Climate of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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The '''Climate of Milwaukee, Wisconsin''' is a prime example of a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Koppen climate classification]] ''Dfa''), with wide variations in temperature and precipitation in short periods of time as well as four distinct [[season]]s. The city's climate is also strongly influenced by nearby [[Lake Michigan]], which creates almost two entirely different climates within the [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]] area. The [[Urban heat island effect]] also plays a large role in the city's climate, insulating it from winter cold (at least compared to rural areas in Wisconsin), but exacerbating summer heat. The Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha Metropolitan Area is the second coldest in the entire country with a mean annual temperature of 48.27°F (9.04°C) (coldest being the [[Minneapolis]]-St.Paul Metropolitan Area in the neighboring state of [[Minnesota]]).
===Temperatures===
Due to the city's location in the [[Midwestern United States]], Milwaukee experiences a continental climate with wide variations in temperatures over short periods, especially in spring and autumn. The warmest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is 81 °F (27 °C), and the overnight low is 63 °F (17 °C)<ref name=TWCMilwaukee>Average and record temperatures and precipitation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/53201]</ref>. The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is only 28 °F (-2 °C)<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>. Low temperatures in January average 13 °F (-11 °C)<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Monthly average temperatures in Milwaukee, Wisconsin<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !!Nov !! Dec
|-
! High (°F)
| 28 || 33 || 43 || 54 || 66 || 76 || 81 || 79 || 72 || 60 || 46 || 33
|-
! °C
| -2 || 1 || 6 || 12 || 19 || 25 || 27 || 26 || 22 || 15 || 8 || 1
|-
! Low (°F)
| 13 || 18 || 27 || 36 || 46 || 56 || 63 || 62 || 54 || 43 || 31 || 19
|-
! °C
| -11 || -8 || -3 || 2 || 8 || 13 || 17 || 17 || 12 || 6 || -1 || -7
|}
The highest temperature ever recorded in Milwaukee is 105 °F (41 °C) on [[July 17]], [[1995]]<ref>Average and record temperature for July, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=7]</ref>. The coldest temperature ever officially recorded at Milwaukee is -26 °F (-32 °C), on both [[January 17]], [[1982]] and [[February 4]], [[1996]]<ref>Average daily and record temperatures for January, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=1]</ref><ref>Average daily and record temperatures, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=2]</ref>. The former occasion is referred to as "[[Cold Sunday]]," due to the extreme cold felt in many locations in the United States on that day. >Average and daily temperatures for January, [[Mequon, Wisconsin]], The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53097?climoMonth=1]</ref>.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Record High and Low Temperatures by month at Milwaukee, Wisconsin<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !!Nov !! Dec
|-
! Record High (°F)
| 63 || 68 || 82 || 91 || 94 || 101 || 105 || 103 || 98 || 89 || 77 || 68
|-
! °C
| 17 || 20 || 28 || 33 || 34 || 38 || 41 || 39 || 37 || 32 || 25 || 20
|-
! Record Low (°F)
| -26 || -26 || -10 || 12 || 21 || 33 || 40 || 36 || 28 || 18 || -5 || -20
|-
! °C
| -32 || -32 || -23 || -11 || -6 || 1 || 4 || 2 || -2 || -8 || -20 || -29
|}
===Precipitation===
Milwaukee's climate allows for a wide variation in both type and amount of precipitation throughout the year. [[Rain]] can fall all year round, but is rare during winter months such as December, January, and February. It only occurs in these months when combined with unseasonably warm weather, as the high temperatures in these months are frequently below the [[melting point|freezing point]] of [[water]]. [[Snow]] falls in and around Milwaukee regularly from late November until early March. However, snow can fall as early as late September, or as late as the end of May. During the transition into and out of winter, various mixed forms of precipitation can occur, such as [[sleet]], [[ice]], and [[freezing rain]]. Ice storms, while rare, are not impossible. These types of precipitation tend to occur mainly in November and March, due to these months serving as transitions between winter and more mild seasons.
An average year in Milwaukee sees 34.81 inches (884.2 mm) of precipitation, with a yearly average snowfall of 47.0 inches (119 cm) <!--snowfall is typically reported in cm-->. <ref name=TWCMilwaukee/> <ref>Average annual precipitation by month at selected locations, [[NOAA]] [http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/snowfall.html]</ref> The city receives more snowfall than cities even slightly inland, due to [[lake effect snow]] produced by [[Lake Michigan]]. Because Milwaukee lies on the western shore of Lake Michigan, east winds, which are relatively uncommon in the Midwest, favor heavier snowfall on the Milwaukee side of the lake. Milwaukee receives far less snow than cities on the eastern shore of the lake, such as [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]], which receive extra snowfall when more common west winds blow. However, just like every other aspect of Milwaukee's weather, the amount of snowfall in any given winter season is highly variable; the ''month'' of December 2000 saw 49.5 inches (126 cm) <!--snowfall is typically reported in cm--> of snow, more than the annual average. However, almost no snow fell in the remaining months of the 2000-2001 snow season, with January recording just under 2.0 inches (5 cm) <!--snowfall is typically reported in cm-->. During the 2007-2008 winter season, Milwaukee recorded 99.1 inches (251.7 cm).
The wettest month of the year is August, when 4.03 inches (102 mm) of precipitation falls, mainly as rainfall due to [[thunderstorm]]s<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>. Long-duration rain events are uncommon in the summer months, usually occurring only in April or October. Thunderstorms are the main precipitation events from May until September, and Milwaukee experiences an extended [[tornado]] season which lasts from late March until early June. The driest month is February, when only 1.65 inches (41.9 mm) of precipitation falls, almost entirely as light, low moisture content snow resulting from the cold, dry air masses which dominate. <ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Monthly average precipitation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin <ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !! Nov !! Dec
|-
! Inches
| 1.86 || 1.65 || 2.59 || 3.78 || 3.06 || 3.56 || 3.58 || 4.03 || 3.30 || 2.49 || 2.70 || 2.22
|-
! Millimeters
| 47.0 || 41.9 || 65.8 || 96.0 || 77.7 || 90.4 || 90.9 || 102.0 || 83.8 || 63.2 || 68.6 || 56.4
|-
! Snowfall (cm)
| 35 || 22 || 22 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 15 || 30
|}
==Notes==
<references/>
{{Milwaukee}}
[[Category:Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Milwaukee metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Climate by city|Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Climate of Wisconsin]]