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Category Archives: Climate
Is Dane County wind affected by Lake Superior ice?
A reader wondered whether his perception that it has become windier in southern Wisconsin over the past couple of decades has anything to do with the shorter Lake Superior ice season during the same time. Continue reading
How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
With another wave of dangerous heat upon us, it is of interest to consider how the last heat wave rates alongside other memorable heat waves. First of all, each day from July 4-6, Madison’s high temperature was more than 100 degrees with the 104 on July 5 ranking as third highest of all time. Moreover, we set record high temperatures for five consecutive days from July 2-6. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Dangers, Heat, Heat index, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
Tags Climate, Dangers, Heat, Heat index, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on How does our recent heat wave stack up against past events?
When was the last time we had a colder-than-normal month?
With our mild winter, incredibly warm March, and reasonably warm May coming in sequence, it seems as if it has been a long time since Madison experienced a below-normal month. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Temperature
Comments Off on When was the last time we had a colder-than-normal month?
Tags Climate, Temperature
Comments Off on When was the last time we had a colder-than-normal month?
Will May’s weather continue to be pleasant?
As we head from early to late spring during the month of May, there are a number of ways to measure this progress. One way is to consider how often we experience a temperature 90 degrees during May. The last time Madison reached 90 degrees in May was just two years ago — on May 24, 2010. This is a relatively rare occurrence, however, as Madison has reached 90 degrees in May only 10 times since 1971 (once each in 2006, 1991, and 1988; twice each in 1978 and 1977 and three times in 1975). Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Spring, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on Will May’s weather continue to be pleasant?
Tags Climate, Spring, Summer, Temperature
Comments Off on Will May’s weather continue to be pleasant?
How long is the solar cycle?
Since the invention of the telescope in the 1600s, observers have recorded variations in the numbers of dark spots, or sunspots, on the sun’s surface. Observations show that the sun exhibits a periodic change in the number of sunspots that normally follow a regular cycle with peaks 11 years apart. Continue reading
