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Tag Archives: Climate
How cold has this winter been, historically?
Wednesday is the 62nd anniversary of the coldest day ever in Madison — Jan. 30, 1951 — when the temperature dropped to minus 37 F.
As we described in a column a couple of years ago, to get the air that desperately cold in Madison a healthy snow cover is necessary. This January, we had a warm spell near mid-month that effectively melted most of the snow remaining from our December snowstorm. Thus, even though last week’s cold was the worst of the season thus far, it was a lot less cold than it might have been had it occurred while we had a deep, fresh snow cover. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
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Tags Climate, Temperature, Winter
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How does weather variability affect our economy?
Weather has a big impact on our economy at all levels — local, state and national. In our local economy, weather influences various business decisions, such as when to plant or harvest, when to pour concrete or shingle a roof in construction projects, or in predicting peak demand for electricity or gas for home heating. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology
Tags Climate, Meteorology
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Tags Climate, Meteorology
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How long has Milwaukee gone without snow?
By Sunday, Dec. 9, Milwaukee had gone 280 consecutive days without measurable snowfall (defined as 0.1 inches or more of snow). That set the all-time record long streak for no snow in Milwaukee’s weather history. By the time you read this article, the streak will have continued into its 288th day — an amazing way to approach the end of a truly unusual, and in many ways, unsettling year of weather in our state. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Meteorology, Snow
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Tags Climate, Meteorology, Snow
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How did we set an all-time high temperature record under cloudy skies?
On Dec. 3 the high temperature of 65 degrees F was the all-time highest December temperature ever recorded in Madison. Among the interesting aspects of this record high was the fact that the entire day was cloudy so local sunshine had no role in achieving this record. This prompts an interesting question — what processes can contribute to changing the temperature at a location? Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Temperature
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Tags Climate, Temperature
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What are cooling degree days?
A degree day is a measure of heating or cooling. A degree day is defined as a departure of the mean daily temperature from a given standard: one degree day for each degree of departure above (or below) the base temperature during one day. The degree day is related to the outside temperature and is not related to time. Continue reading
Category: Climate
Tags Climate, Climate impacts, Temperature
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Tags Climate, Climate impacts, Temperature
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