Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 2008

Name: Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 2008
Start: 2008-12-08T18:00
End: 2008-12-09T12:00
Location: Wisconsin

December 8 to 9, 2008 · NWS GRB · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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: 13

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 GRB wrote it up.

A low pressure system developed over the southern Plains on December 8 and began to move toward the Great Lakes. Mild and moist air pushed north ahead of the approaching low and produced a large area of precipitation across the region. Snow overspread central and northeast Wisconsin by mid and late afternoon on December 8 and continued into the morning of December 9.

As the low tracked toward the eastern Great Lakes on December 9, the heavy snow ended, but northwest winds increased, causing some blowing and drifting snow.

Snowfall totals ranged from 6 inches to 11 inches across east-central Wisconsin. Manitowoc recorded 11.0 inches, Two Rivers (Manitowoc Co.) had 9.8 inches, Appleton had 7.0 inches and Green Bay recorded 6.6 inches.

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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 8, 3:49 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 3:49 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 8, 5:46 AM CST, 12 hours 14 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 8, 3:23 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 8, 5:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 5:34 PM CST, 26 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 5:36 PM CST, 24 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 5:37 PM CST, 23 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 5:59 PM CST, 1 minute 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

13 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Brown

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kewaunee

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kewaunee forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.483, -87.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calumet

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Calumet forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Outagamie

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Outagamie forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.416, -88.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waupaca

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Waupaca forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.470, -88.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Winnebago

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.069, -88.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Portage

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waushara

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Waushara forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.113, -89.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wood

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Wood forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 44.455, -90.042 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Manitowoc

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.091, -87.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Door

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Door forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.838, -87.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Oconto

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Southern Oconto forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.999, -88.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Shawano

When: December 8, 6:00 PM CST to December 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Shawano forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 140559, 140560, 140561, 140562, 140563, 140565, 140566, 140567, 140568, 140573, 140574, 140575, 140576.