Wisconsin, 2007

Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 15 to 16, 2007

December 15 to 16, 2007 · NWS MKX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Low pressure moving northeast through southern Illinois and southern Indiana generated a long-duration winter weather snow event over southeastern Wisconsin. North to northwest winds gusting to around 17 to 22 knots (20 to 25 mph) generated some blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
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.

Low pressure moving northeast through southern Illinois and southern Indiana generated a long-duration winter weather snow event over southeastern Wisconsin. North to northwest winds gusting to around 17 to 22 knots (20 to 25 mph) generated some blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas. This event wasn't logged as a Heavy Snow event due to the needed 8 threshold for 24 hour systems. Several airline flights at Milwaukee Mitchell Field were delayed or canceled, and several civic functions were canceled. At the tail end of the snow event, lake-effect enhancement was responsible for 1 to 2 inch accumulations near Lake Michigan. Total snow accumulations include 7.5 at 3NW Milwaukee, 7.2 at Paddock Lake, 7 at Port Washington and 4SW Somers, 6.5 at Union Grove and Whitewater, 6.4 at Milwaukee Mitchell Field, 6 in Muskego, 5.2 at Random Lake, 5.1 in Richfield, 4.9 at the NWS office southeast of Sullivan, 4.5 at Beloit, 3.5 at Brodhead and Johnson Creek, 3 to 3.5 in southeastern Dane County, and about 4 in southeast Dodge County. The snow of December 15-16th ultimately led to building damage in Jefferson County. In the early morning hours of December 18th, a section of the roof and two supporting beams collapsed at the Johnson Creek Junior and Senior High School due to the weight of accummulated snow and ice. No one was injured.

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 15, 3:36 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 3:36 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 15, 4:26 AM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
426 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2007

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-161030-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
426 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2007

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THREE TO POSSIBLY FOUR INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS FAR
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL TAPER
OFF TO AN INCH OR LESS NORTHWEST OF MADISON...NEAR BARABOO. THE
SNOW WILL END QUICKLY FROM WEST TO EAST TONIGHT. WATCH OUT FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND SIDEWALKS TODAY INTO TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED...BUT SNOWFALL MEASUREMENTS
WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

LMZ643>646-161030-
SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI-
PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI-
NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI-
WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL-
426 AM CST SAT DEC 15 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR BRISK EAST
WINDS BACKING TO NORTH TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY AND MAY BE
EXTENDED INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.

DAVIS
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Sheboygan

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Sheboygan forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Dodge

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Washington

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Ozaukee

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Dane

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Dane forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Waukesha

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Milwaukee

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Milwaukee forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Rock

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Walworth

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Walworth forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Racine

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Racine forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Kenosha

When
December 15, 6:00 AM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2007

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 70251, 70252, 70253, 70254, 70255, 70256, 70257, 70258, 70259, 70260, 70261, 70262.