Lake Koshkonong Weather
Wisconsin on track to break heat record
You can put those mittens away - at least for now
Booked a holiday vacation somewhere warm like Hawaii or Florida? Might as well stay right here.
Wisconsin is on pace to break the hottest year on record, and the long-range forecast for December, at least for the first few weeks, likely will mean snowplow drivers in southern Wisconsin will have lots of time on their mittened hands. Actually, mittens probably won't be needed either, according to the National Weather Service.
By Saturday, a low pressure system is expected to track north of Wisconsin and usher in warm winds from the south with temperatures forecast in the high 40s, though the mercury could inch into the 50s, said Mark Gehring, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan.
"On the heels of that low pressure will be another area of low pressure moving east across southern Canada, which is well north of us, so we should get another round of mild, southerly winds in the first week of December," Gehring said Sunday.
The Climate Prediction Center's eight- to 14-day outlook calls for a high probability of above normal temperatures and an increased chance for above normal precipitation in southern Wisconsin.
"It would be nice if it did because we do need the rain," Gehring said.
For Dec. 1, Milwaukee averages a high of 38 and low of 25; in Madison, it's 36 and 21 degrees. The record high temperatures for that day are 63 in Milwaukee and 62 degrees in Madison, both set in 1970.
It's way too early to predict whether southern Wisconsin will have a white Christmas. But there's been nary a snowflake yet in these parts - good news for those who haven't dug out snow shovels and windshield scrapers yet, bad news for skiers, skaters and anyone who actually likes winter in Wisconsin.
Madison had only one day of measurable snow so far this season - 0.1 inch on election day, the minimum required. Milwaukee has had only trace amounts of snow.
Neither city is even close to breaking the record for latest measurable snow. That occurred on Dec. 26, 1888, when 0.1 inch fell; in Madison, it was even later - Jan. 1, 1914 - when 0.3 inch dropped.
And for weather nerds, here's another fascinating statistic: Through Sunday, Milwaukee had gone 266 days between measurable snows, with the last falling in early March. That's third place for the number of days between measurable snows, with first place grabbed in 1999 when 279 days between measurable snows ended on Dec. 13 that year. In 1908, there were 278 days between measurable snows.
"Looking at our forecast, we've got a great shot at breaking that record," said Gehring.
Eclipsing the hottest year record is no surprise considering the mild winter, super warm March and blisteringly hot and dry summer.
Through Nov. 24, the average temperature in Milwaukee was 54 degrees; 53.8 degrees for Madison. The current record-holding year is 1931. Through Nov. 24 of that year, the average temperature in Madison was 53.1 degrees and 53.8 degrees in Milwaukee.
"The jet stream is always the biggest key. It spent much of the year to our north, so that's going to keep you warm," Gehring said. "The drought also contributed. When you don't have moist soil conditions, the sunshine will push temperatures hotter, which is why we got up to 100 degrees this year."
Wisconsin is on pace to break the hottest year on record, and the long-range forecast for December, at least for the first few weeks, likely will mean snowplow drivers in southern Wisconsin will have lots of time on their mittened hands. Actually, mittens probably won't be needed either, according to the National Weather Service.
By Saturday, a low pressure system is expected to track north of Wisconsin and usher in warm winds from the south with temperatures forecast in the high 40s, though the mercury could inch into the 50s, said Mark Gehring, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan.
"On the heels of that low pressure will be another area of low pressure moving east across southern Canada, which is well north of us, so we should get another round of mild, southerly winds in the first week of December," Gehring said Sunday.
The Climate Prediction Center's eight- to 14-day outlook calls for a high probability of above normal temperatures and an increased chance for above normal precipitation in southern Wisconsin.
"It would be nice if it did because we do need the rain," Gehring said.
For Dec. 1, Milwaukee averages a high of 38 and low of 25; in Madison, it's 36 and 21 degrees. The record high temperatures for that day are 63 in Milwaukee and 62 degrees in Madison, both set in 1970.
It's way too early to predict whether southern Wisconsin will have a white Christmas. But there's been nary a snowflake yet in these parts - good news for those who haven't dug out snow shovels and windshield scrapers yet, bad news for skiers, skaters and anyone who actually likes winter in Wisconsin.
Madison had only one day of measurable snow so far this season - 0.1 inch on election day, the minimum required. Milwaukee has had only trace amounts of snow.
Neither city is even close to breaking the record for latest measurable snow. That occurred on Dec. 26, 1888, when 0.1 inch fell; in Madison, it was even later - Jan. 1, 1914 - when 0.3 inch dropped.
And for weather nerds, here's another fascinating statistic: Through Sunday, Milwaukee had gone 266 days between measurable snows, with the last falling in early March. That's third place for the number of days between measurable snows, with first place grabbed in 1999 when 279 days between measurable snows ended on Dec. 13 that year. In 1908, there were 278 days between measurable snows.
"Looking at our forecast, we've got a great shot at breaking that record," said Gehring.
Eclipsing the hottest year record is no surprise considering the mild winter, super warm March and blisteringly hot and dry summer.
Through Nov. 24, the average temperature in Milwaukee was 54 degrees; 53.8 degrees for Madison. The current record-holding year is 1931. Through Nov. 24 of that year, the average temperature in Madison was 53.1 degrees and 53.8 degrees in Milwaukee.
"The jet stream is always the biggest key. It spent much of the year to our north, so that's going to keep you warm," Gehring said. "The drought also contributed. When you don't have moist soil conditions, the sunshine will push temperatures hotter, which is why we got up to 100 degrees this year."
Labels: Weather
posted by Slide @ 7:31 AM
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