February Heat In WI Will Likely Break Records

WISCONSIN — February temperatures in Wisconsin will likely break heat records, according to an updated outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.

Wisconsin is already in a years-long drought, and the lack of snow this winter certainly won’t help.

Indeed overall, the temperature outlook for the last month of meteorological winter favors well-above-normal temperatures in the northern half of the nation, and near-average temperatures in parts of the Southwest and Southeast, according to the forecast.

Precipitation, whether as rain or snow, looks to be above average across large parts of the southern, central, and southeastern parts of the country, but well below average in the Pacific Northwest and around the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and the Northeast, according to the outlook.

Historically, February can bring some of the coldest temperatures of winter. The coldest day on record in Wisconsin was Feb. 4, 1996, when it reached 55 degrees below zero.

According to the Climate Prediction Center report, February 2023 was the third-warmest on record nationwide since record-keeping began in 1895.

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Here's the week-ahead NWS forecast from the Milwaukee Airport:

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind around 10 mph.

Thursday: A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Windy, with a south wind 20 to 25 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.