Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 4 to 5, 2007

Name: Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 4 to 5, 2007
Start: 2007-12-04T16:00
End: 2007-12-05T03:00
Location: Wisconsin

December 4 to 5, 2007 · NWS MKX · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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.

An Alberta-Clipper low pressure tracked from South Dakota, to Iowa, to southern Illinois, to southern Indiana from the morning of Tuesday, December 4 to the early morning on Wednesday, December 5. Widespread light to moderate snow to the north of this track produced a general 3 to 6 inches across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. There were a couple isolated spots with 7 to 9 inches. The wind was a non-factor, snow plow crews were able to keep up with the accumulations, and there was minimal impact on society. Consequently, this system was not classified as a heavy snow event. Lake-effect enhancement resulted in higher totals in Racine and Kensoha Counties (see Heavy Snow event for these counties). Excessive speed was a factor in a 2-vehcile accident south of Janesville on Interstate-39/90 which resulted in one indirect death and one indirect injury. A portion of a roof of a business near Hustiford collapsed due to the weight of accumulated snow and ice. No one was injured.

Specific snow totals include 9 at Mt. Horeb, 7.8 at Milwaukee Mitchell Field, 7.7 on the southwest side of Madison, 6.6 at Beaver Dam, 6.2 at Cedarburg and Baraboo, 6.1 at Eagle, 6 at Lodi and Ft. Atkinson, 5.8 at Genoa City, 5.5 at Monroe and Argyle, 5.4 at Oxford, 5 at Germantown, Barneveld, and Janesville, 4.5 at Markesan, 4 in far southwestern Fond du Lac County, and 2.5 in the Random Lake area. for the calendar day of December 4th, the 4.2 measured at Milwaukee broke the old record of 3.3 set in 1964. Likewise, Madison's 5.6 on December 4th broke the old record of 5.5 set back in 1897.

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 4, 3:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 4, 3:25 PM CST, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
325 PM CST TUE DEC 4 2007

ATTENTION IS ON CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVING THRU TONIGHT AND LAKE EFFECT
POTENTIAL.

.SHORT TERM...AREA 88-D RADAR MOSAIC SHOWS NARROW BAND OF HEAVIEST
SNOW ALIGNING WELL WITH AXIS OF BEST ISENTROPIC ADIABATIC OMEGA
ON 290K SFC AND 850-700MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE....WHICH MOVES
ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST 3/4 OF THE CWA TONIGHT.

SATURATION OF DRY LAYER AT AND BELOW 600MB OVER RGN...SHOWN ON
12Z DVN AND GRB RAOBS HAS DELAYED ONSET OF SNOW AT SFC BY AN HOUR
OR TWO. ONCE SATURATION OCCURS...VSBYS QUICKLY GO FROM 5 MILES OR
BETTER TO UNDER 2 MILES...WITH 1/2 TO 3/4 MILES UNDER THE HIGHER
REFLECTIVITY BANDS. BEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE BETWEEN 3 PM AND
9 PM IN WRN COUNTIES...AND 6 PM AND MIDNIGHT IN THE EAST....WITH
HPC AND MODEL QPF PRODUCING 3 TO 5 INCH TOTALS BY 12Z WED MORNING
OVER THE ADVISORY AREA...WITH 2 TO 3 INCH AMOUNTS IN FOND DU LAC
AND SHEBOYGAN COUNTIES.

OPERATIONAL MODELS STILL INDICATING LAKE-EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS IN
WAKE OF SYTEM SNOW. 1000-850MB MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND LAYER
OMEGA ON LATEST NAM12 RUN INDICATES BEST CHANCE FOR ADDITIONAL
ACCUMULATIONS FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY SOUTHEAST OF A SHEBOYGAN TO
SILVER LAKE LINE. LOCAL WRF MODELS INDICATE THE BANDS WILL BEGIN
TO AFFECT LAKESHORE LOCALES AFTER 03Z...BEFORE SYSTEM SNOW FROM
CLIPPER HAS ENDED. PROLONGED 6-HOUR FOCUS ON SHEBOYGAN COUNTY
BETWEEN 03Z AND 06Z WILL REQUIRE A LAKE-EEFECT SNOW ADVISORY FOR
THEM. REMAINDER OF LAKE COUNTIES ALREADY IN ADVISORY BUT WILL NEED
TO BE MONITORED AFTER SYSTEM SNOW EXITS FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION OR
UPGRADE TO WARNING STATUS IF AMOUNTS LOOK TO EXCEED 6 INCHES.

HIGH BUILDS IN FOR THURSDAY...BUT NEXT NRN STREAM WAVE WILL BRING
A TROF AND LIGHT SNOW THURSDAY NIGHT...PUSHING EAST BY FRIDAY MORNING.
ADJUSTED COOLER MAV GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS THRU THE END OF THE WEEK,

.LONG TERM...BOTH GFS AND ECMWF ARE HOLDING ENERGY DIVING INTO THE
BASE OF DEEPENING WEST COAST TROF BACK UNJTIL LATER IN THE
WEEKEND. INITIAL WARM AIR ADVECTION PCPN WILL FALL AS SNOW
SATURDAY...WITH WARMER 850 TEMPS BRINGING A CHANCE FOR A MIX OF
RAINAND SNOW SUNDAY. AFTER INITIAL BARIOCLINIC ZONE NOW EXPECTED
TO SET UP FARTHER SOUTH THAN PREVIOUS RUNS SO WILL CUT BACK AREAL
COVERAGE AND POPS FOR MONDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...EADING EDGE OF IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WITH MAIN
SNOW BAND WORKING SOUTHEAST TOWARDS KMSN...WITHIN MID LEVEL
FRONTOGENESIS AREA. TIMING THE LEADING EDGE INTO KMSN BY 21Z TO
22Z...AND INTO KMKE AND KENW BETWEEN 23Z TO 00Z. CEILINGS AND
VISIBILITIES THEN LIKELY TO REMAIN IN IFR CATEGORY UNTIL ABOUT 08Z
WEDNESDAY AT KMSN...GIVEN UPSTREAM CONDITIONS AND STRENGTH OF
EXPECTED UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FIELDS.

LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS EXPECTED TO KEEP IFR CONDITIONS GOING AT KMKE
AND KENW THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT MAY
ALSO ALLOW FOR SOME GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS AT KMKE AND KENW ON
WEDNESDAY...SHIFTING NORTH/NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON.

&&

.MARINE...WILL LIKELY ISSUE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR NEARSHORE
WATERS FOR WEDNESDAY...WITH GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND SUBSEQUENT WAVE
ACTION. STEEP LAPSE RATES IN LOW LEVELS SHOULD ALLOW FOR FREQUENT
MIXING OF 25 KNOT WINDS DOWN TO WATER SURFACE.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ046-047-056>060-
     062>072.

     LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST
     WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ052.

LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR
     LMZ643>646.

&&

SHORT/LONG TERM...09
AVIATION/MARINE...08

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 4, 12:44 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1244 PM CST TUE DEC 4 2007

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-051015-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
1244 PM CST TUE DEC 4 2007

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN FOR
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...EXCEPT FOR FOND DU LAC AND SHEBOYGAN
COUNTIES. SNOW WILL FALL THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SNOW AMOUNTS OF
3 TO 6 INCHES ARE LIKELY BY WEDNESDAY MORNING OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN
WISCONSIN...WITH LIGHTER TOTALS OVER SHEBOYGAN AND FOND DU LAC
COUNTIES.

ON WEDNESDAY MORNING...LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS MAY DEPOSIT A FEW
MORE INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS AREAS CLOSE TO LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

LMZ643>646-051015-
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-
1244 PM CST TUE DEC 4 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED WEDNESDAY...FOR NORTHEAST WINDS
AND WAVES OF 3 TO 6 FEET.

WOOD
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

18 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Marquette

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Green Lake

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Green Lake forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Fond du Lac

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Fond du Lac forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Sheboygan

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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, Sauk

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Columbia

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Dodge

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Washington

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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, Iowa

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Dane

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Waukesha

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 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, Lafayette

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Green

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Rock

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Walworth

When: December 4, 4:00 PM CST to December 5, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Winter Weather, Rock	2007-12-04	41	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect

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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 70218, 70219, 70220, 70221, 70222, 70223, 70224, 70225, 70226, 70227, 70228, 70229, 70230, 70231, 70232, 70233, 70234, 70235.