Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 29 to 30, 2004

Name: Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 29 to 30, 2004
Start: 2004-12-29T22:00
End: 2004-12-30T08:00
Location: Wisconsin

December 29 to 30, 2004 · NWS MKX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Dense fog developed overnight, reducing visibilities to 1/8 to 1/4 mile. Several vehicle accidents were noted in newspapers, and some airline flights were delayed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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, reducing visibilities to 1/8 to 1/4 mile. Several vehicle accidents were noted in newspapers, and some airline flights were delayed. A moist south-southeast surface flow ahead of a low pressure allowed the dense fog to develop. A light drizzle/mist accompanied the dense fog.

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 Dec 29, 3:02 PM CST, 6 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 3:02 PM CST, 6 hours 58 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
302 PM CST WED DEC 29 2004

.DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON RAIN LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...
THEN ON NEXT SYSTEM SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT WILL POSITION AND MOVEMENT OF SURFACE
SYSTEM TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...ALTHOUGH GFS HAS A MUCH STRONGER LOW.
UKMET AND ECMWF CLOSER TO ETA. ISNT LIFT IS WEAK ON BOTH MODELS WITH
BEST LIFT IN MORNING. COND PRES DEF ON BOTH MODELS INDICATES BEST
OMEGA BETWEEN 700-500 AT AROUND 12Z BUT COLUMN VERY DRY FROM 800 AND
BELOW. THERE IS A WELL DEFINED THETA-E RIDGE HOWEVER AND SOME
MOISTURE AT 850 NEAR 18Z. WILL LEAN TOWARD ETA QPF AND KEEP CHANCY
WORDING.

ETA AND GFS HAVE COME INTO GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH MODEL QPF FOR
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. LOW PRESSURE IN CENTRAL OR SOUTHERN
PLAINS APPROACHES CWA BY SATURDAY EVENING WITH ANOTHER OVERRUNNING
SITUATION. LOOKS LIKE RAIN AT THIS TIME BEGINNING LATE SATURDAY
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING OVERNIGHT.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 29, 2:09 PM CST, 7 hours 51 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
209 PM CST WED DEC 29 2004

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-301100-
COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON-
KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK-
SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA-
209 PM CST WED DEC 29 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
ALONG AND WEST OF A BERLIN...PORTAGE TO JANESVILLE LINE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

GALE WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN
THURSDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN SUNDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED
FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN THURSDAY AND THURSDAY
NIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY MORNING. THE NEXT
CHANCE OF SNOW IS TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

UPDATED FOR FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT.

REM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Fond du Lac

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Sheboygan

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Dodge

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Jefferson

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Waukesha

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Walworth

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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, Racine

When: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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: December 29, 10:00 PM CST to December 30, 8:00 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)

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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, December 2004

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: 5430587, 5430588, 5430589, 5430590, 5430591, 5430592, 5430593, 5430594, 5430595, 5430596, 5430597.