Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 26 to 27, 2008

Name: Dense Fog in Wisconsin, December 26 to 27, 2008
Start: 2008-12-26T10:00
End: 2008-12-27T18:00
Location: Wisconsin

December 26 to 27, 2008 · NWS MKX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

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
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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.

The combination of south winds, above normal temperatures, and snow melt resulted in the formation of a long-duration dense fog event across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. Visibilities were reduced to 1/16 to 1/4 mile while there was occasional light rain, or light snow, or light drizzle. The media noted a few vehicle accidents and some airplane flights were delayed or cancelled at the major airports in Madison and Milwaukee. Overnight low temperatures dropped to only the mid 30s to mid 40s. Milwaukee tied its record daily maximum temperature of 51F on December 26th. Madison's maximum temperature of 49F on December 27th was one degree short of their record daily high. On the 27th, maximum temperatures across south-central and southeast Wisconsin ranged from 42 at Juneau (Dodge Co.) to 58 in Kenosha (Kenosha Co.). Normals for this time of the year are 25 to 30 for maximum temperatures and 10 to 18 for minimum temperatures. The precipitation and snowmelt that occurred during this dense fog event ultimately resulted in river flooding along the major rivers in southeast Wisconsin from December 27th through the end of the month or even into early January, 2009. Water levels exceeded flood stage by 2.56 feet at New Munster on the Fox River in western Kenosha County. In Racine County, the Root River Canal near Raymond exceeded flood stage by 1.53 feet. Some bottomland roads were closed, but no damage was reported to residential homes or businesses.

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 26, 5:12 AM CST, 4 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 5:12 AM CST, 4 hours 48 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 26, 9:55 AM CST, 5 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 26, 6:56 AM CST, 3 hours 4 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 26, 7:15 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 26, 8:26 AM CST, 1 hour 34 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 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Marquette

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Green Lake

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Green Lake forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Fond du Lac

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Fond du Lac forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Sheboygan

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Sauk

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Columbia

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Dodge

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Washington

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Ozaukee

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Iowa

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Dane

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Jefferson

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Waukesha

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Milwaukee

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Lafayette

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Green

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Rock

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Walworth

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Racine

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Kenosha

When: December 26, 10:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
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 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: 148337, 148338, 148340, 148341, 148342, 148344, 148345, 148346, 148348, 148349, 148350, 148352, 148353, 148355, 148356, 148358, 148359, 148360, 148361, 148362.