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Tag Archives: Autumn
Are there fall weather changes beyond turning leaves and falling temperatures?
As we head into the second half of August a subtle transition in our weather begins to occur — a transition that is probably hard to detect at first but that eventually becomes very obvious and then lasts for approximately eight months.
We are not talking about the gradual reduction in daytime high temperatures or the increasingly cooler to cold nights, though these are also beginning to invade. Instead, we are talking about the nature of the storms that deliver our precipitation. Continue reading
Does the warm winter mean a warm spring and summer?
We have continued to enjoy temperatures well above normal through most of February 2012, making this year’s Dec. 1–Feb. 20 the fifth-warmest on record with an average temperature of 28.3F in Madison. Barring an exceptionally warm last week of the month (which does not appear likely), that is where we will end up — the fifth-warmest winter (defined as December, January, February) of all time in Madison. Continue reading
How often do the ‘gales of November’ come early?
Some historic storms have occurred around Veterans Day (formally known as Armistice Day). Friday marks the centennial of a winter storm that blew across the Midwest on “11-11-11.” Continue reading
What is typical Halloween weather?
We tend to remember those Halloweens with bad weather. Slogging through rain or snow in costumes with trick-or-treat bags is tough. But according to Dr. Ed Hopkins of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, in the last 30 years (1981-2010), Madison has had only 10 Halloween days when measurable precipitation (0.01 inches or greater) fell, which translates to a probability of 33 percent that rain falls on that date. Halloween 1985 was memorable in Madison for its 1.05 inches of rain. The most precipitation for Oct. 31 was 1.21 inches in 1960. Continue reading
How common is beautiful, sunny October?
After a fairly dreary end of September, October has dawned with some gorgeous fall weather in our area. In fact, it appears as though we will rack up 11 straight days of not even a trace of precipitation in Madison to begin October 2011. One might wonder how common such a long string of rain-free, sunny days is in a Madison October. A very limited look back into the recent past suggests it is not at all common. Continue reading
