Wisconsin cities see a nearly 60-degree swing in temperatures in under 24 hours
‘It’s just crazy’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Wisconsin cities recorded nearly 60-degree swings in temperatures within 24 hours from Tuesday's balmy weather and Wednesday's chilly return to winter, tying a record for at least one city and potentially setting a record elsewhere.
That's according to a National Weather Service review of historic temperature data following the wild winter weather that swept through the middle of the US this week.
“It’s just crazy,” said Aidan Kuroski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Milwaukee. Kuroski reviewed data for Milwaukee and for the state capital in Madison located about 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) to the west.
In Madison, Tuesday's 70 degrees (21.11 degrees Celsius) high plunged to 11 degrees (-11.67 degrees Celsius) by Wednesday morning.
The temperature swing of 59 degrees (15 degrees Celsius) within 24 hours tied the previous record set in 1911.
Kuroski said Tuesday's recorded high broke previous records for the same date, for all of February and for any winter season date — which the weather service considers the months of December, January and February.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee recorded a high of 74 degrees (23.33 degrees Celsius) followed by a low of 16 degrees (-8.89 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday morning — a 58-degree change. As a bonus, parts of the city reported snowfall overnight.
Meteorologists think the 24-hour change may have broken or come close to previous record-setting events for Milwaukee in 1911 and 1934. But historic hourly temperature data for Milwaukee is incomplete, making it impossible to definitively decide that's the case.
Tuesday’s high did break records for the date, for all of February and for any winter date.