National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Below are some Independence Day weather statistics for La Crosse, WI and Rochester, MN.

La Crosse, WI:

The following statistics comprises 139 years of data. From 1873 through 1950, the data came from various locations in downtown La Crosse. Since 1950, the data has been gathered at La Crosse Regional Airport.

The odds of having any precipitation at all on Independence Days are 48.9% (68 out of 139).  There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) on 56 Independence Days and trace amounts (less than 0.01") on 12 Independence Days.  Measurable rain has fallen on 3 of the last 5 Independence Days (2007 - 0.19", 2009 -0.02", and 2010 - 0.33").

During last year's Independence Day, the high temperature was 89 degrees, the low temperature was 62 degrees, and no precipitation fell.

Rochester, MN:

The following statistics comprises 125 years of data. From 1916 through 1931, the data came from several cooperative observers in the Rochester area. Since 1932, the data has been gathered at Rochester International Airport. No data was taken on Independence Day from 1889 to 1891 and from 1921 to 1928.

The odds of having any precipitation at all on Independence Days are 46.0% (46 out of 100).  There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) on 35 Independence Days and trace amounts (less than 0.01") on 11 Independence Days.  Measurable rain has fallen on the two of the last three Independence Days (2009 - 0.19" and 2010 - 0.27").

During last year's Independence Day, the high temperature was 84 degrees, the low temperature was 60 degrees, and no precipitation fell.

Independence Day Weather History

The following weather events affected southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and western Wisconsin on Independence Day:

• In 1901 - between two and four inches of rain fell from southeast Minnesota northeast into northern Lower Michigan and Upper Michigan. Some of the heaviest totals included: Neillsville, WI (3.80"), St. Charles, MN (3.43"), and.Caledonia, MN (3.10").
• In 1907 - Neillsville, WI received 3.50 inches of rain.
• In 1911 - much of the Upper Mississippi River Valley was in the midst of a heat wave that began on the July 1st and continued into July 5th. Osage, IA reached 103 F on Independence Day. This was their hottest temperature ever recorded. Other locations that reached 100 degrees on July 4th included:
  
  
  • In Western Wisconsin: La Crosse (100 F), Lancaster (100 F), Muscoda (101 F), and Viroqua (102 F)
  • In Southeast Minnesota: Grand Meadow (102 F)
  • In Northeast Iowa: Charles City (104 F), Decorah (104 F), Elkader (104 F), Elma (102 F), Fayette (103 F), Mason City (104 F), and New Hampton (104 F).
• In 1912 - Hatfield, WI received 3.50" inches of rain.
• In 1967 - Decorah, IA (41), Elkader, IA (46), and Genoa, WI (46) recorded their coldest July temperature.
• In 1972 - Blair, WI (36) and Jump River, WI (27) had their coldest July temperature. Also, Jump River has the coldest temperature ever recorded in July for Wisconsin.
• In 1994 - a series of squall lines with severe thunderstorms produced five tornadoes and violent wind gusts to 77 mph. A tornado set down in Dickeyville (Grant County) and traveled three miles damaging five homes, two sheds, and two farms. Damage was about $200,000. A small tornado caused $100,000 damage to a house, two outbuildings and nine cars just southeast of Woodford (Lafayette County). A tornado skipped along an eight mile path starting two miles northwest of Prairie du Sac (Sauk County), moving northeast along Highway 78, crossing the Wisconsin River into Columbia County along Highway 188, then crossed back into Sauk County at Highway 113 and entered Merrimac. Damage was estimated at $760,000 to 60 homes in Merrimac, and to a fertilizer plant and Dairy Forage Center in Prairie du Sac. Tornadoes briefly touched down but caused no damage four miles west of Fremont (Waupaca County) and 1.5 miles north of Oregon (Dane County). The intense winds knocked down numerous trees and power lines and caused other property damage mainly to sheds and outbuildings.