Winter Weather — Jefferson, Wisconsin

2010-12-20 to 2010-12-21 · Jefferson, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Light snow began falling late in the afternoon of Monday, December 20th and continued through the night into the morning of Tuesday, December 21st. Light freezing drizzle mixed in with the snow, creating a light glaze on untreated surfaces. Snowfall totals around 2 inches were recorded, with Fort Atkinson measuring 2.4 inches. A 40-year-old woman was killed and 3 others injured when her mini-van slid across a snow-covered county road and crashed into a truck. In addition, county officials reported 14 runoff accidents and 3 property damage accidents in the county due to the hazardous travel conditions.

Wider weather episode

Southern Wisconsin recorded accumulating snow in most areas as a warm front passed through the region under an upper-level disturbance. The combination of the warm front and upper disturbance provided the ingredients for snow on Monday, December 20th, with freezing drizzle moving over the area early Tuesday morning, December 21st. The snow began to fall in southwestern Wisconsin mid-day Monday and began a progression to the east and north through the rest of the day. The snow eventually moved into the counties along Lake Michigan late in the afternoon and lasted into early Tuesday morning. Patchy freezing drizzle mixed in with the light snow early Tuesday, with light accumulations of around a hundredth of an inch being reported in multiple areas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 275571. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.