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Category Archives: Climate
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
How do citrus farmers battle the cold?
Last week was one of the coldest of the season in the southeast United States. Though not as bad as prior cold air outbreaks in late January or early February, such events have been known to present a substantial threat to the citrus industry in Florida. The problem is that when the temperature gets below freezing, the fruit itself can freeze rendering it substantially less valuable to the market. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Climate impacts, Cold, Meteorology, Winter
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Tags Climate, Climate impacts, Cold, Meteorology, Winter
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How are climates classified?
There are a few ways to classify climates. The plant hardiness zones often published with seed packages are one way to group climates. That approach is based on minimum wintertime temperatures but is limited in its usefulness because a good climate map should include reference to more than one weather variable. Continue reading
How cold has this winter been, historically?
Wednesday is the 62nd anniversary of the coldest day ever in Madison — Jan. 30, 1951 — when the temperature dropped to minus 37 F.
As we described in a column a couple of years ago, to get the air that desperately cold in Madison a healthy snow cover is necessary. This January, we had a warm spell near mid-month that effectively melted most of the snow remaining from our December snowstorm. Thus, even though last week’s cold was the worst of the season thus far, it was a lot less cold than it might have been had it occurred while we had a deep, fresh snow cover. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
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Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
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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
Tags Climate, Meteorology, Snow
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Tags Climate, Meteorology, Snow
Comments Off on How long has Milwaukee gone without snow?
