Snow fell across much of Wisconsin as a low pressure system moved from the Plains to the Lower Great Lakes. The heaviest snow was in Winnebago County, where 6 to 7 inches fell in less than 12 hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Snow fell across much of Wisconsin as a low pressure system moved from the Plains to the Lower Great Lakes. The heaviest snow was in Winnebago County, where 6 to 7 inches fell in less than 12 hours.
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 30, 2:09 PM CST, 22 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Green Bay WI 209 PM CST Sun Dec 30 2018 Forecast discussion for routine afternoon forecast issuance .SHORT TERM...Tonight and Monday Issued at 208 PM CST Sun Dec 30 2018 Main focus to be on impending nearly-merged systems to impact the region Monday into Monday night. The 19Z MSAS surface analysis showed an area of high pressure over the Ohio Valley and a pair of low pressure systems over the northern and central High Plains. A nearly stationary front was extended from the northern Plains E-NE to Lake Superior. Current weather conditions were tranquil over WI with more clouds north and more sun to the south. The quiet before the storm(s) to occur tonight as a northern stream shortwave trough moves southeast into the northern Plains and a southern stream shortwave trough enters the southern Plains. First for the northern system, the nearly stationary front to remain from southern MN to eastern Lake Superior with a tight baroclinic zone located just north of the front. The leading edge of light snow is forecast to reach Vilas County by the pre-dawn hours with up to one-half inch of new snow possible. The southern system to still be too far away to impact central/east-central WI, thus dry conditions to hold through the night. Min temperatures to range from the upper teens to around 20 degrees far north, to the upper 20s over Door County. The amount of phasing that occurs between these two system will play a huge role in the amount of snow that parts of northeast WI will see on New Year's Eve going into the start of 2019. The NAM and ECMWF indicate more phasing initially over the western Great Lakes, thus leading to the potential for more snow. The CMC and GFS have this phasing taking place more toward the eastern Great Lakes, thus less snow. That being said, models do track the strengthening surface low from the mid-MS Valley northeast to southern sections of the Great Lakes which is favorable track for accumulating snow into east-central WI Monday afternoon. Besides lift from the surface low, there will be additional lift provided by a coupled jet structure, centered over east-central WI. At this point, even if the two systems do not completely phase, it appears that a band of snow will overspread northeast WI on New Year's Eve focused mainly on east-central WI. After collaboration with surrounding offices, will issue a winter weather advisory roughly east of a line from Wautoma to Marinette that will continue into Monday night. Meanwhile, Vilas County will continue to see light snow with most locations in the 2 to 3 inch range. Prefer to handle this with a SPS. Temperatures on New Year's Eve will be mild with upper 20s north-central WI, to the middle 30s across east-central WI. .LONG TERM...Monday Night Through Sunday Issued at 208 PM CST Sun Dec 30 2018 The main weather impacts in the extended forecast will be the potential for light snow accumulations Monday night (New Years Eve). In addition, very cold air and low wind chill readings will be a concern for the first half of the work week. Monday night: The intensifying low pressure system will quickly slide from southern Lake MI around 00Z/01 to southern Ontario by 06Z/01. Initially, increased forcing and moisture over the eastern and northeastern portions of WI will allow light to moderate snowfall to continue through at least 03Z/01. Models are generally painting out another 0.10 - 0.20 inches of qpf between 00Z/01 and 06Z/01, mainly across far eastern and far northeastern WI. This would equate to roughly and additional 1 to as much as 3 inches of snow during the evening hours. Farther west across central WI, snowfall totals are expected to be lower with around 0.05 inches of qpf expected or around a half an inch to an inch of snow during the evening hours. Overnight, as a cold front slides through the area, some light snow showers will likely linger; however, only minor additional accumulations are expected after midnight. The exception may be over Vilas County, where at least light lake effect snow will continue on increased northerly flow across Lake Superior. Vilas could see an additional inch or two Monday night into Tuesday morning. Impacts may be greater than usual due to travel after New Years Eve celebrations. While the snow will likely diminish by midnight, roads may remain slippery which has led to us keeping the Winter Weather Advisory going through 09Z/01. Tuesday through Wednesday night: As the aforementioned low pressure system shifts well off to the east of the area, a broad surface ridge is expected to shift eastward from the Plains. This will allow any lingering light snow showers or flurries to end from the west throughout the day Tuesday. Clearing skies and decreased wind speeds across the area, along with a fresh coat of snow, will lead to cold overnight low temperatures across the area Tuesday night and again Wednesday night. Guidance continues to show single digits to teens below zero over central and north-central WI with single digits above zero across east central and northeast WI. While winds will not be terribly strong, it doesn't take much wind to get wind chills down close to 20 below zero with temperatures as cold as previously mentioned. This would be right at the threshold for a wind chill advisory. Wednesday night may be kept a bit warmer as a quick moving/weak upper-level trough slides through the area. There could even be a few flurries or light snow showers. Thursday through the extended: Moderating temperatures can be expected through the rest of the extended forecast as the high pressure system shifts off to the east. Models begin to vary with timing of several quick moving features, which is typical in the extended. A general troughing pattern can be expected for Thursday before transitioning to a more zonal to very brief/weak ridging pattern for Friday into next weekend. At this point, will stick with a consensus of the models, keeping conditions mainly dry with moderating temperatures for the rest of the extended. Again, there may be a couple disturbances that brush the area Thursday night and again Saturday night, but details on timing and amount of moisture will need to be ironed out with future updates. && .AVIATION...for 18Z TAF Issuance Issued at 1141 AM CST Sun Dec 30 2018 Nuisance band of MVFR cigs across northern and parts of central WI should dissipate/shift east this afternoon with most locations just seeing a mid-deck of VFR clouds headed into tonight. Most of tonight should be quiet with VFR conditions continuing, although as a frontal boundary sags south toward northern WI after midnight, there is a small chance of light snow to reach the RHI TAF site with a MVFR cig. Conditions overall are forecast to deteriorate on Monday as two separate systems attempt to merge over the Great Lakes. Anticipate cigs/vsbys to drop to at least MVFR by late Monday morning and possibly IFR over east-central WI as snow begins to lift northward. Poor flying conditions are then expected to persist into Monday night as the center of low pressure moves into the Great Lakes region. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from noon Monday to 3 AM CST Tuesday for WIZ022-031-037>040-045-048>050-073-074. && SHORT TERM.....Kallas LONG TERM......Cooley AVIATION.......Kallas
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The highest measured snowfall total for the storm was 7.5 inches at Oshkosh. There were a few other reports of around 6 inches of snow in the Oshkosh area.
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 794500.