Meterologist Says: Winter Returns On Wednesday

If you thought old man winter decided to take a permanent vacation from Wisconsin and decided to go north for the winter, you’d be wrong – sort of.

Despite the unseasonably warm weather and lack of snow, he is scheduled to return Wednesday night, bringing with him three to five inches of snow.

Rudy Schaar, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the colder air is bottled up north and the warmer/moister air is stuck down south. This airflow pattern left Wisconsin in no man’s land with no snow and warmer temps.

“If there was snow, the temperatures would be modified by the snow. But because we don’t have snow, we’re able to get a few degrees warmer,” Schaar said.

So how warm was it?

Milwaukee had a temperature of 46 degrees yesterday, a proverbial heat wave when you compare it to the normal high of 29. We’ve also received less than five inches of snow, making it one of the weakest years for snow since the 1800s. 

But don’t think old man winter has forgotten Wisconsin or put that snow shovel away anytime soon.

“You might want to even shine ‘em up,” Schaar said.