Southeast Wisconsin January 2025 weather recap: where's the snow?

The first month of 2025 has come and gone! January brought a mixture of very warm and very cold days with little precipitation or snow. In fact, snowfall totaled only 3.1" in Milwaukee, which is the 13th least snowy January ever.

Precipitation totals only racked up to 0.15" for the month, even when days were warmer. Most of the heavy hitter systems just missed us and were either north or south. 

With a snowfall deficit of almost 12" and a precipitation deficit of 1.65", this has caused moderate drought to be a concern for many areas in southeast Wisconsin. 

The lack of moisture can impact not only recreational activities in the winter, but companies that rely on snow such as plow services.

Agriculture is another group taking the punch and without snow/rain, this can create an issue for winter/spring crops.

Dry vegetation can also increase the risk for local fires to spread on windy days. 

January flipped the switch from December, which was very warm, to starting off the new year with several systems that brought arctic air for prolonged periods of time.

The worst of it was during the third week of the month when high temperatures were in the single digits and lows reached down to -10°F in Milwaukee on the 21st.

Widespread cold weather headlines were issued across the majority of the United States. Wind chills in southeast Wisconsin dipped down -30°F to -40°F below zero.

While the average temperature was below average for January, it was marked as the 69th coldest January on record.

FOX6 Weather Extras

Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following: 

FOX6 Storm Center app

FOX LOCAL Mobile app

FOX Weather app

What is the FOX Model?

FOX Weather

Maps and radar

We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.

School and business closings

When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.

FOX6 Weather Experts in social media

The Source: The information in this report is from the FOX6 Weather Experts and the National Weather Service.

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