Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2010

Name: Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2010
Start: 2010-02-09T00:00
End: 2010-02-10T01:30
Location: Wisconsin

February 9 to 10, 2010 · NWS MKX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

A clipper-type low pressure system passing to the southwest and south of Wisconsin resulted in widespread snow across southern Wisconsin. A second low that had moved northeastward from Texas merged with the clipper system over western Ohio and deepened. This resulted in increasing northeast winds...and with a favorable fetch down Lake Michigan...produced lake enhanced snow that boosted snow totals over eastern Wisconsin.

South Central Wisconsin received widespread 4 to 7 inches of snow...with 8 to 14 inches in southeast Wisconsin. The heaviest snow of 10 to 14 inches fell along and east of a line from northwest Sheboygan County near Elkhart Lake...through Hartford in Washington County...the city of Waukesha in Waukesha County...Union Grove in western Racine County to Silver Lake in western Kenosha County. The highest snow total from the storm was 15.0 inches from an observer 1 mile northwest of Belgium in Ozaukee County...with 13.7 inches from an observer 4 miles southwest of Muskego in Waukesha County...13.4 inches in West Allis in Milwaukee County...13.3 inches reported by an observer 6 miles northwest of the city of Kenosha...and 13.1 inches at Hingham in Sheboygan County.

Over 250 traffic crashes, spin-outs and collisions were reported. A tanker truck that rolled over in the westbound lanes of Interstate 39/90 near Edgerton in Rock County blocked the interstate with traffic detoured onto U.S. Highway 14.

One fatality related to the storm occurred in Milwaukee County, where a 73-year old man with a history of heart problems died shortly after shoveling snow.

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 Feb 8, 9:15 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 9:15 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
915 PM CST MON FEB 8 2010

.DISCUSSION...DRY EASTERLY FEED ERODING INITIAL PUSH OF -SN INTO SRN
WI THIS EVE.  HWVR...INCREASING ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE AND OMEGA WILL
EVENTUALLY MOISTEN COLUMN NEXT 6 HOURS RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD LIGHT
SNOW DEVELOPING. INCREASING LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG LAKESHORE
WILL ALSO RESULT IN AREAS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT.

00Z NAM SHOWING GOOD RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY IN TRACK OF UPPER LEVEL
IMPULSE AND 0.4 TO 0.6 36HR QPF ACRS SRN WI THRU 12Z/10.  MOST
FAVORABLE FETCH AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE FOR LAKE EFFECT DEVELOPS
AFT 18Z/TUE AND CONTINUES THRU 03Z/WED BEFORE SLIDING SOUTH.
HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME.  NO CHANGES PLANNED TO
HEADLINES AT THIS TIME.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ046-047-
     056-057-062-063-067-068.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR
     WIZ058-064-069-070.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST
     WEDNESDAY FOR WIZ051-052-059-060-065-066-071-072.

LM...GALE WATCH FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR
     LMZ643>646.

     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY
     FOR LMZ643>646.

&&

MBK

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 8, 3:56 PM CST, 8 hours 4 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
356 PM CST MON FEB 8 2010

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-091115-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
356 PM CST MON FEB 8 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY GOES INTO EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
WISCONSIN AT 6 PM THIS EVENING. A WINTER STORM WARNING GOES INTO
EFFECT FOR DODGE...JEFFERSON...WALWORTH AND ROCK COUNTIES AT 9 PM
THIS EVENING. A WINTER STORM WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT ACROSS THE
REST OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

WHAT WILL BE A LONG DURATION SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN BY EARLY THIS
EVENING MAINLY SOUTHWEST OF MADISON...WITH SNOW EXPECTED TO
OVERSPREAD ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BY MID EVENING...AS STRONG LOW
PRESSURE AND A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVE THROUGH THE
REGION.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN...AND
2 TO 3 INCHES OVER SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...ARE EXPECTED BY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

STEADY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 5 TO 9 INCHES ACROSS SOUTH
CENTRAL WISCONSIN...TO 10 TO 14 INCHES ACROSS SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. IN
ADDITION...STRENGTHENING WINDS WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT.

SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE PRODUCT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED...BUT SNOWFALL REPORTS WILL BE
APPRECIATED.

LMZ643>646-091115-
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-
356 PM CST MON FEB 8 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GOES INTO EFFECT AFTER MIDNIGHT...FOR
INCREASING EAST WINDS BUILDING HIGH WAVES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY INTO
THURSDAY...AS BRISK WINDS AND HIGH WAVES RESULT FROM STRONG LOW
PRESSURE MOVING SOUTH OF THE REGION. FREEZING SPRAY IS ALSO EXPECTED
AT TIMES DURING THIS PERIOD. FREQUENT WIND GUSTS TO GALE WARNING
CRITERIA ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. A GALE WATCH IS
IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

WOOD
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Fond du Lac

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Sheboygan

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Dodge

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Washington

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Ozaukee

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Waukesha

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Milwaukee

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Racine

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 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 Storm, Kenosha

When: February 9, 12:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

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
Winter Storm, Milwaukee	2010-02-09	73	Male	Permanent Home	Indirect

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, February 2010

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 217535, 217536, 217537, 217538, 217539, 217540, 217541, 217542, 217543.