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Category Archives: Seasons
When is the autumnal equinox?
This morning we officially entered fall as the autumnal equinox occurred at 2:50 a.m.
That means that today, in common with every location on Earth, we will enjoy exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Continue reading
Do storms impact Arctic sea ice?
As we head into the second half of August the days are noticeably shorter. That change is even more dramatic in the polar regions where the summer ice melt season is nearing its end.
This year’s melt has been particularly dramatic, with the Arctic sea-ice extent likely heading to its lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979. The previous low extent record was set in 2012. Continue reading
Has this been an unusually dreary spring?
With astrological summer set to begin on Friday morning at 10:54 a.m., it seems like a good time to consider the nature of this seemingly dreary and cold spring that we have just endured.
Almost no one will disagree that this year has had a memorably bad spring, not only locally but around the nation as widespread flooding has put elements of the agricultural sector well behind their normal schedules. Continue reading
Is there a windiest time of year in Madison?
Given our recent weather, and with the pollen season dawning in southern Wisconsin, one may wonder if there actually is a windiest time of year in Madison.
Of course, a windy day can come along just about any time of year (the record gust of 83 mph in Madison occurred in June 1975) but the climatology suggests that March and April are the windiest months of the year with average wind speeds of 11.3 and 11.4 mph, respectively. November through February are not far behind, logging a four-month average of 10.5 mph. Continue reading
Category: Climate, Seasons, Weather Dangers
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When does winter really end?
Last year’s 7 inches of snow on April 18 provided vivid evidence that, though early April often brings the first string of nice spring days to southern Wisconsin, we are not truly out of the woods until the end of the month.
Despite the possibility of such an outlier event, recent research at UW-Madison has considered the variability of the end of winter based purely on temperatures above the surface. Continue reading
