Dense Fog — Outagamie, Wisconsin

2010-03-05 · Outagamie, Wisconsin

Event narrative

A series of vehicle accidents occurred in a patch of dense fog on northbound U.S. Highway 41 near Kaukauna. Law enforcement officers estimated that the visibility there was only about 20 feet. One series of accidents occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and involved 31 vehicles and another involved 7 vehicles. The accidents resulted in one serious injury and fourteen minor injuries (indirect), but there were no fatalities. The northbound lanes of the highway were shutdown and did not reopen until 2:45 p.m.

Wider weather episode

A broad area of high pressure persisted over northeast Wisconsin. Temperatures in the lower to middle 30's on March 4th caused snow to melt, adding moisture to the atmosphere. Patchy fog developed overnight as temperatures cooled and persisted into the morning hours of March 5th.

A series of vehicle accidents occurred in a patch of dense fog on northbound U.S. Highway 41 near Kaukauna. Law enforcement officers estimated that the visibility there was only about 20 feet. One series of accidents occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and involved 31 vehicles and another involved 7 vehicles. The accidents resulted in one serious injury and fourteen minor injuries (indirect), but there were no fatalities. The northbound lanes of the highway were shutdown and did not reopen until 2:45 p.m.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 210017. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.