Ohio, 2005

Dense Fog in Ohio, January 12, 2005

January 12, 2005 · NWS IWX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

7 dense fog, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 12, 6:25 AM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 6:25 AM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 12, 5:06 AM EST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 12, 3:59 AM EST, 5 hours 38 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 6:51 AM EST, 2 hours 46 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 6:55 AM EST, 2 hours 42 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Defiance

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Defiance forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.324, -84.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Henry

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.334, -84.068 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Fulton

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.602, -84.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Paulding

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Paulding forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.117, -84.580 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Putnam

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Putnam forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.022, -84.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Van Wert

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Van Wert forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.855, -84.586 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

Dense Fog, Williams

When
January 12, 9:37 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Williams forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.560, -84.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread dense fog developed across much of northwestern Ohio during the morning hours. Visibility was reported to be at or near zero in many locations. Numerous accidents were reported with at least 1 fatality and 1 injury indirectly resulting from the dense fog. A 38 year old man was killed near the intersection of Ohio 18 and 281 in Defiance county. A chain reaction crash occurred when a semi struck a vehicle on the side of the road, causing additional vehicles behind the semi to crash as well. The unusually dense fog was the result of very warm and moist air moving over a rapidly diminshing snowpack.

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

More

Every storm in Ohio in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, January 2005

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: 5438205, 5438206, 5438207, 5438260, 5438261, 5438262, 5438263.