An upper-level trough deepened over the central Plains, developing a deep area of surface low pressure that tracked from Iowa across Illinois. The system produced heavy snow across all of Wisconsin, with portions of the south initially seeing rain, limiting snow amounts there.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 MKX wrote it up.
An upper-level trough deepened over the central Plains, developing a deep area of surface low pressure that tracked from Iowa across Illinois. The system produced heavy snow across all of Wisconsin, with portions of the south initially seeing rain, limiting snow amounts there. Gusty winds of 40 to 60 mph accompanied the heavy snow, producing blizzard conditions over most of southern Wisconsin from the afternoon of December 11th into the afternoon of December 12th. Snowfall totals ranged from 6 inches to 12 inches along and north of a Mineral Point to Port Washington line. A state of emergency was declared for all 72 counties by Governor James Doyle. The driving conditions were dire enough for the state Department of Transportation and the State patrol to issue a travel advisory recommending no travel on any Wisconsin highways from the evening of the 11th through the day on the 12th. Interestate-43 was reduced to one lane in each direction at times, with Interstate-94 closed for 3 1/2 hours due to a multi-car accident. The blinding wind-driven snow caused many authorities to pull their snowplows from the roads until conditions improved. The near-whiteout conditions on Sunday caused many churches to cancel services. Many tree limbs and power lines were brought down by the combination of strong winds and heavy snow. WE Energies reported as many as 20,000 customers were without power during the time period from Saturday night the 11th through Sunday evening the 12th, including 6,000 in Dodge,Washington and Ozaukee counties with more than 100 crews out in the field. Alliant Energy reported 5,800 customers without power in Fond Du Lac and Sheboygan counties early Sunday the 12th.
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 11, 10:58 AM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1058 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010
.UPDATE...
NEW 12Z CYCLE DATA NOT OFFERING ANY REASONS FOR A CHANGE OF
COURSE. PRECIP TAKING ITS TIME GETTING INTO THE EASTERN 2/3 OF THE
CWA. THE FAR WEST HAS SEEN A MIXTURE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING.
MOSTLY SNOW UP AROUND THE DELLS WITH PERSISTENT 1/2 VSBYS. THAT
AREA COULD STAY ALL SNOW THROUGH THE EVENT...BUT IF THEY DO SEE A
MIX...IT WOULD HAVE TO BE BEFORE 2-3 PM. OTHERWISE...TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO STEADILY COLLAPSE THEREAFTER. ANY MIX WILL GRADUALLY
CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON. THE FAR
SOUTHEAST MAY TAKE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO 3 AM TO COMPLETELY CHANGE
OVER. THE WARM LAKE INFLUENCE IS STRONG.
DESPITE THIS...HAVE DECIDED TO THROW THE SOUTHEAST INTO A WINTER
STORM WARNING. WE ARE STILL GETTING NEAR 1/2 OF QPF THAT WOULD BE
ALL SNOW IN THE MILWAUKEE/KENOSHA AREAS. THIS ACCUMULATION ON TOP
OF WINDS GUSTING TO 40 TO 50 MPH VERY LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY WILL
MAKE FOR QUICKLY DETERIORATING CONDITIONS.
OTHERWISE NO CHANGES TO THE HEADLINES. SFC LOW STILL TRACKING
ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS/CHICAGO AREA. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
EXPECTED ON SUNDAY.
DAVIS/WOOD
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 443 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010/
UPDATED SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE
MEDIUM.
MODELS IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT TAKING SFC LOW...CURRENTLY OVER WRN
IA...ACROSS NRN IL INTO NRN IN TNT. STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH TO
BECOME CLOSED OFF BY LATER THIS MORNING AND MOVE SEWD TO FAR SRN IL
BY 12Z SUN WITH AN INVERTED UPPER TROUGH AXIS EXTENDING TO THE NORTH
INTO WI. MEANWHILE IN THE LOW-MID LEVELS A TROWAL WILL DEVELOP
BRINGING GOOD WAA/THETAE ADVECTION AND EVENTUALLY FRONTOGENESIS TO
THE REGION. DEEP AND STRONG Q VECTOR CONVERGENCE IS PROGGED.
ISSUED A WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR TODAY FOR
DANE...IOWA...LAFAYETTE...AND GREEN COUNTIES TO ACCOUNT FOR MIXED
PCPN...ESPECIALLY THE FREEZING RAIN THIS AM. THIS AREA OF PCPN IS
ASSOICATED WITH INITIAL WAA AT 700 MB BUT WILL HAVE A HARD TIME
MOVING INTO ERN WI UNTIL THE TROWAL APPROACHES THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE
THUS DELAYED WINTER STORM WARNING IN EAST CENTRAL WI UNTIL 00Z AND
EXPANDED THE WINTER STORM WARNING TO COVER ALL OF THE CWA EXCEPT FAR
SE WI...WHERE A WINTER WX ADVISORY WILL GO INTO EFFECT TONIGHT.
MIXED PCPN OR RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW WEST OF KMSN EARLY IN THE
AFTERNOON...AT KMSN LATE IN THE AFTERNOON...AND NOT UNTIL MIDNIGHT
OR POSSIBLY LATER FROM KMKE TO KENW. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION FROM
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY WILL BE 3 TO 6 INCHES IN FAR SE WI TO 5 TO 9
INCHES IN THE SRN CWA...AND 9 TO 13 INCHES IN THE NORTH.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 420 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010/
SHORT TERM...
TODAY AND TONIGHT...CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM.
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND 500MB RUC ANALYSIS SHOW DIGGING SHORTWAVE
OVER NEBRASKA AND KANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. STRONG TEMPERATURE
GRADIENT AND COLD AIR ADVECTION AT 500MB OVER EASTERN DAKOTAS/NE
WITH THE UPPER LOW...SHOWING GOOD POTENTIAL FOR RAPID DEEPENING. SFC
LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER WESTERN IOWA...AND RADAR SHOWING PRECIP
ASSOCIATED WITH INITIAL SURGE OF WARM AIR ADVECTION SPREADING ACROSS
CENTRAL MN...SE MN...AND WESTERN WI. WELL-DEFINED SPIRAL SHAPE IN
RADAR REFLECTIVITY OVER THE NE/IA BORDER WITH THE CENTER OF THE
LOW...AND ADDITIONAL POCKETS OF HEAVIER PRECIP ACROSS MUCH OF IOWA
AND MO. IMPRESSIVE TEMP GRADIENT WITH THE SFC COLD FRONT ACROSS
EASTERN NE. SPC MESOANAYSIS DEPICTING STRONG 850MB OVER SE
MN/EASTERN IA.
BAND OF HEAVIER PRECIP FALLING ALONG WESTERN CWA BORDER NEARLY
STATIONARY OVER THE PAST TWO HOURS WAS PRODUCING MAINLY SNOW
ACCORDING TO OBSERVERS AND ASOS. AHEAD OF THAT BAND...SOME OBSERVERS
REPORTED LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE PRODUCING SOME
LIGHTLY GLAZED SURFACES WITHIN POCKETS OF THE LIGHTER RADAR RETURNS.
TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO ABOVE FREEZING BETWEEN 8 AND 11 AM FOR
MUCH OF THE CWA THIS MORNING...THUS CUTTING OFF POTENTIAL FOR
FREEZING RAIN. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW AS THE SFC LOW MOVES ACROSS
NORTHERN IL...SLOWER TO CHANGE OVER IN THE SOUTHEAST CWA. MOST
CONFIDENCE IN ALL SNOW AFTER 00Z TONIGHT.
WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR THE NW CWA AND ADVISORIES FOR FAR
SOUTHEAST CWA. CHANGED TIMING TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS INITIAL FREEZING
RAIN/SNOW IN NORTHEAST CWA...AND LATER CHANGE OF SNOW TO RAIN FOR
CENTRAL CWA.
SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM.
THE 500MB UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN AS IT TRACKS ACROSS IL
AND INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY ON SUNDAY. SFC PRESSURE IS EXPECTED
TO DEEPEN AS WELL DURING THIS TIME. NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS ON THE
BACK SIDE OF THE SFC LOW WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER SOUTHERN
WI AROUND 12Z SUN. MODEL SNDGS SHOW MIXING TO AROUND 925MB/1500 FT
AT 18Z...ALLOWING 45 KT AT MSN AND 55KT AT MKE WINDS TO MIX DOWN. OF
COURSE THOSE WINDS WILL NOT REACH THE SFC...BUT THE GUST POTENTIAL
IS THERE. NORTHERLY WINDS 25 KT AT MSN AND 35 KT AT MKE WITH HIGHER
GUSTS LIKELY MIDDAY SUN.
THE SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE SLOWING DOWN...EACH MODEL RUN GETS SLOWER AND
THERE IS DECENT AGREEMENT ON ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOW. UP TO 2
INCHES IN NORTHEAST CWA AND AROUND AN INCH CENTRAL DURING THE
MORNING HOURS. SNOW TAPERING OF QUICKLY FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH
EARLY AFTERNOON.
WITH SNOW STILL FALLING AND VERY STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS...BLOWING
SNOW WILL BRING VISIBILITIES DOWN TO DANGEROUS LEVELS AT TIMES. NEAR
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN OPEN AREAS. HOWEVER...WILL
NOT GO WITH BLIZZARD WATCH OR WARNING AT THIS TIME...AS IT LOOKS
LIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA SHOULD NOT REACH FULL BLIZZARD
CRITERIA CONDITIONS. WINTER STORM WARNINGS WILL BE ABLE TO COVER
THESE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO LATEST WSW FOR DETAILS.
TEMPERATURES WILL FALL STEADILY THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THEN DROP
INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO OVER THE WEST HALF OF THE CWA SUN
NIGHT AND THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO OVER THE EAST HALF. 925MB
TEMPS WILL DROP INTO THE -15 TO -17C RANGE...COLDEST TEMPS OVERHEAD
FOR THE SEASON THUS FAR. WITH THE STRONGER PRESSURE GRADIENT
OVERHEAD...WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO BE DOWN TO
MONDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM.
WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST...VERY COLD
TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN PLACE. BOTH 850MB AND 925MB TEMPS WILL BE
AROUND -15C OVER THE CWA. MON HIGHS WILL GET INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS
ABOVE ZERO WEST AND LOWER TEENS EAST. WINDS WILL BE GRADUALLY
DIMINISHING THROUGHOUT THE DAY...STRONGER NEAR THE LAKESHORE. WIND
CHILLS WILL BE A CONCERN ONCE AGAIN.
LONG TERM...
TUESDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM.
QUIET AND COLD WEATHER WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVERHEAD. LIGHT WINDS AND
MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES EXPECTED.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM.
AN UPPER LOW WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS EARLY IN THE WEEK. A
SERIES OF SHORTWAVES AHEAD OF AND SURROUNDING THE UPPER LOW WITHIN
THE ZONAL FLOW PATTERN WILL CAUSE SOME WEAK FORCING TO PRODUCE SOME
POSSIBLE LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE MIDWEST ON WED AND THU. GFS AND ECMWF
ARE IN REMARKABLE AGREEMENT DURING THE EXTENDED PERIODS DESPITE
THEIR DISAGREEMENTS IN THE SHORT TERM.
MODEL SOLUTIONS DIVERGE TOWARD FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND...SO STILL
PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY IN PRECIP CHANCES FOR THAT TIME. EITHER
WAY...TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE 20S WITH A WARM AIR ADVECTION
REGIME WED INTO FRIDAY.
AVIATION...MIXED PCPN OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WI WILL HAVE A HARD TIME
MOVING INTO SE WI THIS AM AS IT MOVES AWAY FROM THE SYNOPTIC LIFT
AND INTO DRIER AIR. SOME FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW EXPECTED AT KMSN
UNTIL SFC TEMP WARMS ABOVE FREEZING AROUND 16Z...THEN RAIN UNTIL
LATE AFTERNOON. FOR THIS AFTERNOON...INCREASING WARM AND MOIST
ADVECTION WILL BRING A LARGE SWATH OF PCPN TO SRN WI. THE RAIN WILL
CHANGE TO SNOW LATE AFTERNOON FOR KMSN WHILE THE RAIN WILL ARRIVE IN
SE WI BY MID AFTERNOON. THE CHANGE OVER FROM RAIN TO SNOW IN SE WI
IS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE BUT WILL OCCUR SOME TIME BTWN THE MID
EVENING AND THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. IFR TO MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS THIS AM
WILL TRANSITION TO LIFR CIGS AND VSBYS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TNT.
MARINE...SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF THE LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS IOWA TODAY. AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
INCREASES...GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS WILL BE LIKELY...ALONG WITH BUILDING
WAVES. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING.
VERY STRONG NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL TAKE HOLD OF THE AREA
AFTER THE LOW PASSES EAST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND
STRENGTHENS LATER TONIGHT. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL GET VERY TIGHT
BY 12Z SUNDAY AND LAST THROUGH 12Z MONDAY BEFORE SLOWLY WEAKENING.
BOTH GFS AND NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS AT KMKE INDICATED LOW LEVEL
MIXING UP TO 925 MB WITH 55 KT WINDS. SUSTAINED WINDS AT THE SFC ARE
EXPECTED TO BE 35 TO 40 KNOTS...WITH FREQUENT STORM FORCE GUSTS TO
45 TO 50 KNOTS LIKELY. THESE WINDS WILL GENERATE VERY HIGH
WAVES...ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE OPEN WATERS. STORM FORCE WINDS WOULD
LIKELY BE FOUND BY 12Z SUNDAY...THROUGH 12Z MONDAY. START OF STORM
WATCH IS AT 06Z SUNDAY...TO BLEND WITH THE NEIGHBORING OFFICES
AND TO AVOID MULTIPLE RAMPING UP HEADLINES. THUS...THE STORM WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FROM 06Z SUNDAY UNTIL 12Z MONDAY.
THE STRONG WINDS AND COOLING WATERS WILL ALSO BRING MODERATE TO
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY DURING THIS PERIOD. A HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY
WARNING MAY BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.
NORTHWEST GALES WILL LINGER THROUGH MONDAY...WITH SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...AS THE
STRONG LOW SLOWLY MOVES AWAY FROM THE REGION. HIGH WAVES SHOULD
LINGER TOWARD THE OPEN WATERS DURING THIS TIME.
&&
.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR WIZ062-
063-067-068.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY
FOR WIZ051-052-058>060-062>064-067>069.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY
FOR WIZ065-066-070>072.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST SUNDAY FOR WIZ046-047-056-
057.
LM...STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT FOR
LMZ643>646.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR LMZ643>646.
&&
SHORT/LONG TERM...05
AVIATION/MARINE...08HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 1152 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-121200- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 1152 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW...ALONG WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON. THE SNOW WILL CAUSE SLIPPERY ROADS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SAUK...COLUMBIA...MARQUETTE AND GREEN LAKE COUNTIES. A WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ARE IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY...MAINLY NORTH AND WEST OF A JANESVILLE...TO OCONOMOWOC...TO MEQUON LINE. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL GATHER STRENGTH AS IT MOVES EAST ACROSS THE WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS BORDER TODAY...THEN EAST OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THEN CHANGING OVER TO ALL SNOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. THE REST OF THE AREA WILL SEE A PERIOD OF RAIN THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING...BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF SUNDAY. STRONG AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL CAUSE BLOWING SNOW LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. THE WINDS AND COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL BRING WIND CHILLS OF 10 BELOW TO 25 BELOW ZERO TO INLAND LOCATIONS AT TIMES SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOWFALL AND WIND REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LMZ643>646-121200- 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- 1152 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT INCREASING SOUTHEAST WINDS AND BUILDING WAVES WILL REACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS TODAY...AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES TOWARD THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY RAPIDLY DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIP OF LAKE MICHIGAN TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...THEN SLOWLY MOVE EAST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. VERY STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP...WITH FREQUENT STORM FORCE GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THESE WINDS WILL GENERATE VERY HIGH WAVES UP TO 14 TO 18 FEET...WITH MUCH HIGHER WAVES TOWARD THE OPEN WATERS. A STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. HIGH WINDS AND WAVES WILL LINGER MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. FREEZING SPRAY IS EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY POSSIBLE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AS THE STRONG WINDS OCCUR WITH COOLING TEMPERATURES OVER THE WATERS. WOOD WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
708 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 AM SNOW LA VALLE 43.58N 90.13W
12/11/2010 M3.0 INCH SAUK WI CO-OP OBSERVER
&&
KUHLMANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
843 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW WISCONSIN DELLS 43.63N 89.78W
12/11/2010 E4.0 INCH SAUK WI AMATEUR RADIO
&&
KUHLMANThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snowfall between 11 and 13 inches was accompanied by wind gusts up to 40 mph, producing low visibilities of 1/4 mile or less as well as blowing and drifting snow.
Heavy snowfall between 10 and 13 inches was accompanied by wind gusts up to 40 mph, producing low visibilities of 1/4 mile or less as well as blowing and drifting snow.
Heavy snowfall between 10 and 13 inches was accompanied by wind gusts up to 40 mph, producing low visibilities of 1/4 mile or less as well as blowing and drifting snow. The ASOS at the Lone Rock airport recorded a 41 mph wind gust.
Heavy snowfall between 10 and 13 inches was accompanied by wind gusts up to 50 mph, producing low visibilities of 1/4 mile or less as well as blowing and drifting snow. Law enforcement officials reported many cars stuck in the drifts, with county and town roads blown over with snow.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 4 and 6 inches. County officials reported some local roads closed due to drifts.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 3 and 6 inches.
Gusty winds between 50 and 60 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of under 1/4 mile, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 6 and 9 inches. A vehicle crash near the Dane/Columbia County border around 830 pm CST on the 11th closed all northbound lanes of Interstate 39-90-94. The city of Madison had 175 pieces of equipment out on Sunday the 12th to try and clear snow from city streets. The ASOS at Dane County Regional Airport recorded a peak wind gust of 56 mph.
Gusty winds to near 50 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 4 and 6 inches. Law enforcement officials reported one rollover accident and many runoffs due to snow covered and drifted roads. Monroe received 5 inches of snow, with the AWOS at the airport recording a 48 mph wind gust at 415 am on the 12th.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 7 and 11 inches, with 10 inches measured in the Hartford area. Sheriff deputies reportedrpeorted more than 130 runoffs and quite a few minor accidents. The AWOS at Juneau airport recorded a peak wind gust of 39 mph.
Gusty winds to 50 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 9 and 11 inches. The ASOS at Fond Du Lac airport recorded a peak wind gust of 51 mph.
Gusty winds to near 60 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 7 and 10 inches. Random Lake, Plymouth and Elkhart Lake all measured 10 inches of snow. A peak wind of 58 mph was recorded at the C-MAN station along the lake shore in Sheboygan, with the ASOS at the Sheboygan airport recording a 47 mph wind gust. Alliant Energy reported 1,300 customers without power in the county, with WE Energies reporting scattered outages across southern sections of the county. Law enforcement reported 50 reports of cars in ditches and minor accidents, with one minor injury.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce near whiteout conditions with visibilities less than 1/4 mile, as well as blowing and drifting snow with drifts up to 3 feet. Snowfall totals ranged between 6 and 11 inches.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 2 and 8 inches.
Gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 5 and 9 inches. A seven-car accident, with 4 injuries, on Interstate-94 near Johnson Creek Sunday December 12th closed about 8 miles of the interstate for three and one-half hours. Law enforcement officials reported 75 traffic accidents between 11 pm Saturday the 11th and 7 am Sunday the 12th.
Gusty winds to near 50 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 3 and 5 inches. The AWOS at Crites Field in Waukesha recorded a peak wind gust of 47 mph.
Gusty winds to 50 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals only ranged between 2 and 5 inches, but the blowing and drifting snow caused State Highway 14, between State Highway 140 in Rock County to State Highway 89 in Walworth County, to be closed during the afternoon of December 12th. A 21-year-old woman was killed around 1:45 pm CST Sunday the 12th when the SUV she was riding in lost control on the ice-covered southbound lanes of Interstate 39-90 about 1/2 mile south of Manogue Road and slid off the road into the median, hitting two trees. The driver of the car and another passenger received non-life-threatening injuries.
Gusty winds to 50 mph combined with heavy snow to produce visibilities of 1/4 mile or less, as well as blowing and drifting snow. U.S. Highway 14 was closed from State Highway 89 west to State Highway 140 in Rock County due to the blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall totals ranged between 3 and 5 inches.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blizzard, Rock | 2010-12-11 | 21 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2010
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: 275500, 275501, 275502, 275503, 275504, 275505, 275506, 275507, 275508, 275509, 275510, 275511, 275512, 275513, 275514, 275515, 275516.