...THE METEOROLOGY OF WINTER WEATHER IN WISCONSIN...PART 5...
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...............DURING THE FALL AND WINTER.................
WE BEGIN TO SEE COLD POLAR AIR PUSHING FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE
COUNTRY DURING THE FALL SEASON. WEATHER SYSTEMS WHICH FORM ALONG
THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN COLD AIR TO THE NORTH AND WARM AIR TO THE SOUTH
OCCASIONALLY DEVELOP INTO MAJOR WINTER STORMS. WISCONSIN/S LOCATION
PLACES IT RIGHT IN THE PATH OF SOME OF WINTER/S WORST STORMS.
-SUCH STORMS ARE USUALLY LARGE AND INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS
COVERING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES.
...............WHERE WINTER STORMS DEVELOP.................
MAJOR WINTER STORMS THAT AFFECT WISCONSIN USUALLY DEVELOP HUNDREDS OR
THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM THE STATE...SOMETIMES AS FAR AWAY AS
JAPAN OR ASIA.
-THEY THEN MIGRATE ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ENTER THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES...CROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND
EVENTUALLY RE-DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL OR SOUTHERN GREAT
PLAINS. THE STORMS THEN TAKE AIM ON THE MIDWEST.
...............WINTER STORM PRECIPITATION..................
PRECIPITATION WITH MOST WINTER STORMS FALLS TO THE EAST AND NORTH OF
THE STORM/S CENTER. AS A RESULT...A STORM MOVING FROM THE PLAINS
INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS WILL KEEP WISCONSIN IN THE AREA OF GREATEST
PRECIPITATION FOR THE LONGEST PERIOD OF TIME.
-AS THE STORM MOVES EAST OF THE BADGER STATE... POLAR AIR
IS OFTEN DRAWN IN FROM CANADA. WIND AND COLD AIR FROM THE
NORTH SOMETIMES COMBINE TO CAUSE WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES TO
REACH 20 BELOW TO 50 BELOW ZERO.
-TYPICAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN A WINTER STORM USUALLY RANGE FROM
6 TO 12 INCHES. DURING SOME WINTERS...A POWERFUL STORM MAY
DEPOSIT AS MUCH AS 20 TO 30 INCHES OVer A 2-DAY PERIOD...WITH
DRIFTS OF 7 TO 12 FEET OR MORE.
-THE PRECIPITATION CAN ALSO REDUCE VISIBILITIES THAT MAKE IT
DIFFICULT FOR MOTORISTS TO SEE VEHICLES IN FRONT OF THEM.
..........INFLUENCE OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE SUPERIOR............
AS COLD AIR FLOWS OVER THE UNFROZEN WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR AND LAKE
MICHIGAN IT PICKS UP ADDITIONAL MOISTURE. THE RESULTANT LAKE-EFFECT
SNOW SHOWERS THAT CAN BE LOCALLY HEAVY...OFTEN FALLING AT THE RATE
OF 2 TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR. THE FAR NORTHERN WISCONSIN COUNTIES AND
THE EASTERN TIER OF COUNTIES ARE MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE LAKE-
EFFECT SNOWS.
-PARTS OF THE GOGEBIC RANGE IN IRON COUNTY FROM UPSON TO HURLEY
HAVE AN AVERAGE WINTER SNOWFALL OF 135 TO 165 INCHES.
-AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM...THE FAR SOUTHERN TIER OF
COUNTIES AVERAGE AROUND 40 INCHES EACH WINTER SEASON.
...............FREQUENCY AND TYPES OF WINTER STORM EVENTS............
ON AVERAGE...SOUTHERN WISCONSIN EXPERIENCES ABOUT TWO OR THREE
MAJOR WINTER EVENTS EACH WINTER...WHILE NORTHERN WISCONSIN AVERAGES
ABOUT 6 STORM EVENTS.
-THE EVENT COULD BE HEAVY SNOW...BLIZZARDS...ICE STORMS...HEAVY
SLEET...OR A COMBINATION OF EVERYTHING.
...............BEST MONTHS FOR WINTER STORMS.................
MAJOR WINTER EVENTS USUALLY OCCUR FROM MID-NOVEMBER THROUGH MID-
APRIL. HOWEVER...ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF WISCONSIN A WINTER STORM
IS POSSIBLE DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER...AND LATE APRIL INTO EARLY
MAY. JANUARY IS THE MOST FAVORED MONTH FOR THEIR OCCURRENCE ACROSS
THE STATE.
...............WISCONSIN SNOWFALL RECORDS....................
A SUMMARY OF WISCONSIN STATE SNOWFALL AND TEMPERATURE RECORDS
INCLUDE...
26.0 INCHES....GREATEST DAILY SNOWFALL...NEILLSVILLE/CLARK
CO. DEC 27 1904 AND PELL LAKE/WALWORTH CO.
FEB 2 2011
31.0 INCHES....GREATEST SINGLE STORM...SUPERIOR/DOUGLAS
CO. OCT 31 - NOV 3 1991
60.0 INCHES....DEEPEST SNOW ON GROUND...HURLEY/IRON CO.
JAN 30 1997
103.5 INCHES...GREATEST MONTHLY TOTAL...HURLEY/IRON CO.
JAN 1997
139.4 INCHES...GREATEST SEASONAL NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR THE
30-YEAR PERIOD OF 1971-2000...GURNEY/IRON CO.
174.4 INCHES...GREATEST SEASONAL NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR THE
22-YEAR PERIOD OF 1987-2009...HURLEY/IRON CO.
301.8 INCHES...GREATEST SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL...
HURLEY/IRON CO. 1996-97
-55F...........RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE FOR WISCONSIN NEAR
COUDERAY /SAWYER CO./ SET ON
FEBRUARY 2TH AND 4TH IN 1996.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WINTER WEATHER...VISIT...
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter
http://weather.gov/mke/?n-winter-wx-awareness
http://readywisconsin.wi.gov
http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov
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