Dense Fog — Allamakee, Iowa

2013-01-11 · Allamakee, Iowa

Event narrative

At least nine people were injured in separate accidents across the county. The accidents either occurred in dense fog when the visibility was a quarter of a mile or less or on icy roads. The icy conditions were created by the fog with temperatures below freezing or when recent snow melt refroze. The automated weather observing equipment at the Decorah airport reported a visibility of a mile or less from around midnight through almost the entire afternoon.

Wider weather episode

At least nine people were injured in vehicle accidents across Allamakee County that occurred in dense fog on January 11th. Two people were injured in a two vehicle crash in Waukon when the driver of the first vehicle pulled into the path of the second vehicle, which they did not see because of the dense fog. A glaze of ice was also present on some roads where the fog occurred with temperatures below freezing or where recent snow melt refroze. These icy conditions caused a school bus to slide through an intersection and down an embankment injuring 7 people. One of the students injuries were severe enough to require being transferred to a larger hospital for further treatment. Numerous other minor accidents also occurred across the county. The automated weather reporting equipment at the Decorah airport reported a visibility of a mile or less in fog from around midnight January 11 until late in the afternoon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 427446. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.