Excerpts from Wisconsin’s Weather and Climate

Packerland AMS Meeting 16 September 2000

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Joe Moran

Univ. of Wisconsin Green Bay

Ed Hopkins

Univ. of Wisconsin Madison

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Did You Know That...

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The naturalist John Muir made weather observations at North Hall in the early 1860s?

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Eric Miller of the U.S. Weather Bureau Madison City Office had one of the earliest public weather broadcasts in the country from WHA (starting in 1920)?

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Wisconsin naturalist Increase A. Lapham (of Milwaukee) is often called the “father of the U.S. Weather Bureau” as he championed it 1870 creation?

Wisconsin State Climatology Office 2

Did You Know That...

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Hilda Goodrich of the Green Bay USWB office, was first woman to run a Weather Bureau Office (1943-1944)?

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Did You Know That...

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The first weather observations in Wisconsin were made by the post surgeons at Army Forts in the 1820s? These observations were at Fort Howard (Green Bay), Fort Crawford (Prairie du Chien) and Fort Winnebago (Portage)?

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Did You Know That...

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More than 200 official observation stations currently collect temperature and precipitation data across Wisconsin on a daily basis?

Jacob Lups and his daughter Johana made nearly continuous daily weather observations at Manitowoc between 1851 & 1933?

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Did You Know That...

The highest temperature recorded in

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Wisconsin was 114 °F at Wisconsin Dells on 13 July 1936?

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Madison was 107 °F at North Hall on 14 July 1936 ?

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The lowest temperature recorded in

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Wisconsin was -55 °F near Couderay on 4 February 1996?

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Madison was -37 °F at Truax Field 30 Jan 1951?

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History of Madison Weather Observations

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The Early Era:

– 1850s and 1860s: Observations by Professors

J. Sterling and S. Carpenter at North Hall and University Hall.

– 1878-1883: Observations on Capitol Square by

U.S. Army Signal Service.

– 1883-1904: Observations by UW

Astronomy Dept. at Washburn Observatory.

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History of Madison Weather Observations

(con’t.)

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The Modern Era

– 1904-1963: Observations on roof of North Hall by

U.S. Weather Bureau.

– 1940-Present: Observations at Dane County

Regional Airport (formerly Truax Field) by U.S. Weather Bureau, now known as National Weather Service.

[Note: Official climate record for Madison switched from North Hall to Airport about 1948]

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Increase Lapham

• Epilogue – KEC-60 transmitter at Lapham Peak State Park.

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Increase Lapham

• First Official Forecasted Storm Warning (issued 8 Nov 1870)

"High wind all day yesterday at Cheyenne and Omaha; a very high wind this morning at Omaha; barometer falling with high winds at Chicago and Milwaukee today; barometer falling and thermometer rising at Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester; high winds probable along the Lakes."

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• At 7:35 a.m., November 1St, 1870, simultaneous weather observations were taken at 24 locations and telegraphed to several cities, bringing a national weather service, called the Division of Telegrams and Reports, into being for the benefit of commerce.

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Increase Lapham

• 1811-1875 • Also State Geologist (1873-75) • Helped found – Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters – State Historical Society – Milwaukee Female Seminar (Downer College) Wisconsin State Climatology Office 13

Increase Lapham

• [Act of Feb. 9, 1870, Sess. II, Res. 12, 16 Stat. 369 (1870)] • FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS. SESS. II. RES. 8, 12, 13, 15, 16. 1870. 569 • [No. 12.] Joint Resolution to authorize the Secretary of War to provide for taking meteorological Observations at the military Stations and other Points in the Interior of the Continent, and for giving Notice on the northern Lakes and Seaboard of the Approach and Force of Storms.

• • Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, authorized and required to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent, and at other points in the States and Territories of the United States, and for giving notice on the northern lakes and on the sea-coast, by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms. APPROVED, February 9, 1870.

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Increase Lapham

• To General Halbert E. Paine, Congressman for Milwaukee. In one letter Lapham asked if it were not "...the duty of the Government to see whether anything can be done to prevent, at least, some portion of this sad loss in the future...?" Wisconsin State Climatology Office 15

The Forts

• Where/Why/When • Picture of Ft. Howard • Orders from Tilton • Instruments/Instructions • Data Compilation/Distribution Wisconsin State Climatology Office 16

Glacial Climates of Wisconsin

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Weather and the Peshtigo Fire

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