Dense Fog, Dodge
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dodge forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 15 to 16, 2012
Light winds and abundant low-level moisture led to the development of dense fog with visibilities of 1/4 mile or less over portions of Southeast Wisconsin east of a line from Ripon to Beaver Dam to Lake Mills, to Janesville. The dense fog developed during the late evening hours of February 15th and lasted until the early overnight hours of the 16th.
Where it happened
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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.
Light winds and abundant low-level moisture led to the development of dense fog with visibilities of 1/4 mile or less over portions of Southeast Wisconsin east of a line from Ripon to Beaver Dam to Lake Mills, to Janesville. The dense fog developed during the late evening hours of February 15th and lasted until the early overnight hours of the 16th. Weak low-level warm air advection strengthened an inversion that trapped the low-level moisture.
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 15, 9:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 9:25 PM CST, 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 925 PM CST WED FEB 15 2012 .UPDATE...WEAK LIFT FROM ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE AND LOW CONDENSATION PRESSURE DEFICITS PRODUCING AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE TO THE NORTH OF THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCD WITH SHORT WAVE PUSHING ACROSS IL. NWS-MKX RAIN SENSOR HAS TIPPED OVER 0.01 IN PAST HOUR. ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE BEGINS TO WANE AFTER 06Z FROM WEST TO EAST. HENCE TRIMMING BACK ON POPS AND CUTTING BACK ON -SN MENTION IN EAST. -RA WL PROBABLY END MOST LOCATIONS BFR MIXING WITH -SN. UNTIL WINDS PICK UP FROM THE NORTHWEST AFTER WEAK SFC FRONTAL PASSAGE WIDESPREAD FOG CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH A FEW LOCATIONS FLIRTING WITH DENSE FOG VISIBILITIES. && .AVIATION/06Z TAFS/...IFR CIGS AND VSBYS WL GIVE WAY TO RAPID IMPROVEMENT LATER IN THE MORNING AS DRIER AIR SWEEPS ACROSS SRN WI BEHIND WEAK SHORT WAVE TROF. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && UPDATE...MBK
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 9:27 PM CST, 33 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 927 PM CST WED FEB 15 2012 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-170330- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 927 PM CST WED FEB 15 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LIGHT WINDS AND HIGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN PATCHY DENSE FOG FOR A TIME TONIGHT. INCREASING NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND A PASSING WEAK SURFACE FRONT WILL CAUSE THE PATCHY DENSE FOG TO LIFT LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ643>646-170330- 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- 927 PM CST WED FEB 15 2012 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 THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX MBK
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense Fog, Washington
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Jefferson
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Waukesha
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waukesha forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Rock
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog, Walworth
- When
- February 15, 10:00 PM CST to February 16, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Walworth forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Dense Fog
- Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Texas, February 15, 2012
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, February 15, 2012
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 15 to 18, 2012
- High Wind in Texas, February 15, 2012
- Hail in Kansas, February 15, 2012
- Hail in Texas, February 15, 2012
- Hail in Louisiana, February 15, 2012
- Hail in Nevada, February 15, 2012
- Hail in Kansas, February 15, 2012
- Heavy Snow in California, February 15 to 16, 2012
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, February 2012
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: 367352, 367353, 367354, 367355, 367356, 367357.