Cold in Wisconsin, December 25 to 31, 2017

Name: Cold in Wisconsin, December 25 to 31, 2017
Start: 2017-12-25T00:00
End: 2017-12-31T23:59
Location: Wisconsin

December 25 to 31, 2017 · NWS MKX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: 6
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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.

Bitterly cold air and wind chill temperatures prevailed over southern WI from Christmas Day through January 6th. Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero occurred at times with low temperatures below zero for most nights. There are eight known deaths related to hypothermia. Water main breaks and frozen pipes in homes and businesses were a common occurrence across southern WI. Some water damage occurred indoors due to pipes bursting. The cold conditions also caused pavement to buckle on the Beltline Highway in Madison on two separate occasions with one causing a 12 vehicle accident. Some public and private events were cancelled.

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 24, 11:41 PM CST, 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 11:41 PM CST, 19 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1141 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017

.UPDATE...The forecast is on track for tonight and Christmas Day.

&&

.AVIATION(06Z TAFS)...Sct-bkn040 stratocumulus will prevail early
this morning through sunrise, then clearing with the arctic
frontal passage. Sct snow showers may briefly reduce vsbys to
1-3SM along with brief Cigs of 1-3 kft for this morning. Brisk
and gusty wnwly winds for Christmas day.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 933 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017)

UPDATE...A n-s light snow band is now moving esewd across se WI.
Another area of light snow will occur with the arctic frontal
passage from w-e across the area from 08z to 13z. Only very minor
snow accum is expected. Otherwise very cold temps with a Wind
Chill Advisory going into effect at 6 PM Christmas Day.

MARINE...A Small Craft Advisory is in effect tonight through Mon
night for brisk wnwly winds in the wake of an arctic frontal
passage. Wind gusts to 30 kts are expected during the day on Mon.

PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 615 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017)

UPDATE...There is a couple broken north to south bands of snow
showers to move across srn WI this evening. One band has just
moved east of KMSN with another moving into Sauk and Iowa
Counties. Yet another area of snow showers over srn MN associated
with the arctic front will move across srn WI from 08z-14z. The
snow showers will be brief with only minor snow accum. Strong cold
advection on Christmas Day with the arctic front will limit a
rebound in temps to only a few degrees. Wind chill temps will
range from 5 below to 15 below zero for much of the day with a
Wind Chill Advisory then going into effect Christmas night.

AVIATION(00Z TAFS)...Sct-bkn040 stratocumulus will prevail tnt
through sunrise then clearing with the arctic frontal passage. Sct
snow showers may briefly reduce vsbys to 1-3SM along with brief
Cigs of 1-3 kft for tnt. Brisk and gusty wnwly winds for
Christmas day.

PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 133 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017)

SHORT TERM...Rest of this afternoon and tonight...

The shortwave responsible for today's snow will exit the region
this afternoon, bringing an end to the snow. Behind that, we'll
see a secondary surge of cold air push into southern Wisconsin on
Christmas morning. Good consensus amongst the models showing this
push of cold air squeezing out a little bit of snow on Christmas
morning as it moves through. High-res guidance focuses on a
narrow NW to SE corridor from roughly Sauk to Walworth County,
and only drops a couple of hundreths of QPF in that area. The
exact track may change somewhat, but confidence is medium to high
the we'll see a narrow swath of light snow.

LONG TERM...Christmas Day through next weekend...

Forecast Confidence...Medium to High...

Temperatures will fall for much of the day on Monday, eventually
falling below zero for nearly all of the forecast area Monday
night into Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, temperatures only look to
recover to the low single digits at best, and will fall below zero
for most, if not all of the area again Tuesday night/Wednesday
morning. Compounding these temperatures will be rather persistent
west to northwest wind, with gusts on Christmas Day near 30 MPH,
and remaining in the 15-20 MPH range Christmas night and Tuesday.
The combination of cold and wind will yield dangerously low wind
chills, with readings between -15 and -30 degrees from Monday
evening through Wednesday. A Wind Chill Advisory has been issued
for most of the area for this time. It is possible that the
Advisory may eventually need to be expanded down to the Illinois
state line.

A very slow moderation in temperature is then expected for the
rest of the week, but highs will only be in the upper single
digits and teens, with lows not far from zero.

Our next chance for precipitation looks to be in the
Thursday/Friday timeframe, with most extended guidance showing
some sort of system affecting the Great Lakes region. However,
considerable differences remain regarding potential snow amounts,
as well as timing. This will be something to keep an eye on over
the next few days.

AVIATION(Afternoon TAF Update)...

Snow will end from west to east over the next couple of hours,
with conditions improving to VFR by this evening. Rather gusty
west winds and cold temperatures are expected on Christmas Day.

MARINE...

Winds will become gusty from the west starting this evening,
continuing through Christmas Day. Winds will peak during the
afternoon hours on Christmas, when gusts in the nearshore waters
may approach gale force. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect from
this evening through Tuesday morning. In addition to the wind,
waves are expected to approach 4 ft near open waters on Monday.

Winds will decrease Tuesday, and should remain fairly low through
mid week. Winds/waves may increase again toward the end of the
week or into next weekend, as another storm system approaches the
region.

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...Wind Chill Advisory from 6 PM Monday to noon CST Wednesday for
     WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>066.

LM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST Tuesday for LMZ643>646.

&&

Update...Gehring
Tonight/Monday and Aviation/Marine...Boxell
Monday Night through Sunday...Boxell

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 24, 11:45 PM CST, 15 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1145 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-260545-
Marquette-Green Lake-Fond Du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge-
Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee-
Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha-
1145 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central
Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

One more period of light snow is expected late tonight through
sunrise on Monday. A few slick spots will remain possible on area
roadways.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Sunday

A few light snow showers or flurries are possible across southern
Wisconsin early Monday morning.

Very cold weather is expected for much of the week, with
dangerous wind chills of 15 to 25 degrees below zero expected
Monday night through Wednesday. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect
for much of the area for this time period.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

LMZ643>646-260545-
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-
1145 PM CST Sun Dec 24 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Lake Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

Increasing westerly winds are expected to reach Small Craft
Advisory Levels late tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Sunday

Gusty northwest winds will persist through Monday night. A few
gusts could approach gale force. A Small Craft Advisory is in
effect.

www.weather.gov/mkx
MG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:01 PM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
901 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 PM     SNOW             2 N JANESVILLE          42.71N 89.01W
12/24/2017  M1.0 INCH        ROCK               WI   PUBLIC

&&

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:03 PM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
903 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 PM     SNOW             1 N PALMYRA             42.90N 88.59W
12/24/2017  M1.0 INCH        JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC

&&

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:04 PM CST, 2 hours 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
904 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0800 PM     SNOW             EDGERTON                42.84N 89.07W
12/24/2017  M1.0 INCH        ROCK               WI   PUBLIC

&&

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:05 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
905 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0800 PM     SNOW             2 NNW WIND LAKE         42.85N 88.17W
12/24/2017  M1.5 INCH        WAUKESHA           WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:09 PM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
909 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0908 PM     SNOW             5 S HARTFORD            43.25N 88.37W
12/24/2017  E1.0 INCH        WASHINGTON         WI   PUBLIC

&&

Local storm report, Dec 24, 9:44 PM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
944 PM CST SUN DEC 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0944 PM     SNOW             1 WNW BURLINGTON        42.68N 88.30W
12/24/2017  M1.0 INCH        RACINE             WI   PUBLIC

&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Dane

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. The Dane County Medical Examiner confirmed four deaths due to hypothermia. Four businesses and two apartments suffered water damage from burst pipes, but more instances of frozen and burst pipes likely occurred. On January 4th, buckling pavement on the Beltline Highway caused a 12 car accident in the morning with another occurrence of buckling in the evening. Both resulted in closed lanes for clean-up and repair. Over a dozen water main breaks occurred in the city of Madison and likely more across Dane County. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 30 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner confirmed three deaths due to hypothermia. Water main breaks and burst pipes occurred across the area. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Cold/Wind Chill, Fond du Lac

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Fond du Lac forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. Fond du Lac County authorities confirmed one death due to hypothermia. Water main breaks and burst pipes occurred across the area. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Cold/Wind Chill, Columbia

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. Water main breaks and burst pipes occurred across the area. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Cold/Wind Chill, Dodge

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Green

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 30 below zero, and low temperatures below zero occurred at times during this period of prolonged arctic air. Water main breaks and burst pipes occurred across the area. Some public and private events were cancelled.

Cold/Wind Chill, Green Lake

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Green Lake forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Iowa

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Kenosha

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lafayette

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Marquette

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ozaukee

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Racine

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Rock

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sauk

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Walworth

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Washington

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Waukesha

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sheboygan

When: December 25, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (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
Cold/Wind Chill, Dane	2017-12-29	84	Female	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Dane	2017-12-29	60	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Dane	2017-12-31	57	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee	2017-12-31	51	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee	2017-12-31	34	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, December 2017

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: 727619, 727635, 727655, 727656, 727657, 727658, 727659, 727660, 727661, 727662, 727663, 727664, 727665, 727666, 727667, 727668, 727669, 727670, 727671, 727672.