A man died from hypothermia in a lagoon near Froedtert Hospital.
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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 MKX wrote it up.
A man died from hypothermia in a lagoon near Froedtert Hospital.
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 27, 11:53 PM CST, 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 1153 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 .UPDATE...The forecast is on track for tonight through Fri nt. && .AVIATION(06Z TAFS)...Cigs will range from 600-1500 feet for early Fri AM through the afternoon. However, areas of VFR Cigs will occur at times over se WI during the early morning hours. Areas of fog toward central WI. Rain will change to light snow Fri afternoon into the evening with vsbys of 1-3SM. The Cigs will rise to 1-3 kft Fri nt. && .PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 833 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018) UPDATE...Sct showers will continue the remainder of the night with weak warm, moist advection continuing until the occluded front arrives after midnight. Pcpn will redevelop for Fri afternoon as the trailing cold front and weak low to mid level frontogenesis moves across srn WI. Rain will change to light snow beginning over central WI into se WI through the afternoon into the early evening hours. Snow accums less than an inch expected. AVIATION(00Z TAFS)...LLWS will continue until about 06Z when the sly LLJ weakens below 40 kt. Cigs will range from 400-1500 feet the remainder of the night and through Fri. Areas of fog toward central WI. Rain will change to light snow Fri afternoon into the evening with vsbys of 1-3SM. The Cigs will rise to 1-3 kft Fri nt. MARINE...Breezy sly winds tonight into Fri AM will become brisk nly winds from north to south across Lake MI via a cold frontal passage from late Fri AM into Fri eve. At this time, it appears the nly winds will remain below gale force. A Small Craft Advisory will continue over the nearshore waters of se WI until 12Z Fri for lingering high waves and gusty sswly winds. Gusty west winds on Friday will turn to the north late afternoon and evening. The wind gusts may reach Small Craft Advisory levels Friday and Friday night. PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 336 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018) DISCUSSION... Tonight Into Friday Morning...Forecast Confidence Is Medium. Main area of rain has pushed north of the forecast area, with very light rain/drizzle lingering over the area. There is another area of rain developing and should push northeast through the area from far northern Illinois through early this evening. This is being driven by some 500 mb vorticity advection and some low level warm air advection. Mesoscale models suggest support this moving through. May see some rumbles of thunder in the southwest counties into this evening, where there is weak low level instability. The drizzle/very light rain and some fog should linger tonight into Friday morning, as the main dry slot moves into the area. Not sure about dense fog potential, and will need to monitor for this. Mild temperatures will linger tonightThe Cigs will rise to 1-3 kft Fri nt.. Friday Afternoon Into Friday Evening...Forecast Confidence Is Medium. The cold front will move southeast through the area Friday afternoon, with temperatures gradually falling in the afternoon and evening behind the front. Low level convergence with the front and 850 mb trough should bring a light rain/drizzle mix with and change to light snow Friday afternoon and evening. There may be some light freezing drizzle as well in northern parts of the area in the afternoon, though think this should not be widespread enough to cause any issues. Should see slushy light snow accumulations under an inch later Friday into Friday evening. This may cause minor issues with the evening commute Friday. Saturday and Sunday - Confidence...Medium The lingering cyclonic flow/low level thermal trough will give way to increasing surface/850 millibar ridging on Saturday. then we will quickly transition to a warm air advection regime heading into Sunday as pressure gradient tightens up and south/southwest winds increase. 925 temps will bounce back from -10c on Saturday to near 0c by later Sunday. But this warmup will be tempered somewhat by the gusty winds. Monday and Monday night - Confidence...Low to Medium A developing 500 millibar trough carves out across the middle of the country. In the low levels there is some phasing of a weak northern low and one riding northeast through the Ohio Valley. the GFS is showing a more pronounced deformation area of precipitation across the area while the 12z GEM and 00z ECMWF suggest a glancing shot into the far southeast corner of WI or a miss. The 12z ECMWF has now shown a trend towards the GFS solution with qpf, although lighter than the GFS, still brings measurable precip into the cwa. Will likely go with blended pops for this timeframe though pops may need boosting as we draw closer. Tuesday and Wednesday - Confidence...Medium A chilly period setting up with cold air advection taking hold on back side of the passing low. The 12z GFS kicks this in a smidge sooner than the 00z ECMWF. Nevertheless the consensus is there for 925 temps dropping into the negative teens celsius with rather blustery conditions. The GFS suggests some snow shower activity in the cold advection regime On Tuesday while the ECMWF and GEM less so. Thursday - Confidence...Medium WAA regime is proggd to take hold with the 12z GFS showing a quick hitting potential of some light snow during the afternoon and evening. The GEM has a more pronounced surface trough with a more area wide light snow event. Will stick with the blended pops. AVIATION(21Z TAFS)...Area of rain should move northeast through the area late this afternoon into early this evening. Otherwise, very light rain/drizzle is expected to linger tonight into Friday morning across the area. IFR/LIFR ceilings should linger into this evening, though VFR ceilings may move northeast into the area this evening and perhaps linger overnight into Friday morning. Visibility values should be in the 2 to 4 mile range in any very light rain/drizzle/fog. May see lower values if fog gets more widespread tonight into Friday morning. Gusty southeast winds this afternoon will veer south then southwest tonight. Low level wind shear remains into this evening, for 45 to 50 knot 2000 foot level winds across the area. Should see a batch of light rain/drizzle to mix with and change to light snow northwest to southeast across the area Friday afternoon and evening. Madison may see this by middle afternoon, and the southeast terminals by 6 PM CST, lasting into Friday evening before ending. Any slushy accumulations would be under an inch. Winds will gradually veer to the northwest after the cold front moves through Friday afternoon, with some gusts to around 20 knots. MARINE... Nearshore Waters... Small Craft Advisory is in effect until 6 AM CST Friday morning for the nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. Southeast to south winds of 15 to 25 knots, with gusts to 30 knots, are expected into this evening. These winds will become south and decrease to 10 to 20 knots later tonight, becoming southwest late. High waves of 7 to 13 feet are expected to continue into this evening, gradually subsiding to 3 to 6 feet later tonight. The southwest winds may remain gusting to around 25 knots Friday morning south of North Point Lighthouse, so the Small Craft Advisory may need to go further into Friday there. May also see some fog development tonight into early Friday morning, with mild dew points moving over cool lake waters. Dense fog may occur, but uncertain at this time with the areal coverage. Should see winds veer to the north and gusts of 25 to 30 knots later Friday afternoon into Friday night, after a cold front moves through the area. A Small Craft Advisory will be needed for this period. Open Waters... Gale Warning continues until 9 PM CST this evening for the open waters of Lake Michigan. Southeast to south winds with frequent gusts of 35 to 40 knot gales are expected. Winds should gradually decrease by later this evening, with gusts to 30 knots expected. High waves are expected across western portions of the lake, gradually subsiding tonight. Winds will veer to the southwest later tonight, with gusts of 25 to 30 knots still expected. These winds will veer to the northwest and north Friday afternoon and night from north to south across the lake, as a cold front moves through the region. Another period of gale force gusts to 35 knots are possible later Friday afternoon into Friday night. Waves will build over the eastern and southern portions of the lake. May also see some fog development tonight into early Friday morning, with mild dew points moving over cool lake waters. Dense fog may occur, but uncertain at this time with the areal coverage. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST Friday for LMZ643>646. && Update...Gehring Tonight/Friday and Aviation/Marine...Wood Friday Night through Thursday...Collar
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 708 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-290115- Marquette-Green Lake-Fond Du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge- Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee- Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha- 708 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin and southeast Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight Rain may cause rises on area streams and rivers. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday A period of slushy snow is expected Friday afternoon and evening with accumulations up to one inch. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed, however your rain and snow reports are always appreciated. LMZ643>646-290115- 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- 708 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters from Sheboygan Wisconsin to Winthrop Harbor Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for gusty south winds and high waves. Patchy fog is possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday Gusty west winds on Friday will turn to the north late afternoon and evening. The wind gusts may reach Small Craft Advisory levels Friday and Friday night. A Small Craft Advisory may be needed on Sunday for breezy southwest winds. Small Craft Advisory conditions may return Tuesday due to brisk north winds. LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868- 870-872-874-876-878-290115- Lake Michigan Michigan City IN to St. Joseph MI 5 NM offshore to mid-line of lake.- Lake Michigan from Seul Choix Point to Rock Island Passage 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan South of a line from Seul Choix Point to the Mackinac Bridge and North of a line from Charlevoix MI to South Fox Island 5NM offshore- Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Point Betsie MI 5NM Offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Point Betsie to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay WI 5NM offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Sturgeon Bay to Two Rivers WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Sheboygan WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Sheboygan to Port Washington WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Port Washington to North Point Light WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from North Point Light to Wind Point WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City in 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Pentwater to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Whitehall to Pentwater MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Grand Haven to Whitehall MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Holland to Grand Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from South Haven to Holland MI 5NM offshore to Mid lake- Lake Michigan from St Joseph to South Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- 708 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the open waters of Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Tonight Areas of fog may become dense tonight as mild and humid air flows over the colder waters of Lake Michigan. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday Brisk northerly winds are forecast with the passage of a cold front for Friday and Friday evening. The cold front will move north to south across the lake from the late morning into the evening. A few gale force gusts are possible. www.weather.gov/mkx
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
A deceased homeless man was found partially submerged in a lagoon near Froedtert Hospital. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiners Office determined the primary cause of death as hypothermia. He was also intoxicated and likely fell into the lagoon.
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, Milwaukee | 2018-12-28 | 27 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, December 2018
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: 799751.