PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
705 PM CST MON JAN 3 2000
...A LOOK BACK AT 1999 FOR LA CROSSE...
***5TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD***
TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION
MONTH HIGH LOW AVE DEPARTURE TOTAL DEPARTURE SNOW
JAN 22.9 5.8 14.3 -0.1 2.84 +1.91 31.9
FEB 39.4 22.6 31.0 +11.1 0.78 -0.12 3.3
MAR 48.2 25.7 37.0 +4.2 0.61 -1.35 5.3
APR 61.8 41.4 51.6 +3.9 6.02 +3.14 T
MAY 73.8 52.1 63.0 +3.5 4.32 +1.06 0.0
JUN 81.3 59.5 70.4 +1.9 2.43 -1.47 -
JUL 87.3 67.3 77.3 +3.8 8.42 +4.63 -
AUG 79.9 60.4 70.2 -0.6 2.19 -1.73 -
SEP 72.9 50.7 61.8 0.0 2.39 -1.40 -
OCT 61.5 38.3 49.9 -0.3 1.43 -0.77 0.3
NOV 53.6 32.4 43.0 +7.4 1.50 +0.23 0.0
DEC 35.2 19.2 27.2 +6.9 0.65 -0.62 4.9
TOTALS 59.8 39.6 49.7 +3.3 33.58 +2.72 45.7
******************************RECORDS*******************************
TEMPERATURE...
HIGHS: 98 ON JULY 29TH
100 ON JULY 30TH
74 ON NOVEMBER 8TH
75 ON NOVEMBER 9TH
73 ON NOVEMBER 13TH
53 ON DECEMBER 29TH
HIGHEST LOWS: 33 ON FEBRUARY 1ST...TIED RECORD
34 ON FEBRUARY 2ND
54 ON MARCH 31ST
80 ON JULY 4TH
50 ON NOVEMBER 9TH
LOWEST HIGH: 44 ON OCTOBER 3RD
MONTHLY: 8TH WARMEST FEBRUARY AT 31.0 DEGREES
8TH WARMEST JULY AT 77.3 DEGREES
2ND WARMEST NOVEMBER AT 43.0 DEGREES
YEARLY: 5TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT 49.7 DEGREES
PRECIPITATION...
ONE-DAY PCPN: 0.57 ON JANUARY 2ND
1.60 ON APRIL 22ND
ONE-DAY SNOWFALL: 7.3 ON JANUARY 2ND
4.5 ON JANUARY 14TH
8.0 ON JANUARY 24TH
MONTHLY PCPN: 5TH WETTEST JANUARY WITH 2.84 INCHES
6TH WETTEST APRIL WITH 6.02 INCHES
8TH WETTEST JULY WITH 8.42 INCHES
3RD DRIEST MARCH WITH 0.61 INCHES
NO SNOW FELL THIS PAST NOVEMBER...MAKING IT THE ONLY NOVEMBER ON RECORD
WITHOUT ANY SNOWFALL.
FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW...LA CROSSE SET A YEARLY TEMPERATURE
RECORD...FINISHING AS THE 5TH WARMEST AT 49.7 DEGREES. THIS ALSO MARKS
THE THIRD TIME IN THE 1990/S IN WHICH THE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE FOR A YEAR
FELL AMONG THE ALL-TIME WARMEST. THE ONLY OTHER COMPARABLE PERIOD WERE
THE LATE 1930/S WHEN 1938...1939...AND THEN 1941 ALL FINISHED IN THE
TOP TEN FOR WARMEST YEARS.
***********************************************************************
JANUARY GAVE NO INDICATION OF THE WARM YEAR THAT WAS AHEAD...WITH
TEMPERATURES RIGHT AT NORMAL. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL
THOUGH...WITH OVER 30 INCHES OF SNOW DROPPING ON THE LA CROSSE AREA.
THERE WERE ONLY TWO SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENTS...WITH 7.3 INCHES FALLING
ON THE 2ND AND 8 INCHES FALLING ON THE 25TH. THE REST OF THE SNOW WAS
SPREAD OUT OVER 16 OTHER DAYS...WITH VARIOUS SMALL AMOUNTS. IN FACT...
JANUARY USUALLY AVERAGES A BIT UNDER 9 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION (RAIN OR SNOW). THIS PAST JANUARY THERE WERE 18 SUCH
DAYS!
FEBRUARY SERVED AS A HARBINGER OF THE WARMTH TO COME...FINISHING 11
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL! STILL...THIS ONLY MADE IT THE 8TH WARMEST
FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE SNOWS ALSO ENDED...AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT DUE TO
THE WARMTH...WITH A LITTLE OVER 3 INCHES FALLING FOR THE MONTH. THE
AVERAGE IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT. ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THIS
PAST FEBRUARY IS THE LACK OF SUBZERO TEMPERATURES. IN AN AVERAGE
FEBRUARY THIS WOULD HAPPEN ABOUT 8 TIMES. IN FACT...LOW TEMPERATURES
NEVER EVEN DROPPED BELOW 10 DEGREES.
MARCH CONTINUED THE DRY AND WARM TREND...WITH THE FIRST 70 DEGREE DAY
OF THE YEAR ON THE 30TH. ALSO OF SIGNIFICANCE TEMPERATURE-WISE WAS THE
EARLIEST LAST FREEZE ON RECORD. MARCH 27TH 1999 NOW HOLDS THAT TITLE.
NEARLY ALL THE MONTHLY SNOWFALL CAN BE ACCOUNTED FOR BY ONE
STORM...WHICH BLANKETED LA CROSSE IN 4.9 INCHES ON THE 8TH-9TH. THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THIS MONTH WAS THE EXTENDED DRY SPELL...WITH 18
CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT ANY PRECIPITATION. THIS TIED THE SECOND
LONGEST DRY SPELL ON RECORD FOR LA CROSSE. THE DRIEST SPELL IS 24
CONSECUTIVE DAYS BACK IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 1953.
APRIL AND MAY BROUGHT MORE UNSEASONABLE WARMTH...BUT A LOT MORE
PRECIPITATION. THE "APRIL SHOWERS" FELL MOSTLY IN ONE-QUARTER TO
ONE-HALF INCH AMOUNTS...WITH ONLY A COUPLE INCH OR MORE EVENTS. UNLIKE
APRIL THOUGH...TWO-THIRDS OF MAY/S MONTHLY TOTAL CAME AS THE RESULT OF
THREE EVENTS. MAY ALSO BROUGHT THE AREA THE FIRST 80 DEGREE READING OF
THE YEAR...TOPPING OUT AT 82 ON THE 3RD. AND EVEN THOUGH THE AVERAGE
HIGH FOR EARLY MAY IS IN THE UPPER 60S...LA CROSSE USUALLY HAS ITS
FIRST 80 DEGREE DAY RIGHT AROUND THEN.
JUNE GOT THE "SUMMER" MONTHS OFF TO A COOL START INITIALLY...BUT THEN
TURNED THE THERMOSTAT BACK UP WITH THE FIRST 90 DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR
ON THE 5TH. EXCLUDING A BRIEF COOL DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH...
IT STAYED ABOVE NORMAL FOR MOST OF THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION WAS DOWN IN
JUNE THOUGH...NEARLY 1 1/2 INCHES. BUT CONSIDERING THE OVER ABUNDANCE OF
RAIN AND SNOW THAT HAD OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE YEAR...
THIS ONLY PUT A SMALL DENT IN THE SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR.
JULY WOULD REALLY ADD TO THE WET YEARLY CONDITIONS...DUMPING ALMOST 8
1/2 INCHES! THE AMAZING THING ABOUT ALL THE RAIN WAS THAT THE MONTHLY
TOTAL WAS A RESULT OF SEVERAL DAYS OF ONE-HALF TO AN INCH AMOUNTS...
RATHER THEN ONE OR TWO LARGE EVENTS. THERE WAS ONLY ONE "BIG" RAIN EVENT
...WHICH WAS ON THE 8TH WHEN 2.26 INCHES FELL. TEMPERATURES MANAGED TO
STAY THE COURSE OF PERSISTENT WARMTH...WITH 13 DAYS OF 90 DEGREE OR
GREATER HEAT.
AUGUST ROUNDED OUT THE SUMMER WITH COOLER...BUT MORE SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES. THERE WERE NO BIG TEMPERATURE SWINGS...WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM A HIGH OF 88 DEGREES TO A LOW OF 71. DRIER
CONDITIONS ALSO WERE THE RULE FOR THE MONTH...WHICH WAS 1 3/4 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL.
THE DRY TREND WOULD CONTINUE FOR SEPTEMBER AS THE MONTHLY TOTAL FELL
ALMOST 1 1/2 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. AND AFTER STARTING OUT VERY WARM...
WITH 90 DEGREE WEATHER FOR 3 OUT OF THE FIRST 4 DAYS...TEMPERATURES
WOULD COOL DOWN TO AT OR BELOW SEASONABLE NORMALS FOR THE REST OF THE
MONTH.
APPARENTLY MOTHER NATURE WAS TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR A VERY WET
FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR BY MAKING IT VERY DRY FOR THE LAST HALF. OCTOBER
WAS THE THIRD MONTH IN A ROW WITH BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION...BUT ALSO
SET ONE INTERESTING RECORD. THE EARLIEST FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL ON
RECORD FOR LA CROSSE OCCURRED THIS PAST OCTOBER 1ST...WITH 0.3 INCHES
FALLING. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS EARLIEST MARK SET ON OCTOBER 13TH
1959. DAILY SNOWFALL RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1948. TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO
FREEZING ON THE 3RD...WHICH WAS JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE AVERAGE
FIRST FREEZE...WHICH IS OCTOBER 9TH.
THE WARMTH RETURNED FOR NOVEMBER WITH A WEATHER PATTERN MORE TYPICAL OF
EARLY FALL RATHER THEN THE TRANSITION INTO WINTER. NOVEMBER WAS ALSO
VERY DRY...EVEN THOUGH IT DID FINISH ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH.
MEASURABLE RAIN ONLY FELL ON 4 DAYS...BUT ONE OF THOSE EVENTS ACCOUNTED
FOR 95% OF THE MONTHLY TOTAL. THAT WAS ON THE 23RD WHEN 1.42 INCHES OF
RAIN FELL. BY MONTH/S END THE WEATHER PATTERN HAD SWITCHED TO A MORE
SEASONABLE PATTERN...AND TEMPERATURES COOLED DOWN TO REFLECT THAT. THE
MOST INTERESTING AND SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT OF NOVEMBER WASN/T WHAT
HAPPENED...BUT WHAT DIDN/T HAPPEN. THIS PAST NOVEMBER MARKED THE FIRST
TIME ON RECORD...WITH MONTHLY SNOWFALL RECORDS DATING BACK TO 1893...
THAT THERE WAS NOT AT LEAST A TRACE OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH.
DECEMBER ROUNDED OUT THE YEAR ON A RELATIVELY MILD NOTE...WITH THE ONLY
BOUT OF COLD WEATHER COMING RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. IN FACT...HIGH
TEMPERATURES STAYED ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK UNTIL 16TH. THERE WASN/T
MUCH SNOW EITHER...BUT MUCH OF WHAT DID FALL CAME AROUND THE CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAY.
*****************************************************************
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR 1999....... 100 ON JULY 30TH
LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR 1999........ -17 ON JANUARY 9TH
HIGHEST ONE-DAY PRECIPITATION...... 2.26 INCHES O N JULY 8TH
HIGHEST ONE-DAY SNOWFALL........... 8.0 INCHES ON JANUARY 24TH
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES.... 19
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES.... 38
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH ZERO OR BELOW TEMPERATURE....... 17
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION........ 124
PERCENTAGE OF DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION.... 34%
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES....... 236
PERCENTAGE OF DAYS WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES... 65%
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