Two days of heavy rain caused localized flooding across central and east central Wisconsin on December 14th. The rain came in two waves, with thunderstorms early in the morning of the 13th, and a steady rain late on the 13th into the 14th.
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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 GRB wrote it up.
Two days of heavy rain caused localized flooding across central and east central Wisconsin on December 14th. The rain came in two waves, with thunderstorms early in the morning of the 13th, and a steady rain late on the 13th into the 14th. Rivers and streams rose in response to the heavy rain, with minor flooding reported near a few rivers, including the Wisconsin River and Duck Creek. Duck Creek, on the west side of Green Bay (Brown Co.), crested at 18 feet, its highest December crest on record (since 1990).
Green Bay set a two-day total rainfall record of 3.51 inches, breaking the old record of 2.50 inches set in 1891. The single-day total of 1.91 inches on the 14th was the second wettest December day on record, falling just short of the record (1.94 inches set on December 12, 1891), and the total of 1.60 inches on the 13th was the third wettest.
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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 12, 10:22 PM CST, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 1022 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 UPDATED AVIATION PORTION FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 616 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 WILL BE ISSUING AN ESF THIS EVENING FOR THE FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2.00 TO 2.50 INCHES FROM SUNDAY MORNING TO NOON MONDAY. MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL LIKELY REACH BANKFULL WITH POSSIBLY A FEW REACHING MINOR FLOOD STAGE STARTING TUESDAY. JUST TO PUT IN PERSPECTIVE ON HOW MUCH RAIN THIS IS FOR A DECEMBER...NORMAL TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH IS AROUND 1.5 INCHES. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY ISSUED AT 332 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDED FROM EAST CENTRAL KANSAS TO SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AT 18Z. EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA KEPT TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S TO MID 40S AND DEW POINTS MOSTLY IN THE 30S TODAY. SOUTHERLY FLOW TO THE SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY BROUGHT MID-UPPER 60S TEMPERATURES AND 60S DEW POINTS AS FAR NORTH AS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 850MB BAROCLINIC ZONE IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTH INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN 00Z-06Z AND REACH NORTHERN WISCONSIN BY 12Z SUNDAY. HAVE POPS INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AS THE BAROCLINIC ZONE MAKES ITS WAY NORTHWARD. THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL ALSO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT AND THEN INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES BECOME RATHER STEEP ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING AND SPC HAD GENERAL THUNDER IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA ON THE DAY1 OUTLOOK...AND IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN ON DAY2. AS A RESULT OF THIS...HAVE THUNDER MENTIONED LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. HAVE AT LEAST PATCHY FOG MENTIONED ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY SINCE DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS IN THE AREA WERE ABOUT 6F OR LESS. AS INCREASINGLY MOIST AIR PASSES OVER THE COLDER WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN...FOG OVER THE LAKE MAY BECOME DENSE. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY ISSUED AT 332 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 AMPLIFIED FLOW TO CONT ACROSS THE CONUS NEXT WEEK. UPPER RIDGES OVER THE ERN PACIFIC AND WRN ATLANTIC WITH GENERAL TROF OVER CNTRL NOAM. THIS PATTERN ALLOWS SYSTEMS TO FOLLOW A PATH FROM THE NW CONUS SE INTO THE SRN PLAINS...THEN NE THRU THE GREAT LAKES. ONE STRONG SYSTEM TO ALREADY BE IMPACTING NE WI AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD WITH A SECOND SYSTEM DUE TO ARRIVE MID-WEEK. THIS CNTRL NOAM UPR TROF IS FCST TO SHIFT EAST LATER IN THE WEEK AND ALLOW MORE TYPICAL DECEMBER AIR MASS TO SETTLE OVER THE GREAT LAKES. ANY BRIEF DECREASE IN PRECIP INTENSITY/COVERAGE FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON WILL INCREASE/FILL BACK IN SUNDAY NGT AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS N-NE INTO WRN WI AND LIFTS AN OCCLUDED FRONT THRU THE STATE. ANOMALOUSLY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER...PLENTY OF LIFT AND INCREASING MID-LEVEL FORCING FROM THE TRAILING CLOSED UPR LOW ALONG WITH LIFT PROVIDED BY THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE UPR JET. THIS WILL LEAD TO A SOAKING RAIN SUNDAY NGT. AN AVERAGE OF ONE- HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN EXPECTED SUNDAY NGT. FORTUNATELY...THE GROUND IS NOT COMPLETELY FROZEN AND SOME OF THIS RAIN SHOULD SOAK IN. COLDER AIR BEGINS TO GET WRAPPED INTO WI AS UPPER LOW MOVES ACROSS AREA. STILL LOOKS LIKE TIMING OF COLD AIR ARRIVAL WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY AFTER THE HEAVIER PCPN MOVES OUT OF THE AREA...THUS ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL OVER THE NORTHWOODS LOOKS LIMITED AT BEST. NEXT SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO LIFT NE INTO THE MIDWEST TUE NGT WITH THE SFC LOW REACHING SW MN/NW IA BY 12Z WED. INCREASING SW WINDS ALOFT WL ATTEMPT TO PULL WARMER AIR INTO WI...MAKING PCPN-TYPE FORECAST A BIT PROBLEMATIC. HEAVIEST PCPN EXPECTED WELL WEST OF FORECAST AREA AS SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS MN. COLDER AIR THEN SETTLES INTO REGION AS UPPER TROF SETTLES OVER THE EASTERN PART OF REGION...AT LEAST FOR A SHORT WHILE. TEMPS CLOSER TO MID DECEMBER NORMS AFTER WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE ISSUED AT 1022 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 CIGS WILL DETERIORATE TO IFR/LIFR OVERNIGHT ALONG WITH VSBYS DROPPING INTO THE MVFR LEVELS AND THEN IFR LATE TONIGHT. WITH STEADY RAINS ARRIVING LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY...WIDESPREAD LIFR/IFR CIGS VSBYS EXPECTED. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A THUNDERSTORM EARLY SUNDAY MORNING OVER CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. LITTLE OR NO IMPROVEMENT EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT AS RAIN CONTINUES. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE.........TDH SHORT TERM.....MG LONG TERM......JKL AVIATION.......TDH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 350 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-132200- VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY-LINCOLN- LANGLADE-MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO COUNTY-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO- WOOD-PORTAGE-WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO- CALUMET-MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY- SOUTHERN OCONTO COUNTY- 350 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT AHEAD OF A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED A STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE SUNDAY MORNING AS THE WARM FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTH AND THE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE PLAINS. THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...BUT RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD BE MAINLY IN THE 2 TO 3 INCH RANGE BY THE TIME THE RAIN ENDS OR CHANGES TO LIGHT SNOW ON MONDAY NIGHT. WHILE FLOODING IS NOT ANTICIPATED...PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS CAN BE EXPECTED...ALONG WITH A RISE IN AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS. ANOTHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO AFFECT THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW...THEREFORE IS IT TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE SNOW POTENTIAL FROM THIS SYSTEM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT. LMZ521-522-541>543-132200- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 350 PM CST SAT DEC 12 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT DENSE FOG COULD BE A HAZARD TO MARINERS LATE TONIGHT AS MILD AND MOIST AIR MOVES OVER THE COOLER LAKE WATERS. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT SOUTH OF KEWAUNEE. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY DENSE FOG COULD POSE A HAZARD TO MARINERS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDDAY SUNDAY SOUTH OF KEWAUNEE. NONE OF THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. MG/JKL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Several rounds of heavy rain moved across Portage County. More than three inches of rain fell near Plover (3.18 inches), and at Stevens Point (3.01 inches).
Several periods of heavy rain fell across Waupaca County. More than three inches of rain fell at Scandinavia (3.76 inches), where there was standing water in fields, and near Iola (3.75 inches). There was flooding in Olen Park, near Clintonville, and water covered some roads.
Several rounds of heavy rain across Winnebago County resulted in water covering the road near the intersection of Highway 114 and South Oneida Street in Menasha and flooding of fields between Neenah and Oshkosh.
More than two inches of rain in northwest Calumet County caused flooding of backyards, and street flooding east of the intersection of Highway 114 and Oneida Street.
Several rounds of heavy rain that moved across Manitowoc County produced 3.00 inches of rainfall in Kiel.
Several rounds of heavy rain in Marathon County brought more than 2.5 inches of rain to the Wausau area. Runoff from the heavy rain caused roadside ditches to fill with water.
An estimated three inches of rain in Dyckesville caused creeks to overflow, resulting minor flooding of low-lying areas.
Two to four inches of rain fell across the Green Bay area. Approximately 20 homes in the village of Allouez had some water in basements. Several streets were closed around Green Bay for short periods.
Several rounds of heavy rainfall across Outagamie County produced 3.74 inches of rain in Appleton. Runoff from the rainfall resulting in water collecting in low-lying areas.
Several rounds of heavy rain that moved across Oconto County caused flooding of fields and ditches near Lena, where an estimated three inches of rain fell. Runoff from the rainfall caused the Little Suamico River to overflow its banks south of Sobieski.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2015
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: 608339, 608316, 608342, 608311, 608317, 612834, 608313, 608315, 608318, 612833.