Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 7 to 8, 2010

Name: Winter Storm in Wisconsin, January 7 to 8, 2010
Start: 2010-01-07T04:00
End: 2010-01-08T03:00
Location: Wisconsin

January 7 to 8, 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: 0
Injuries: 2
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.

The only January 2010 winter storm of any consequence produced periods of moderate to heavy snow across most of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on January 7th. Total snow accumulations were mostly in the 6 to 12 inch range. This storm was the result of strong forcing associated with a vigorous upper-low that tracked from central Iowa to east-central Illinois and then eastward. The storm had brisk northeast surface winds of 13 to 17 knots (15 to 20 mph) with gusts to 26 knots (30 mph) as the associated surface low deepened across north-central Illinois. This provided the low-level winds a long fetch over the relatively warmer open waters of Lake Michigan. Additionally, steep lapse rates and lake-induced CAPE between 250 and 280 J/kg, produced lake-effect snow bands that enhanced snow accumulations near the lake. Some wind gusts to 30 to 39 knots (35 to 45 mph) were reported along the Lake Michigan shoreline, resulting in snow drifts of 1 to 3 feet in height. Numerous vehicle spin-outs and accidents were reported across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. At least two people were hospitalized due to serious injuries suffered in vehicle accidents: one in Salem (Kenosha Co.) and the other one in the Town of Lyndon (Sheboygan Co.). Both are considered indirect injuries.

Maximum snow amounts in each county included 13.1 in Germantown (Washington Co.), 12.5 in Sturtevant (Racine Co.), 10.2 in Big Bend (Waukesha Co.), 10 in Elkhart Lake (Sheboygan Co.) and West Allis (Milwaukee Co.), 9.4 in Port Washington (Ozaukee Co.), 9.2 in Reedsburg (Sauk Co.), 8.6 in Horicon (Dodge Co.), 8.5 in Dodgeville (Iowa Co.) and Paddock Lake (Kenosha Co.), 8.4 in Argyle (Lafayette Co.), an estimated 8 in far west-central Green County and far east-central Walworth County, 7.9 in Milton (Rock Co.), an estimated 7.5 in far southwest Dane County, 7 in Watertown (Jefferson Co.) and Ashford (Fond du Lac Co.).

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 Jan 7, 3:56 AM CST, 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 3:56 AM CST, 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
356 AM CST THU JAN 7 2010

FORECAST FOCUS ON WINTER STORM TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATED A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM SHIFTING SOUTHEAST INTO WESTERN IOWA. STRONG
SHORTWAVE TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW COMBINING WITH
UPPER LEVEL DIFLUENCE/DIVERGENCE TO SPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW
INTO THE AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST. AT THE SURFACE...VERY WEAK
SURFACE LOW WAS TRYING TO FORM EAST OF THE UPPER LOW ACROSS THE
AREA.

.TODAY AND TONIGHT...SHORT TERM MODELS BRINGING UPPER LOW FURTHER
NORTH THAN WHAT WAS DEPICTED YESTERDAY...FROM CENTRAL IOWA TO EAST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS TODAY...AND QUICKLY EAST OF THERE TONIGHT. THIS
WILL ALLOW MORE DIFFERENTIAL CYCLONIC VORTICITY ADVECTION TO
AFFECT THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. NAM/GFS SHOWING STRONG Q VECTOR
CONVERGENCE IN THE 700MB TO 300MB LAYER SHIFTING THROUGH THE AREA
TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. ALSO SEEN ON FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND
CROSS SECTIONS WERE ON AND OFF PERIODS OF MAXIMUM LIFT CLOSE TO
THE DENDRITE SNOW GROWTH ZONE.

BRISK WINDS SHIFT NORTHEAST NEAR THE LAKE DURING THE
AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO LAKE ENHANCEMENT OF THE
SYNOPTIC SNOWFALL PER FAVORABLE DELTA T VALUES AND STEEP LAPSE
RATES WITH LAKE INDUCED CAPES OF 250 TO 280 J/KG.

THE WINDS WILL ALSO HELP DRIVE A SINGLE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND
SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN LAKESHORE COUNTIES...WITH THE WEAK LOW
OVER SOUTH CENTRAL LAKE MICHIGAN PERHAPS GENERATING MORE BANDS FOR
THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. AS BRISK WINDS SHIFT NORTH...THE SINGLE
LAKE EFFECT BAND WILL SHIFT SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN LAKESHORE
COUNTIES AND NEARBY INLAND AREAS THIS EVENING...AND ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN LAKESHORE COUNTIES AFTER MIDNIGHT...EXITING BY 12Z
FRIDAY. SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IS ALSO EXPECTED WITH THE
BRISK WINDS...AND THE HIGH SNOW TO LIQUID RATIOS DISCUSSED BELOW.

THE DEFORMATION ZONE AXIS IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA TODAY...PER THE 4KM WRF NMM HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL
FROM SPC. THIS TRACK WILL RESULT IN MUCH HIGHER QPF VALUES FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.

TOTAL QPF VALUES FOR THE EVENT RANGE FROM 0.35 INCHES ACROSS
NORTHERN MARQUETTE COUNTY...TO AROUND 0.55 INCHES ACROSS THE
LAKESHORE AND NEARBY INLAND COUNTIES...WITH VALUES AROUND 0.45
INCHES NEAR MADISON AND POINTS SOUTH AND WEST. USING AN AVERAGE
SNOW TO LIQUID RATIO OF 18 TO 1...GET SNOWFALL VALUES OF 4 TO 6
INCHES ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES...TO 6 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS
THE REST OF THE AREA.

THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WOULD BE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN...AS WELL AS NEAR
THE PIVOT POINT OF THE DEFORMATION SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF
WASHINGTON...SHEBOYGAN AND OZAUKEE COUNTIES. LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE WITH AREAS AFFECTED BY THE LAKE EFFECT BAND.

THUS...HAVE ELECTED TO EXPAND THE WINTER STORM WARNING TO INCLUDE
ALL BUT SAUK...COLUMBIA...MARQUETTE AND GREEN LAKE COUNTIES...WHO
REMAIN IN A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. THIS AREA WILL HAVE TO BE
WATCHED FOR HEAVIER AMOUNTS GIVEN THE EXPECTED TRACK OF THE
SYNOPTIC SNOW.

.FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...CLOUDS AND SOME FLURRIES WILL LINGER
FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE SHIFTING OFF TO THE EAST. STRONG HIGH
PRESSURE WILL THEN SHIFT SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND
INTO THE GULF COAST STATES FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. QUIET WEATHER
AND COLD TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH
FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. WARM AIR ADVECTION BY SUNDAY WILL TRY TO
WARM TEMPERATURES UP CLOSER TO SEASONAL NORMALS...BUT IT WILL BE A
STRUGGLE WITH THE FRESH SNOW COVER EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA.

.SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE GFS AND ECMWF SHIFT A
SURFACE TROUGH AND UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE REGION
SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...BRINGING A LOW CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW.
WARM AIR ADVECTION IN ITS WAKE MAY BRING MORE SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA LATER IN THE WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...WIDESPREAD IFR CIGS/VSBYS IN MOSTLY MDT SNOW TODAY.
HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOWS IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST WILL LIKELY HOLD OFF
UNTIL LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR JUST AFTER 00Z FRI. SNOW WILL TAPER
OFF QUICKLY FROM WEST TO EAST BY LATE THIS EVENING...HANGING ON
UNTIL ABOUT 10Z FRI IN THE LAKE EFFECT ZONE OF THE SOUTHEAST.
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO LEVELS THAT CREATE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW AT KMSN BY AROUND 20Z THIS AFTERNOON...BUT HOLD OFF
IN THE KMKE AREA AND POINTS SOUTH UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING OR
ABOUT 05Z FRI.

&&

.MARINE...PROLONGED PERIOD OF BRISK NORTHERLY WINDS ARRIVES THIS
AFTERNOON AND PERSISTS THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL
BECOME NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON...BACKING NORTH LATE TONIGHT...AND
THEN NORTHWEST ON FRIDAY.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR WIZ062-063-
     067>069.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR WIZ051-052-
     058>060-064>066-070>072.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR WIZ046-
     047-056-057.

LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM CST SATURDAY
     FOR LMZ645-646.

     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM CST
     SATURDAY FOR LMZ643-644.

&&

SHORT/LONG TERM...08/WOOD
AVIATION/MARINE...05/DAVIS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 6, 8:53 PM CST, 7 hours 7 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
853 PM CST WED JAN 6 2010

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-080300-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
853 PM CST WED JAN 6 2010

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES IS EXPECTED
IN PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
FOR SNOW GOES INTO AFFECT AT MIDNIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM THE WISCONSIN DELLS TO MADISON TO JANESVILLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN
THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. INCREASING NORTH WINDS WILL
PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY
NIGHT.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING WITH TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 6 TO 12 INCHES EXPECTED...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. MUCH OF THE
REST OF SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN WILL BE UNDER A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WITH
TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 7 INCHES EXPECTED.

THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST THURSDAY NIGHT.

WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO BETWEEN 10 AND 20 BELOW FRIDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

LMZ643>646-080300-
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-
853 PM CST WED JAN 6 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY BE MET THURSDAY
AFTERNOON...LASTING THROUGH ABOUT SATURDAY MORNING DUE TO BRISK
NORTHEAST THEN NORTHWEST WINDS. AREAS OF FREEZING SPRAY ARE ALSO
EXPECTED.

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX

MBK

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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Walworth

When: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Racine

When: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 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: January 7, 4:00 AM CST to January 8, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, January 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: 212802, 212803, 212805, 212807, 212811, 212813, 212816, 212817, 212820.