Wisconsin Climate Summaries

One could be forgiven for forgetting September marked the start of meteorological fall. In Wisconsin and beyond, the continued historic hot and dry conditions sure felt more like mid-July. 

Meteorological summer ended as one of the driest on record. The continued drought conditions were accompanied by a short but intense heat wave in August that included temperatures above 100 degrees.

The increased rainfall Wisconsin received in July 2023 unfortunately did little to alleviate the state’s drought conditions — in fact, our drought actually got worse.

Intense drought conditions quickly took hold in June thanks to a lack of rainfall and exceptionally dry air. Meanwhile, parts of the state saw some of the worst air quality in the country due to the wildfires in Canada. Temperatures were warmer than normal but the nights were comfortable, one positive of the prevailing dryness.

May was historically dry in Wisconsin, becoming the 4th driest on record (since 1895) with only 1.59 inches of precipitation averaged statewide.

April 2023 in Wisconsin saw wild temperature fluctuations and above-normal precipitation, including record snowfall in some areas.

March 2023 in Wisconsin was cooler than average, had more precipitation than normal and had heavy snowfall, especially in the far northern part of the state.

Extreme rainfall late in the month led to an exceptionally wet February 2023 in Wisconsin. The state also experienced an unusually warm February and winter, leading to a scarcity of extreme cold.

The new year kicked off with much warmer than average temperatures and relentless cloud cover.