNT/WED AND CHANGE TO SNOW WED AFT/EVE. ELONGATED SFC LOW LOCATED OVER SRN IA/WRN MO/ERN KS AREA TO SLIGHTLY DEEPEN AS IT PROPOGATES NEWD TOWARDS N-CNTRL IL TNT. LOW LVL WAA CONTINUING TO SPREAD RAIN INTO CWA...AND SHOULD CONTINUE THRU TNT. MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT IN TRACK OF SFC LOW ACROSS N-CNTRL AND NERN IL 00Z-12Z WED INTO LWR MI BY 00Z THURS. THEY ALSO AGREE THAT MAIN 500MB VORT MAX OVR SRN PLAINS ATTM WILL PROPOGATE INTO CNTRL IN BY 18Z WED...TAKING THE BEST UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION WELL S OF CWA. COUPLED UPR LVL JET STREAKS XPECTED TO PLACE BEST UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION THERE AS WELL. HOWEVER...WITH PROXIMITY OF SFC LOW AND WARM FRONT TO CWA...ENOUGH LIFT TO KEEP RAIN FALLING THRU TNT AND WED. COULD SEE SOME HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF RAIN WED MORN AND EARLY AFTERNOON...AS COUPLED UPR LVL JET STREAKS POSITION STRONG DIVERGENCE OVR ERN WI AROUND 18Z WED. AVN/NGM/UWM MM5 MOST AGRESSIVE WITH THIS SCENERIO. MM5 ALSO YIELDS AROUND AN INCH OF ACCUM PRECIP BETWEEN 12Z WED AND 00Z THURS. AS SFC LOW PROPOGATES INTO LWR MI WED AFT/EVE...FAIRLY POTENT CAA BEGINS TO AFFECT CWA. FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A QUICK MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW WED AFTERNOON ACROSS WRN AND CNTRL CWA...CHANGING TO ALL SNOW BY WED EVENING. ERN CWA PROBABLY WILL EXPERIENCE THIS PROCESS A FEW HOURS LATER. AS MAIN UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FROM SURFACE LOW...WARM FRONT AND UPR LVL DIVERGENCE SHIFT EWD WED NGT/THURS...DON/T FORSEE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMS. HOWEVER...WITH 500MB VORT MAXES PROPOGATING AROUND SLIGHTLY CLOSED 500MB TROUGH...SOME LIGHT ACCUMS ARE POSSIBLE. AVN/MM5 SUPPORT THIS. AS PRECIP ENDS THURS NGT...A BRIEF PD OF QUIET WX BEFORE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES FRI NGT INTO SAT. .MKX...NONE. /...0.../.../.../.../ WOOD
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense Fog, Green Lake
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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, Dane
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM 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
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM 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)
Dense Fog, Sheboygan
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sheboygan forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Walworth
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Walworth forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Dodge
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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, Washington
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Ozaukee
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ozaukee forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Waukesha
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waukesha forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Milwaukee
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Milwaukee forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Racine
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Racine forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Kenosha
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kenosha forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Iowa
- When
- February 20, 2:00 AM CST to 10:00 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)
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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, February 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, February 20, 2002
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, February 20, 2002
- Hail in Kentucky, February 20, 2002
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 20, 2002
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 20 to 21, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, February 20, 2002
- Flooding in Indiana, February 20 to 27, 2002
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 20 to 23, 2002
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 20 to 21, 2002
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, February 2002
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5283861, 5283862, 5283863, 5283864, 5283865, 5283866, 5283867, 5283868, 5283869, 5283870, 5283871, 5283872, 5283873, 5283874, 5283875, 5283876, 5283877, 5283878, 5283879, 5283880.