The second “Concerts on the Square” was postponed until this evening….not for severe weather or excessive heat, but for the cold!  Wednesday turned out to be the coldest July 1st ever in Madison, with a high of only 63 degrees.   Temperatures were in the lower 60s with cloudy skies at 7 p.m.  With jeans and a sweatshirt, I think that would have been quite comfortable for spectators sitting on the Capitol lawn.  Then why was ”Concerts” postponed? 

I thought about this a lot Wednesday evening, and it was a popular topic of conversation at the station.  But then it occurred to me…would that have been too cold for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra?  I imagine their hands might get quite cold holding those metal instruments, especially for close to two hours.  If you have the inside scoop on this, I’d be curious to hear the reasoning behind the postponement.  Either way, I hope you’re able to make it out to one of Madison’s best summer events!

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It’s official! If it seemed chilly to you today, that’s because it was! Highs again only reached the lower to middle 60s, which was about 20 degrees below average. Madison topped out at 63 degrees, breaking the previous record low maximum temperature of 64 degrees from 1959. So today will go down as the coldest July 1st ever in Madison’s recorded history!! There were at least a few other towns across Wisconsin and the region with record or near record cold highs, as well, including:

Merrill at 62 - Previous Record: 63/1923 and 1986
Wisconsin Rapids at 64 - Previous Record: 65/1959
La Crosse at 66 - 2nd coldest July 1 - Record Stands at 62 from 1945
Rochester, MN at 67 - 3rd coldest July 1 - Record Stands at 59 from 1945

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Yesterday’s high was just 64 degrees, 17 short of the 81 degree average. Though cool, this was still 6 degrees short of the record low high temperature for the date. Back on June 30th, 1959 the high reached just 58 degrees.
Today will be just as cool as yesterday (the forecast high is again 64), but the difference is that the record for July 1st IS 64 degrees, again set back in 1959.

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It was another unseasonably cool day, with a high of only 64 in Madison.  This is well below the average high of 81 degrees, and remarkable, considering our high of 94 just last Tuesday!!  So today was a good 30 DEGREES COOLER compared to what we had just one week ago!  Both days, of course, were somewhat extreme, from 13 degrees above average last Tuesday to 17 degrees below average this Tuesday! 

But highs will quickly rebound to more seasonal levels on Thursday, and will remain in the upper 70s to lower 80s through the 4th of July. (and cool back into the middle 70s on Sunday)  The only complaint may be that temperatures aren’t as warm as you’d like for the 4th (for boating, camping, etc.)…but at least we won’t be in the 60s!

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Temperatures are going to be well below average through Wednesday (see the previous post comparing this week to last week!), but our weather looks terrific for the big holiday weekend! Our highs will return to the upper 70s on Thursday & hold there through Saturday, with mid 70s to follow on Sunday. Other than an isolated shower or two Sunday morning, it’ll be dry with a good deal of sunshine each day.

Sleeping & camping weather will be terrific, & of course many will be watching fireworks!

Friday Evening at Elver Park: Clear with temperatures of 67-70.

Saturday Evening Fireworks (many places): Partly cloudy with temperatures of 67-69.

Get ready for a great weekend of weather!

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We have seen a dramatic change in temperatures since last week’s heat wave!  Low pressure near Lake Superior is expected to sit and spin, moving very little over the next couple of days.  Pieces of energy will rotate around this low, helping trigger at least a shower or two through Tuesday.  This low will also produce partly to mostly cloudy skies.  And with northwesterly winds, temperatures will remain unseasonably cool…a good 10 degrees below average today and about 15 degrees below average on Tuesday!  Course, that comparison is much greater when you consider last week’s high temperatures and what is forecast this week:

June 22 - High: 88          Today - High: 71
June 23 - High: 94          June 30 - Forecast: 67
June 24 - High: 90          July 1 - Forecast: 69
June 25 - High: 90          July 2 - Forecast: 79
June 26 - High: 86          July 3 - Forecast: 78
June 27 - High: 85          July 4 - Forecast: 81
June 28 - High: 78          July 5 - Forecast: 76

So high temperatures were about 20 degrees cooler today compared to last Monday, and will be more than 25 degrees cooler tomorrow compared to last Tuesday!!  But if you’d like to see more summer-like temperatures for the start of July, you’ll be happy to hear that we will quickly return to the upper 70s by Thursday and Friday.  And the warmest day over the next 7 will be the 4th of July itself, with highs in the lower 80s.  Enjoy!

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It was decided at Noon today to reschedule all of the Rhythm and Booms events for Sunday because of the potential threat to public safety from the possibility of severe thunderstorms. This was without question the right call. Shortly after the decision was made a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for southern Wisconsin, including Dane county, until 10 PM. The computer models were forecasting thunderstorms to be in the vicinity of Warner Park from late afternoon into the early evening, and some of these storms could be severe, with damaging winds the main threat. Could you imagine what would happen if a severe thunderstorm with 70 mph winds swept over Warmer Park with over 200,000 people concentrated in a small area outdoors?

Tomorrow will be a much better day for all of the Rhythm and Booms events. My forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 79 degrees. It will be breezy in the afternoon, but winds will diminish later in the evening when the fireworks show takes place. At 9:30 PM my forecast calls for mostly clear skies, a temperature of 68 degrees, and west winds at 10 mph.

The weather looks great, and the fireworks promise to be spectacular. Hopefully I will see you out there!

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There is plenty of good news about the forecast for Rhythm & Booms, but also some reason to keep an eye to the sky.
The good news?
1) It’s going to be fairly comfortable all day. Highs are only expected to top out in the low 80s, there will be a bit of a breeze (but not too much), & the humidity won’t be too bad.
2) Much of the daytime hours will be dry, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy all of the fun, food, & festivities.

BUT…
A cold front will be passing through the area during the evening. Ahead of it some scattered storms are likely, mainly during the late afternoon & early evening. The highest threat of rainfall looks to be between 6:00 & 10:00 pm.

Evening Fireworks Forecast: Mostly cloudy, few scattered showers or storms possible. Temp: 73.

We could use a little help from Mother Nature… cross your fingers & hope to see you there!

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A very unusual severe weather event took place in Rock county Tuesday evening. A small, isolated thunderstorm (the only one in our area), managed to produce a tornado! Here is the National Weather Service summary of this strange event.

A single thunderstorm cell developed in Rock county Tuesday evening producing an EF0 landspout tornado. The first report of a funnel cloud was received at 7:55 pm from a pilot flying into the Janesville airport.  A Tornado Warning was then issued at 8 pm.  Subsequent funnel and tornado reports were received from the Janesville aiport tower, trained spotters and the public.

A damage survey and radar images indicate the tornado touched down at approximately 8:10pm and moved southeast with an intermittent damage path 1.6 miles long.    The tornado produced minimal damage around Clear Lake.  A screen porch including metal foundation was flipped over a trailer just southeast of Clear Lake. Some tree and powerline damage was also observed mostly southeast of Clear Lake.

This storm was very small in size and the only one in southern Wisconsin Tuesday evening.  The first funnel cloud reports came in just 15 minutes after the cell developed.  It weakened and the cell dissipated about half an hour later.

A landspout tornado is one that is not associated with a broad area of rotation known as a mesocyclone.  Landspout tornadoes are normally smaller and weaker than the average supercell tornado.

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We’ve been talking a lot lately about this recent heat wave and how to stay cool, but some people love these 90 degree temperatures.  Wake-Up Wisconsin Anchor Barbara Vaughn says she likes it hot, others, like myself, would prefer the mid 70s everyday.  I want to know what you think, if you could pick one high temperature that it would be for the entire summer what would it be and why?

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