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Category Archives: Seasons
Is this a rainy summer?
For southern Wisconsin, this has been a rainy summer.
This August, the precipitation that fell over southern Wisconsin is about 200 percent of normal. Continue reading
Is another transition around the corner?
As we head into the second half of August a subtle transition in our weather begins to occur — one that is probably hard to detect at first but that eventually becomes very obvious and then lasts for approximately eight … Continue reading
What is a heat wave?
A heat wave is a period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and usually humid weather. The World Meteorological Organization is specific in its definition by stating that a heat wave is when the daily maximum temperature for more than five consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by 9 degrees.
Heat waves are caused by very hot, stagnant air masses. Regions that suffer under intense hot spells are usually dominated by a surface high-pressure system with a mid-tropospheric ridge aloft. Dew points are also high, and to compound matters, wind speeds are often low. Continue reading
What is the heat index?
The heat index indicates how hot it feels. It is expressed as a function of air temperature and the relative humidity.
The heat index temperature is for standing in the shade; when exposed to direct sunlight, the heat index value can be increased by up to 15 degrees. Continue reading
How do you measure how hot the summer is?
After experiencing our first 90-degree day of the season on Friday, many people are wondering what we might expect this summer.
It turns out that the number or 90-degree days each summer is extremely variable here in Madison. From 1971 to 2015, the average number of days at or above 90 in Madison was 10.96. This average, however, struggles to convey a sense of the variability. Continue reading
