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Category Archives: Seasons
When is the autumnal equinox?
On Wednesday morning, we will officially enter fall as the autumnal equinox occurs at 3:20 a.m.
On Wednesday, in common with every location on Earth, we will enjoy exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.
Of course, 12 hours of daylight in Madison (latitude 43N) is substantially different from 12 hours of daylight at the North Pole (latitude 90N) where the sun will barely be visible above the horizon for the 12 hours of “daylight.” On the very next day, the sun will not appear above the horizon at the Pole and will not come back for six months. As the days march on, the same fate will gradually overtake other latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere until by Dec. 21, the sun will not rise even at 66.5N. Continue reading
When does the first freeze occur in fall?
The cooldown that we enjoyed over the weekend, after the prolonged warm and humid spell that began September, got us thinking about the inevitable first morning with a temperature below 32 degrees.
We are less than two weeks away from the autumnal equinox, the last day until late March on which the day is at least as long as the night. Continue reading
How was our summer weather?
The average global temperature of July set highs — it was the warmest month on record since record keeping began in 1880.
The observed ocean surface temperature was the highest for any month in the 1880-2015 record period. The average temperatures over land were also above the average for the 20th century, ranking as the sixth-warmest July since 1880. Continue reading
What caused the recent weather extremes?
The National Weather Service in Milwaukee confirms that three separate tornadoes occurred in our state on Tuesday.
EF-1 tornadoes, with winds estimated at up to 110 mph, struck Lake Geneva and a location just outside of Big Bend. An EF-0 tornado, with winds estimated at up to 80 mph, struck southwest Waukesha. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Seasons, Severe Weather
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What is the hydrologic cycle?
Sitting nearly in the middle of the vast North American continent, Madison has what is known as a continental climate.
Continental climates are characterized by large annual extremes in temperature and humidity as well as very distinct seasons. The continental nature of Madison’s climate is what makes a year’s worth of weather in Madison usually a lot more varied than a year’s worth in Seattle, for instance. Continue reading
