Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 16 to 17, 2008

Name: Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 16 to 17, 2008
Start: 2008-12-16T12:00
End: 2008-12-17T03:00
Location: Wisconsin

December 16 to 17, 2008 · NWS MKX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Yet another round of light to moderate snow affected south-central and southeast Wisconsin on December 16th and 17th. Accumulations of at least 3 inches occurred in all areas.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Yet another round of light to moderate snow affected south-central and southeast Wisconsin on December 16th and 17th. Accumulations of at least 3 inches occurred in all areas. Up to 4 to 5.5 inches fell in a band from Lafayette County northeast through Dane County to Washington County. The highest total of 5.5 inches was measured near Sun Prairie (Dane Co.). Dozens of vehicle accidents were reported by the media, and several airline flights were delayed at the major airports in Madison and Milwaukee. Synopotically, warm and moist air road up and over colder air at the surface over southern Wisconsin in conjunction with an upper-level disturbance in the atmosphere.

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 16, 3:46 AM CST, 8 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 3:46 AM CST, 8 hours 14 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 16, 4:23 AM CST, 7 hours 37 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

20 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Marquette

When: December 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 3:00 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 3:00 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 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)

Winter Weather, Racine

When: December 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 3:00 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 16, 12:00 PM CST to December 17, 3:00 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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, December 2008

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: 148015, 148016, 148017, 148018, 148019, 148020, 148021, 148022, 148023, 148024, 148025, 148026, 148027, 148028, 148029, 148030, 148031, 148032, 148033, 148034.