Monthly Archives: March 2013

When will Spring arrive?

By two measures, spring has arrived. Astronomically, spring, or the vernal equinox, occurs around March 20 each year. It is defined as when the tilt of Earth’s axis is inclined neither toward nor away from the Sun. The moment that marks the beginning of spring is when the sun is directly overhead at the equator. This year that occurred on March 20, when the maximum temperature in Madison was only 21 degrees. Continue reading

Category: Seasons
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Just how snowy has it been these past six weeks?

It sure has been a snowy last few weeks. As of Jan. 1, 2013, Madison had officially received only 32.4 inches of snow — nearly half of which (15.2 inches) was delivered in our Dec. 19-20 snowstorm. However, since Feb. 1 we have accumulated 30.8 additional inches of snow (as of March 14). Continue reading

Category: Seasons
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How can it feel humid during a drought?

The drought that began in the spring of 2012 is actually an extension of the 2010 drought. The recent February storms have lessened the current drought, which covered 80 percent of the lower 48 states of the United States with at least abnormally dry conditions. The economic impact on the Midwest has been estimated to be more than $35 billion. Continue reading

Category: Climate
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