National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Winter Storm of December 18-19, 2008

[Snow Totals]

A strong weather system brought heavy rains to southern California, and snow to Las Vegas, before moving northeast into the Great Plains on Thursday (December 18). By Thursday night, precipitation had erupted over Iowa and Northern Illinois with widespread freezing rain, sleet , and snow. Heavy snow moved into northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin around midnight and spread northeast through Minnesota and Wisconsin the remainder of the overnight.  By Friday morning, snow continued early but then shifted east and ended by noon.

 

Click To Enlarge Loop

Radar Loop

Radar Over the U.S.

Radar Loop
9 pm Dec 18 (Thu) to 10 am Dec 19 (Fri)

National Radar and Surface Pressure Loop
12 pm Dec 18 (Thu) to 9 am Dec 19 (Fri)


Snowfall totals from the storm were generally in the 6 to 10 inch range across northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin from the storm. 11 to 13 inches was observed around Platteville in Grant County in extreme southwest Wisconsin. Further north, a band of 3 to 5  inches was found along a broad corridor paralleling I-90. Little if any snow fell north of Highway 29 from Minneapolis to Eau Claire Wisconsin, to Wausau Wisconsin.

 

Total snowfall from December 18 2008

Snowfall Totals Through 8 am Friday (click to enlarge)

A Winter Storm Watch was issued for this storm very early Wednesday morning for the Thursday night through Friday morning period. These were later upgraded to Winter Storm Warnings across southwest Wisconsin and extreme northeast Iowa (at 4pm Wednesday), the remainder of northeast Iowa and central WIsconsin (at 4 am Thursday), and the Interstate 90 corridor from La Crosse to Rochester (in the early afternoon Thursday). Snow Advisories were issued north of I-90. This provided between 12 to as much as 30 hours of advance notice of the heavy snow hazard coming in. Below is the Graphical Weather Story issued at around 11 am Thursday summarizing the impacts expected:

 

Forecasts issued Thursday
Forecast Issued Thursday Morning For Thursday Night and Friday

Detailed List of Snowfall Totals

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1114 AM CST FRI DEC 19 2008

...RECENT REPORTED SNOWFALL TOTALS...

LOCATION		      SNOWFALL	  TIME    LAT/LON

IOWA

...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY...
POSTVILLE                     9.5         0700 AM 43.09N 91.56W
DORCHESTER                    8.9         0700 AM  43.47N 91.51W
WAUKON                        7.0         0617 AM 43.27N 91.48W
WAUKON 8NW                    7.0         0721 AM 43.34N 91.6W

...CHICKASAW COUNTY...
IONIA 2W                     10.0         0700 AM 43.03N 92.50W

...CLAYTON COUNTY...
FARMERSBURG                   9.5         0620 AM 42.96N 91.37W
ELKADER 6SSW                  8.6         0700 AM  42.79N 91.45W
STRAWBERRY POINT              8.5         0700 AM  42.69N 91.53W
EDGEWOOD                      7.5         0700 AM  42.65N 91.40W

...FAYETTE COUNTY...
FAYETTE                      10.4         0700 AM  42.85N 91.82W
CLERMONT                      9.5         0617 AM 43.00N 91.65W
CLERMONT                      8.2         0700 AM  43.00N 91.66W
WADENA                        8.0         0758 AM 42.84N 91.66W
OELWEIN 1WNW                  6.0         0808 AM 42.68N 91.93W
OELWEIN 1E                    6.2         0700 AM  42.68N 91.88W

...FLOYD COUNTY...
CHARLES CITY COOP             7.0         0700 AM  43.08N 92.67W

...HOWARD COUNTY...
CRESCO                       10.5         0714 AM 43.38N 92.13W
MCINTIRE 3E                   8.3         0937 AM 43.44N 92.53W
ELMA                          8.0         0700 AM  43.24N 92.44W
CRESCO CO-OP                  6.5         0700 AM  43.37N 92.11W

...MITCHELL COUNTY...
ST ANSGAR 7NW                 9.0         0824 AM 43.44N 93.01W
OSAGE                         8.5         0708 AM 43.29N 92.81W
ST ANSGAR                     7.4         0700 AM  43.37N 92.83W

...WINNESHIEK COUNTY...
CALMAR                        9.2         0746 AM 43.18N 91.87W
DECORAH 8ENE                  9.0         0851 AM 43.33N 91.7W
WAUCOMA 3SE                   8.0         0700 AM  43.02N 91.98W

MINNESOTA

...DODGE COUNTY...
MANTORVILLE                   6.5         0651 AM 44.07N 92.76W
DODGE CENTER                  5.0         0700 AM  44.04N 92.88W

...FILLMORE COUNTY...
HARMONY                       8.5         0938 AM 43.56N 92.01W
SPRING VALLEY 3SW             7.0         0800 AM 43.66N 92.43W
SPRING VALLEY                 6.6         0800 AM 43.69N 92.39W
PETERSON 1S                   6.4         0920 AM 43.78N 91.82W
PRESTON                       6.2         0700 AM  43.67N 92.07W
LANESBORO                     5.0         0700 AM  43.72N 91.97W
SPRING VALLEY 3E              4.6         0522 AM 43.68N 92.31W
CHATFIELD                     4.5         0744 AM 43.84N 92.19W

...HOUSTON COUNTY...
CALEDONIA                     6.0         0700 AM  43.63N 91.50W
RENO 3SW                      5.4         0639 AM 43.53N 91.33W
SPRING GROVE 4N               4.0         0700 AM  43.61N 91.62W

...MOWER COUNTY
AUSTIN KAAL TV                6.5         0808 AM 43.68N 92.95W
GRAND MEADOW                  8.4         0700 AM  43.71N 92.56W

...OLMSTED COUNTY...
STEWARTVILLE                  5.6         0834 AM 43.86N 92.49W
ROCHESTER KTTC TV             5.5         0808 AM 44.08N 92.51W
ROCHESTER 2NW                 5.5         0620 AM 44.03N 92.49W
BYRON 3N                      5.5         0700 AM  44.07N 92.66W
ORONOCO                       5.4         1046 AM 44.16N 92.54W
ROCHESTER 3NE                 5.1         0910 AM 44.03N 92.45W
ROCHESTER AP 2NE              4.8         0700 AM  43.93N 92.48W
BYRON 4N                      4.0         0703 AM 44.08N 92.67W
ELGIN 2SSW                    3.4         0700 AM  44.10N 92.27W

...WABASHA COUNTY...
THEILMAN 1SSW                 4.3         0700 AM  44.28N 92.19W
HAMMOND 1S                    4.0         0840 AM 44.21N 92.37W
ZUMBRO FALLS                  3.3         0700 AM  44.29N 92.42W
READS LANDING 1W              3.1         0841 AM 44.40N 92.17W
WABASHA                       2.7         0700 AM  44.39N 92.05W

...WINONA COUNTY...
WINONA 3S                     5.0         0934 AM 44.02N 91.66W
WINONA 4S                     4.0         0933 AM 44.01N 91.66W
GOODVIEW                      3.8         1102 AM 44.07N 91.71W
WINONA                        3.2         0536 AM 44.05N 91.66W
WINONA DAM 5A                 2.0         0700 AM  44.09N 91.67W

WISCONSIN

...ADAMS COUNTY...
ARKDALE                       3.5         0639 AM 44.03N 89.88W
MONROE CENTER                 3.5         0700 AM  44.11N 89.92W
FRIENDSHIP                    2.8         0700 AM  43.98N 89.83W

...CLARK COUNTY...
NEILLSVILLE 4NNE              3.0         1110 AM 44.61N 90.56W
NEILLSVILLE 3SW               2.0         0700 AM  44.53N 90.64W
LONGWOOD                      2.0         0942 AM 44.88N 90.6W
OWEN 2N                       0.5         0700 AM  44.98N 90.55W

...CRAWFORD COUNTY...
STEUBEN                      10.1         0751 AM 43.18N 90.86W
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN              8.6         0700 AM  43.05N 91.13W
LYNXVILLE                     8.0         0642 AM 43.26N 91.06W
STEUBEN 4SE                   8.0         0700 AM  43.13N 90.84W

...JACKSON COUNTY...
BLACK RIVER FALLS STP         6.0         0700 AM  44.29N 90.85W
TAYLOR                        5.0         0700 AM  44.32N 91.12W

...JUNEAU COUNTY...
MAUSTON WRJC RADIO            7.0         1021 AM 43.82N 90.07W
NECEDAH 2SE                   3.8         0700 AM  44.00N 90.04W

...GRANT COUNTY...
PLATTEVILLE 2S               13.0         0958 AM 42.72N 90.48W
PLATTEVILLE                  11.6         0706 AM 42.74N 90.48W
LANCASTER                     8.5         0722 AM 42.85N 90.71W
CASSVILLE 8NE                 6.0         0921 AM 42.80N 90.89W

...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
LA CROSSE 5SE                 7.0         0700 AM  43.77N 91.15W
LA CROSSE                     5.5         0809 AM  43.83N 91.23W
HOLMEN 2S                     4.7         0800 AM
LA CROSSE WFO                 4.3         0700 AM  43.82N 91.19W
HOLMEN                        3.0         0700 AM  43.97N 91.27W

...MONROE COUNTY...
WILTON                        7.0         0733 AM 43.82N 90.53W
TUNNEL CITY 1S                5.3         0700 AM  44.01N 90.57W
WARRENS 5WSW                  5.1         0700 AM  44.10N 90.59W
FOUR CORNERS                  4.0         0700 AM  44.07N 90.92W
SPARTA                        3.7         0700 AM  43.94N 90.82W

...RICHLAND COUNTY...
RICHLAND CENTER 4W           12.5         1024 AM 43.33N 90.46W
ITHACA 2S                     9.0         0702 AM 43.33N 90.28W
GILLINGHAM                    8.5         1000 AM

...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
GALESVILLE 1S                 4.0         0700 AM  44.06N 91.36W
BLAIR                         4.0         0700 AM  44.29N 91.22W
ARCADIA                       4.0         0812 AM 44.25N 91.49W
INDEPENDENCE 3NE              3.0         0943 AM 44.39N 91.39W
GALESVILLE 2ENE               3.0         0842 AM 44.09N 91.31W
GALESVILLE                    2.5         0920 AM 44.08N 91.36W

...VERNON COUNTY...
LA FARGE                      7.0         0700 AM  43.57N 90.64W
VIROQUA                       5.7         0700 AM  43.55N 90.90W
STODDARD 2NE                  5.5         0806 AM 43.67N 91.2W
VIROQUA                       5.5         0553 AM 43.58N 90.88W
VIROQUA                       5.5         0852 AM 43.55N 90.89W
HILLSBORO                     5.3         0700 AM  43.65N 90.33W
DE SOTO                       5.0         0554 AM 43.43N 91.2W
WESTBY 3ENE                   4.9         0700 AM  43.68N 90.81W
STODDARD 3NE                  4.8         0653 AM 43.72N 91.17W

OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING
EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURE.  NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.