Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 18 to 20, 2019

Name: Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 18 to 20, 2019
Start: 2019-01-18T12:00
End: 2019-01-20T02:00
Location: Wisconsin

January 18 to 20, 2019 · NWS MKX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Strong low pressure moving across the Ohio River Valley spread a swath of moderate to heavy snow across southern WI. Lake effect snow contributed to the heavy snow accumulations near Lake MI.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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: 4
Injuries: 2
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

Strong low pressure moving across the Ohio River Valley spread a swath of moderate to heavy snow across southern WI. Lake effect snow contributed to the heavy snow accumulations near Lake MI. Many vehicle slide-offs and accidents occurred especially in the Milwaukee metro area. Two people were killed in a car accident in Sheboygan County. A few schools closed early on January 18th over far southern and southwest WI. There were 2 indirect deaths after shoveling.

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 Jan 18, 11:48 AM CST, 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 11:48 AM CST, 12 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 18, 4:24 AM CST, 7 hours 36 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

9 winter storm, 8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Iowa

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 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)

Six to eight inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Lafayette

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 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 snow accumulation.

Winter Storm, Green

When: January 18, 1:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five to eight inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Storm, Dane

When: January 18, 2:00 PM CST to January 19, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five to seven inches of snow accumulation with the highest amounts in the southern portion of the county.

Winter Storm, Rock

When: January 18, 2:00 PM CST to January 19, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five to seven inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When: January 18, 3:00 PM CST to January 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to eight inches of snow accumulation with the highest amounts in the southern portion of the county.

Winter Storm, Walworth

When: January 18, 3:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six to nine inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Storm, Milwaukee

When: January 18, 4:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to seven inches of snow accumulation with the highest amounts near Lake MI. Numerous vehicle slide-offs and accidents occurred. Two men died in their homes shortly after shoveling on January 20th.

Winter Storm, Racine

When: January 18, 4:00 PM CST to January 20, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five to eight inches of snow accumulation with the highest amounts near Lake MI.

Winter Storm, Kenosha

When: January 18, 4:00 PM CST to January 20, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eight to eleven inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Columbia

When: January 18, 4:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Waukesha

When: January 18, 4:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to six inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Dodge

When: January 18, 6:00 PM CST to January 19, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Washington

When: January 18, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to four inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Sauk

When: January 18, 8:00 PM CST to January 19, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to six inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Ozaukee

When: January 18, 8:00 PM CST to January 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of snow accumulation.

Winter Weather, Sheboygan

When: January 18, 9:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Injuries: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to five inches of snow accumulation with highest amounts near Lake MI. Two people were killed and two injured in a single vehicle accident in the village of Kohler.

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
Winter Storm, Milwaukee	2019-01-20	59	Male	Permanent Home	Indirect
Winter Storm, Milwaukee	2019-01-20	91	Male	Permanent Home	Indirect
Winter Weather, Sheboygan	2019-01-18	20	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect
Winter Weather, Sheboygan	2019-01-18	58	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Indirect

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, January 2019

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 811919, 811936, 811924, 811920, 811923, 811921, 811922, 811925, 811926, 811928, 811935, 811943, 811939, 811942, 811938, 811940, 811941.