Wisconsin
State Climatology Office
Prof. John Young, Director

Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., Assistant State Climatologist
University of Wisconsin

• Our nation's birthday, the 4th of July is often considered to be the midpoint of summer, with warm and sometimes muggy conditions.  On occasion, rain can dampen the parades and the fireworks.
  

• Afternoon high temperatures on the 4th typically reach the mid 80s  across the southern and western parts of the state, away from the moderating influences of Lakes Michigan and Superior.   As indicated by the accompanying tables, some of Wisconsin's major cities also reach the 90s at least once and as many as 8 times during the 30 year period from 1971 to 2000.  Record high temperatures are also provided, with only La Crosse in west central Wisconsin reaching the "century mark" (100 degrees) on the 4th.  On the other hand, some holidays have been cool, notably in 1967 when the temperature struggled to reach highs of 60 degrees across the Badger State . 
  

• Station	Ave Highs*	Record Daily Highs  (deg F)	Year	Record Daily Low Highs  (deg F)	Year
  Eau Claire	83	97	1999	60	1967
  Green Bay	81	96	1921	59	1967
  La Crosse	85	100	1911	62	1967
  Madison	83	98	1949, 1955	60	1967
  Milwaukee	80	98	1990	59	1972
  Wausau	80	95	1999	60	1967
  Rhinelander	79	95	1935	57	1967

• * Averages for 1971-2000

• Station	Number of Days with 90 degrees or above (1971-2000)	Number of Days with 80 degrees or above (1971-2000)
  Eau Claire	4 (13%)	22 (73%)
  Green Bay	4 (13%)	19 (63%)
  La Crosse	8 (27%)	24 (80%)
  Madison	6 (20%)	24 (80%)
  Milwaukee	4 (13%)	16 (53%)
  Wausau	3 (10%)	16 (53%)
  Rhinelander	1 (3%)	15 (50%)

• While morning temperatures typically start in the upper 50s and low 60s, low temperatures have fallen to the low 40s and upper 30s across the state.
  

•  

  Station	Ave Lows*	Record Daily Lows  (deg F)	Year	Record Daily High Lows  (deg F)	Year
  Eau Claire	60	42	1972	79	1999
  Green Bay	58	43	1972	79	1897
  La Crosse	64	44	1967	80	1999
  Madison	61	44	1967, 1972	77	1999
  Milwaukee	62	45	1963	79	1999
  Wausau	59	40	1972	78	1999
  Rhinelander	56	37	1917, 1972	74	1999

   

• The chance of receiving measurable precipitation (0.01 inches or greater) on Independence Day is one day in every three years.  However,  amounts over one inch are relatively rare.
  

• Station	Ave Daily Precipitation* (in)	Number of days with measurable precipitation (1971-2000)	Number of days with 0.1 inch or greater (1971-2000)	Maximum Daily Precipitation Record (in)	Year
  Eau Claire	0.07	7 (23%)	5 (17%)	2.18	1900
  Green Bay	0.16	10 (33%)	5 (17%)	2.52	1994
  La Crosse	0.06	7 (23%)	5 (17%)	1.39	1913
  Madison	0.15	9 (30%)	4 (13%)	1.39	1994
  Milwaukee	0.07	9 (30%)	5 (17%)	1.08	1904
  Wausau	0.06	9 (30%)	5 (17%)	2.01	1958
  Rhinelander	0.12	10 (33%)	6 (20%)	2.71	1949

   * Averages for 1971-2000

• The 4th of July celebration can be not only hot, but muggy.  The dewpoint, which indicates the temperature to which the air could cool and form a fog or dew,  can also be used to assess human comfort.  When dewpoints reach the 60s, many people become  uncomfortable, and at a 70-degree dewpoint, nearly all  feel the humidity. Usually, the air across Wisconsin would have dewpoints in the low 60s, but during the last 50 years, the dewpoint has reached the upper 70s or low 80s on at least one occassion:

• Station	Ave Daily Dewpoint* (deg F)	Maximum Dewpoint (deg F)	Year
  Eau Claire	60	78	1986
  Green Bay	59	79	1999
  La Crosse	62	83	1977
  Madison	61	79	1990
  Milwaukee	60	82	1977

   

• Have a safe and enjoyable 4th! Many related graphs and links may be on the Summer Climate Page, the Climate Watch Page and the Wisconsin Climate History Page.