Winter Weather — Sauk, Wisconsin

2011-01-17 · Sauk, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Snowfall totals over a near 18-hour period ranged from 3 to 5 inches, with winds gusting to 30 mph at times reducing visibilities to under a mile in blowing and drifting snow. A semi-trailer truck slid off the Interstate 90-94 bridge over Mirror Lake. The driver was killed and a passenger was critically injured in the accident. A coop observer near La Valle measured 5.0 inches of snow.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure, driven by a vorticity maximum that moved across central and southern sections of Wisconsin, tracked across northern Illinois. Snow began falling early in the morning of the 17th with warm air advection ahead of the system, and continued through the day as the system moved through. Snow totals of 3 to 6 inches were widespread across South Central and Southeast Wisconsin, with a few locations receiving more than 6 inches of snow over the nearly 18-hour event. Winds of 10 to 20 mph, with gusts to 30 mph, reduced visibilities with blowing and drifting snow. Numerous accidents were reported across southern Wisconsin. A semi-trailer truck slid off the Interstate 90-94 bridge over Mirror Lake, killing (indirectly-related) the driver and critically injuring (indirectly-related) a passenger. The accident closed westbound lanes of the interstate for a time, with traffic reduced to one lane for days afterward until authorities could examine damage to the bridge and deem it safe for regular traffic flow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 277539. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.