Wisconsin, 2013

Winter Weather in Wisconsin, December 8 to 9, 2013

December 8 to 9, 2013 · NWS MKX · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Low pressure and lake enhanced snow brought several inches of powdery snow to southern Wisconsin. Hundreds of vehicle accidents including several pile-ups occurred, especially in the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
3
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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.

Low pressure and lake enhanced snow brought several inches of powdery snow to southern Wisconsin. Hundreds of vehicle accidents including several pile-ups occurred, especially in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Three deaths were reported with weather as a contributing factor.

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 Dec 8, 5:53 AM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 5:53 AM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 8, 4:23 AM CST, 4 hours 37 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Kenosha

When
December 8, 9:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Racine

When
December 8, 9:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Racine forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents, including a pile-up on Interstate 94. Sixty accidents were reported between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. One death was reported and a state senator was injured.

Winter Weather, Milwaukee

When
December 8, 9:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to six inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents, including a 41 vehicle pile-up on I-894 at Greenfield Ave. in West Allis.

Winter Weather, Iowa

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Iowa forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to six inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Lafayette

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Green

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Green forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Rock

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Walworth

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Walworth forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Waukesha

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Waukesha forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents, including a 50 vehicle pile-up on highway 41/45. One death occurred with the pile-up.

Winter Weather, Washington

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to six inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents, including a pile-up on highway 41/45.

Winter Weather, Ozaukee

When
December 8, 10:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to six inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents, including a pile-up on I-43 than involved around 60 vehicles.

Winter Weather, Dane

When
December 8, 11:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Dane forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to six inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Dodge

When
December 8, 11:00 AM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

Winter Weather, Sheboygan

When
December 8, 12:00 PM CST to December 9, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Sheboygan forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of powdery snow causing numerous slide-offs and accidents.

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Winter Weather, Racine2013-12-08MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerIndirect
Winter Weather, Milwaukee2013-12-0839FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerIndirect
Winter Weather, Waukesha2013-12-08Vehicle/Towed TrailerIndirect

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2013

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: 489758, 489761, 489779, 489744, 489746, 489747, 489748, 489749, 489751, 489770, 489781, 489782, 489743, 489753, 489755.