S. the latter part of December, which produced nearly 48 hours of wintry precipitation across the Upper Midwest starting the evening of December 23th.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MPX wrote it up.
A very amplified weather pattern developed across the central U.S. the latter part of December, which produced nearly 48 hours of wintry precipitation across the Upper Midwest starting the evening of December 23th.
Prior to the 23th of December, areas of light snow and light freezing drizzle occurred across the region, which caused the issuance of several winter weather advisories prior to the winter storm that developed late Wednesday afternoon.
Two storm systems began to organize across the central Plains and northern Rockies on Wednesday December 23th. The southern system caused a large shield of precipitation to develop across the Plains and Midwest, which moved northward into southern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin the afternoon of December 23th. Several bands of heavy snow began to develop across southern Minnesota during the evening, which moved into west-central Wisconsin prior to midnight.
There was a break in the precipitation late Wednesday night and early Thursday before the next storm system began to affect the Upper Midwest late Thursday afternoon and evening. However, this system was much warmer and caused the precipitation to switch to sleet and freezing rain across west-central Wisconsin the evening of December 24th. Temperatures continued to rise during the overnight period of December 24th/25th, which caused the sleet and freezing rain to switch over to light rain. By the time the large storm system exited the Great Lakes, between 3 and 12 inches of snow fell across the warned area, with slightly lesser amounts where sleet, freezing rain and rain were predominate.
Some of the higher snowfall totals include: 12 inches in Bruce, 10 inches at Rice Lake and Chetek, and 8 inches in Connorsville.
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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 23, 6:05 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
605 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009
.UPDATED FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW...
.DISCUSSION...
THE MAKINGS FOR A MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY CONTINUE TODAY. THE COUPLING OF TWO UPPER LOWS...ONE
CURRENTLY OVER SASKATCHEWAN AND THE OTHER OVER NEW MEXICO...IS
PROJECTED TO OCCUR TO OUR SOUTH BY CHRISTMAS DAY. DETAILS ARE A
LITTLE CLEARER TODAY...BUT PLENTY OF QUESTIONS REMAIN.
FIRST...IT IS BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE THERE WILL BE THREE
WAVES OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. THE FIRST
ASSOCIATED WITH WARM ADVECTION TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 3 TO
5 INCHES FORECAST FOR MUCH OF THE AREA WITH A LITTLE LESS OVER
WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND FAR SOUTHERN MN DUE TO WARM AIR CONCERNS.
THE LOW LEVEL PROFILE IN TODAYS MODEL RUNS ARE A LITTLE
COOLER...BUT THE NAM REMAINS THE WARMEST AND ON THE EDGE FOR
FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW FROM AROUND ALBERT LEA THROUGH
MENOMONIE TO LADYSMITH. THEREFORE...CONTINUED A MIX THROUGH MUCH
OF THE FORECAST PERIOD FOR THESE AREAS BUT EMPHASIZED SNOW AS THIS
WAS THE PREDOMINATE TYPE.
THE SECOND AND THIRD ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION ARE TOMORROW
AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND THEN LATE TOMORROW NIGHT AND PART OF
CHRISTMAS DAY WHEN A SIGNIFICANT PV ANOMALY APPROACHES FROM THE
SOUTH. TRENDS IN THE DETERMINIST RUNS TODAY ARE FOR MORE QPF. IN
FACT...ALL NOW HAVE 2 TO 2.5 INCHES ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE
35 BY THE END OF CHRISTMAS DAY. 295/300K THETA CHARTS SHOW A LONG
DURATION OF UPGLIDE AND STRONG ADIABATIC OMEGA. MIXING RATIOS
CLIMB INTO THE 3 TO 4 G/KG RANGE AS PW PEAKS NEAR 250 PERCENT OF
NORMAL.
FORECAST TODAY WAS TO USE A BLEND OF THE PREVIOUS FORECAST ALONG
WITH WEIGHT ON THE DETERMINISTIC RUNS...WITH THE MOST WEIGHT
PLACED ON THE GFS. IN THE END...THIS RESULTED IN A FEW MORE
INCHES OF STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION FOR THE FORECAST AREA.
GRIDDED SNOW ACCUMULATION BY FRIDAY EVENING RANGES FROM 20 TO 22
INCHES ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 TO THE DAKOTAS BORDER WITH
15 TO 20 INCHES EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND ALL OF WEST CENTRAL WI.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO NOTE TODAY THAT THE CIPS ANALOG SITE USING THE
12Z GFS ONLY FOUND ONE ANALOG AND THAT WAS THE HALLOWEEN BLIZZARD
(110191). THIS UNDERSCORES HOW DIFFICULT IT IS WITH THE PHASING OF UPPER
LOWS.
EVENTUALLY...THIS SYSTEM WILL PULL OFF TO THE EAST LATE IN THE
WEEKEND WITH DRY WEATHER INDICATED FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT
THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION WOULD BE MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION... /00Z TAF ISSUANCE/
KMPX - INITIAL SURGE OF MOISTURE/SNOW LIFTING NORTH ABOUT 18KTS ON
KMSP RADAR. THIS SHOULD AFFECT THE AIRPORT AREA BETWEEN 0030Z-07Z
THIS EVENING WITH LIFR CIGS/VSBY. SNOWFALL RATES ARE AROUND 3/4
INCH AN HOUR. EXPECT AROUND 2-3 INCHES SNOW THROUGH MIDNIGHT. MAY
BE A LULL IN THE SNOW AFTER 07Z...WITH PERHAPS A BIT OF SPOTTY
-FZDZ. LEFT THIS OUT OF THE TAF FROM NOW. CONTINUING TO MONITOR
THE UPPER CIRCULATION OVER IOWA. THIS MAY DEVELOP ANOTHER SNOW BAND
LATE TONIGHT...DEVELOPING MAINLY AFTER 12Z. WILL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR. OTHERWISE...MODELS SUGGEST NEXT SIGNIFICANT SNOW INCURSION
WOULD COME IN AFTER 18Z THU AND THEN AFTER 00Z FRI.
REST OF FA SHOULD SEE LOWERING CIGS/VSBY IN -SN WITH MODERATE SNOW
AFFECTING KRWF-KAXN-KRNH AREA THIS EVENING INTO EARLY MORNING. MAY
SEE SOME -FZRAPL INTO THE KEAU MAINLY AFTER 12Z FRI AS THICKNESSES
CONTINUE TO RISE. NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FLYING CONDITIONS
EXPECTED THRUT TAF FCST PERIOD.
&&
.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY FOR BLUE EARTH-
BROWN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-LAC QUI PARLE-LE SUEUR-MARTIN-
NICOLLET-REDWOOD-RENVILLE-RICE-SIBLEY-STEELE-WASECA-
WATONWAN-YELLOW MEDICINE.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY
FOR BENTON-DOUGLAS-KANABEC-MILLE LACS-MORRISON-POPE-STEVENS-
TODD.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY
FOR ANOKA-CARVER-CHIPPEWA-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-
ISANTI-KANDIYOHI-MCLEOD-MEEKER-RAMSEY-SCOTT-SHERBURNE-
STEARNS-SWIFT-WASHINGTON-WRIGHT.
WI...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY
FOR BARRON-CHIPPEWA-DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-PEPIN-PIERCE-POLK-RUSK-
ST. CROIX.
&&
RAH/MDBHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 110 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 241915- DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS- BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-LAC QUI PARLE-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA- KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON- YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA- REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH- WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-POLK-BARRON-RUSK- ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-EAU CLAIRE- 110 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY PRECEDE THE SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. SNOW AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE MINNESOTA PORTION OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH A LULL IN THE PRECIPITATION INTENSITY THURSDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION INTENSITY WILL RAMP UP THURSDAY AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA WILL SEE SNOW BUT THERE IS A THREAT OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET... MAINLY FROM FAR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA INTO EASTERN PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED A FOOT ACROSS THE AREA WITH SOME TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 20 INCHES ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA. MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND SNOWFALL OBSERVERS ARE URGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
454 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0453 PM SNOW KIESTER 43.54N 93.71W
12/23/2009 E1.5 INCH FARIBAULT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JPRPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
636 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0635 PM SNOW WSW ST JAMES 43.98N 94.63W
12/23/2009 M1.5 INCH WATONWAN MN TRAINED SPOTTER
FELL IN ABOUT HOUR.
&&
RECPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
650 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0650 PM SNOW ELLENDALE 43.87N 93.30W
12/23/2009 M2.0 INCH STEELE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
RECThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Three storm systems affected Chippewa County over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow, freezing rain, and then eventually rain kept total snowfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches across the county.
Three storm systems affected Dunn County over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow, freezing rain, and then eventually rain kept total snowfall amounts of 5 to 9 inches across the county.
Three storm systems affected St. Croix over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow, freezing rain, and then eventually rain kept total snowfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches across the county.
Three storm systems affected Polk County over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow, freezing rain, and then eventually light rain kept total snowfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches across the county.
Three storm systems affected Barron County over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow and some freezing rain kept total snowfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches across the county.
Three storm systems affected Rusk County over a period of 48 to 60 hours. However, the majority of the snow fell before the morning of the 25th. A mixture of sleet, snow and some freezing rain kept total snowfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches across the county. However, one observer measured 12 inches in the town of Bruce.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2009
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: 200943, 200944, 200947, 200945, 200942, 200946.