Author Archives: Weather Guys Editor

How does weather variability affect our economy?

Weather has a big impact on our economy at all levels — local, state and national. In our local economy, weather influences various business decisions, such as when to plant or harvest, when to pour concrete or shingle a roof in construction projects, or in predicting peak demand for electricity or gas for home heating. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology
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Does sound travel better in fog?

No. Sound is a sequence of pressure waves that propagate through a compressible medium, such as air or water. Sound has to move molecules in order to travel. Sound is transmitted from a source to the surrounding molecules, which vibrate or collide and pass the sound energy along until it eventually reaches our ears. The closer the molecules are to each other, the farther the sound can travel. This is why sound travels farther through water than it does through air and why it is impossible for sound to move through space. Continue reading

Category: Phenomena
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What are those rolls of snow in a farm field?

Those cylinder-shaped masses of rolled-up snow are called “snow rollers.” Some appeared after the pre-Christmas storm, but they are uncommon in the Midwest. (The last time someone told us they saw snow rollers was in February 2003.) While they may look like someone was rolling snow to make a snowman, you won’t see any footprints in the snow as these rolls form naturally. Continue reading

Category: Phenomena
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How did you like that winter storm?

We loved it!

It’s not often that all-time records for high temperature and 24 hour snowfall are set in the same winter month but we made a run at it this past week. Madison’s all-time record for greatest 24 hour snowfall was on Dec. 2-3, 1990, when 17.3 inches of snow fell. The official amount of snowfall on Thursday was 15.2 inches of snow, although weather enthusiasts in the area measured more than a foot and a half of snowfall. Continue reading

Category: Seasons
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How long has Milwaukee gone without snow?

By Sunday, Dec. 9, Milwaukee had gone 280 consecutive days without measurable snowfall (defined as 0.1 inches or more of snow). That set the all-time record long streak for no snow in Milwaukee’s weather history. By the time you read this article, the streak will have continued into its 288th day — an amazing way to approach the end of a truly unusual, and in many ways, unsettling year of weather in our state. Continue reading

Category: Climate
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