Your parents experienced colder winters when they were young
For southern Wisconsin, mid-January marks the coldest period of the year. Our average highs and lows are well below freezing and our most extreme low temperature of the month also generally occur between mid-January and early February.
The coldest temperature on record for Milwaukee is -26°F on Feb. 2 1996 and the most recent extreme was -23°F on Jan. 31, 2019. These represent extremes, but if you take the average coldest temperatures of each year, we're following an alarming trend of warming.
Between 1970 and 2020 our coldest period of the year on average is over 4°F warmer than it was 50 years ago. The coldest high temp of the winter season continues to steadily climb higher and higher. While for some a less harsh winter is welcomed, there are many dramatic effects related to wildlife and ecosystems often overlooked with warming temperatures.
Invasive species not adapted to extreme cold die off during these cold snaps. Snowpack out west is reliant on the consistent cold that without it can lead to less soil moisture and more dangerous fire conditions in the summer.
