Though it isn’t unprecedented to get another day above 90 degrees this late in the year (the all-time latest such day in Madison’s history is Oct. 14, 1975), it is very likely our run at the record of 90-degree days in a season will end at 39 — agonizingly one day shy of the record 40 set in 1955.
Looking back, it was the lack of really warm days in August (only seven days over 90) and thus far in September (only two) that foiled our pursuit of the record. September 1955 had five such days with the 40th day at or above 90 that season occurring on Sept. 18.
The weather was very interesting in the week preceding that record-setting warm day. On Sept. 9, 1955, the high temperature was 97 and yet the low temperature just two nights later was a chilly 34. The very next night (Sept. 12) the low temperature dropped to 31 but did not go below freezing again until the night of Oct. 18.
So far this season (as of Sept. 20), we have not had an overnight low temperature below freezing. It appears this summer, incredibly warm as it was, will come up just short of a rather formidable record.
