Researchers at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory and the University of Oklahoma have made some exciting new advances in tornado research.  They have found a strong relation between something called updraft helicity and and tornado track length.  Updraft helicity is essentially a measure of how fast the air is spinning in the rapidly rising column of warm moist air that feeds tornadic thunderstorms.  It can be inferred from the wind direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere near the thunderstorms.  These researchers have improved their high resolution computer models enough to produce timely, small scale predictions of updraft helicity.  While the models can’t actually predict the tornado, they can with improved confidence show where the likelihood of a strong one forming will be.  As such it will be another handy tool for forecasters to use to help keep the public safe.

You can read a press release from NOAA on this topic from the following link.  http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NSSLpredicting.aspx

Posted under Severe Weather, Storms, Tornadoes, Weather NEws

Years ago the standard line for what you should do if you were in an automobile and a tornado was approaching was to get out of the car and go crouch down in a ditch or ravine and cover your head.  A second train of thought told people to drive away from the tornado at right angles if you were comfortable with the roads and they were in safe condition yet.   Now things have changed.  Research and case studies over the past decade indicate that in many cases if you are caught away from shelter near a tornado, the automobile may offer some protection even just sitting it in while not moving.  With this in mind the National Weather Service and American Red Cross have released a joint statement in this matter.  Below is a summary of the important points.

Posted under Tornadoes, Weather NEws, Weather Safety

The Skywarn Spotter training program is in high gear right now as we prepare for the severe thunderstorm season.   The National Weather Service is holding numerous sessions around the area for those interested in learning about severe weather and how to report on it.    They include:

• April 2nd:  Wood County Courthouse in Wisconsin Rapids, 6:00 p.m.
• April 10th:  Waushara County Courthouse in Wautoma, 6:00 p.m.
• April 11th:  Antigo High School, 6:00 p.m.
• April 15th:  Law Enforcement Center in Adams, 6:30 p.m.
• May 22nd:  Oneida County Law Enforcement Center in Rhinelander, 6:00 p.m.

Several live webinars will be held as well.  You need to have high speed internet and phone to take part in these. 

• March 28th:  7:00 p.m.  Conducted by the Green Bay National Weather Service (you need to live in their county warning area-covers much of the TV-9 area)
• April 9th:  2:00 p.m.  Conducted by the La Crosse National Weather Service ( includes Taylor, Clark, Jackson, Monroe, Juneau, and Adams Counties)

A third option to become Skywarn certified is to take an online self study course.

• Please go to the following link to learn more about the online self study.   https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23

There is a wealth of information online regarding severe weather information, spotting, and safety.  Please visit the Green Bay National Weather Service Skywarn page, http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grb/spotters.php

Another great link is the National Skywarn Homepage.  http://skywarn.org/

Spotters, thanks for all your hard work and dedication.  You really help keep the public as safe and informed as possible during severe weather.  Keep up the good work!

Posted under Seasonal Items, Severe Weather, Storms, Tornadoes, Weather NEws, Weather Safety

Some interesting anthropogenic global warming (AGW) news has made some headlines recently. A lot has to do with pinning the blame (or not) on human activities. In recent years, the media, “climate activists”, and researchers have been much better at couching research and statements in more scientific terms – using probabilities to describe forecasts, weather events, and outcomes, as they relate to AGW. Instead of pinning EVERY “bad thing” on AGW (literally, remember the “big list” I used to keep, and this list), it is usually suggested that AGW is playing a part and it could get worse in the future.

One thing that many were attuned to recently is whether there would be a declaration that Superstorm Sandy was the direct result of AGW. For the first couple of months after the storm, most weather and climate experts gave the scenario a solid “maybe”. Just recently, a new paper suggests a strong link between from AGW to arctic ice loss to jet stream blocking patterns to Superstorm Sandy. Plausible? Yes. Could the same type of weather pattern and large storm arise without the lack of Arctic sea ice? Yes. In fact, meteorologist, insurance actuaries, and city planners have long know about the potential of strong wind and flood event and how it would affect the New York/New Jersey area. It happened. We weren’t prepared. I discussed this last fall in “Superstorm Risks“. Even here in Wausau, some year an F5 tornado could strike. It will demolish parts of the city. Are we prepared? No. We have an ailment called “short term thinking” and a blind spot for acknowledging low-chance high-impact events. If we really wanted to prepare, we would bury our power lines, make sure all new houses could withstand F5 tornadic winds, and have an emergency fund built up for the county and the city. We don’t. It is up to you to prepare, as an individual.

Further reading: A picture gallery of dramatic storm aftermath pictures along coastlines, including New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy.

As far as the “blocking patterns” referenced earlier, a new study suggests that these blocking patterns that could lead to extended periods of stagnant weather (could be a heat wave, a drought, cold spells, etc…) are driven by AGW. It is an interesting theory on how lesser temperature differences between the equator and the poles means more stagnant air masses, but it was based on only 32 years of data, which is an extremely short time frame when discussing the climate and trying to project into the future (similar to the flu study which only looked at a 12 year period).

In a rather stark turn of events in AGW theory, cosmic rays are now being studied in order to determine their influence on climate change. One study finds that cosmic rays do affect cloud droplet formation but the effect is probably too small to have an effect on the climate. Another study theorizes that cosmic rays might have an effect upon the “electric heartbeat” (related to lightning) of the planet, which in turn could affect the formation of layered clouds. Why is this a “stark turn of events”? Because it was not that long ago when the first scientists to propose the cosmic ray-cloud droplet connection were figuratively ’laughed out of the room’. The scientists (from the Ukraine) had to face withering criticism and conduct experiments on their own before anyone would take them seriously. It is nice to see a more scientific treatment of the subject in the intervening years, even if it is a small effect. With the some of the lowest solar activity in recent decades on tap for the next few years, we might find out if the tiny effects of cosmic rays do regulate the climate in some manner (such as is theorized to have happened during the Maunder Minimum). Sometimes, tiny processes can be amplified in a complex non-linear system such as the atmosphere. On a side note, I am a little sad about the decrease in solar activity. While it might provide some insight into the earth’s climate it will mean less opportunities to view the northern lights.

There few other AGW stories recently that could go on the big list of things that have or will happened because of AGW:

• The monarch butterfly migration could be disrupted. The idea here is that the butterfly is extremely vulnerable to small changes in temperature. I am not so sure. It seems like a rather tenuous theory considering we have had decade-long periods of cooler and alternatively warmer weather here in North America over the last couple centuries, and the butterflies seemed to have made it through.
• Viviparous lizards could go extinct. Again, this seems a bit tenuous (anyway, how it was described in the article). Viviparous lizards have a reproduction method that allows them to survive in colder climates than other lizards. The idea is that if the world warms, these lizards will suffer. I would tend to think they would only suffer if they CANNOT reproduce in warm weather, a key point which was not clearly explained in the article.
• Extreme rainfall events  have increased and will continue to increase if the earth continues to warm. This consequence has better theory and data behind it. Warmer air holds more moisture and thus more available to produce rain. However, rain formation is a multi-variable process and there could be a few trends (like less temperature contrast around the globe) that leads to less rain.
• Volcanoes are taking the blame for some of the NON-increase in global temperatures over the last 12 years – perhaps 25% of the reason for the lack of warming. This seems plausible. There have been a few small volcanic eruptions, but no big ones. I would tend to think emissions from jet airplanes would have a larger effect blocking some of the sun’s energy than some of the small volcanoes.
• Many climatologists have explained the possible changes that could occur with AGW as a shift in climate zones. Wisconsin’s climate will be more like Illinois in the future. Ontario’s climate might be more like Wisconsin was in the past. A new paper has tracked some of the changes, and so far some of the shifting of climate zones has occurred. Will it continue in the future. Yes, if this is a longer term trend and we add a couple of degrees on average. I know most people in Wisconsin (strange to say) would welcome such a change, especially after we just had another snowfall.

Finally, I have to revisit one of my pet peeves in the AGW conversation, and that is the use of the terms “tipping point”, “point of no return”, and “irreversible”. These rather dramatic terms are used to describe how once the earth warms up to a certain point there is no going back, the biosphere and the atmosphere will be forever altered, never to return to the former state. It is often suggested that we are already past the “point of no return”. It is certainly possible for the climate system and the biosphere to achieve different stable states. The problem is that these things can and do flip back and forth, and have done so throughout human history. Just recently there have been a couple of reports using these terms again. The melting of the Siberian permafrost is proposed to be a devastating “tipping point” in the climate system. Ice loss in the Canadian arctic (not Greenland) is going to be “irreversible”. The ice loss might continue in the short term and not reverse itself for decades, if AGW predictions are true, but it is hardly “irreversible”. Just 100,000 years ago Greenland was warmer than it is now. Also, as I pointed out just a few years ago, much of the Canadian arctic was warmer than it is now, as little as 1600 years ago! Plants grew in places where there are ice domes now. The Canadian arctic seemed to make it through that past massive warming ok.

The point here is not to diminish potential threats in the future, but to reign in hyperbole. Mass hysteria due to over-hyped threats probably does more harm than good. In that regard, I am encouraged to see at least one ecologist also complaining about the “irreversible” and “tipping point” terminology that is bandied about so often nowadays.

Have a good Monday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under AGW, Arctic climate, Climate Change, Ecology, Weather NEws

Eastern Wisconsin is digging out as you probably know from a very wet heavy snowfall.  This latest major winter storm has left a swath of deep snow on the ground all the way from the Texas Panhandle to Michigan.    If you recall, up to 20″ fell around Amarillo, TX (one of their biggest storms ever).  Areas around and east of Kansas City had over 15″.   Of course this is on top of a major snowstorm that hit the same general part of the country about a week earlier.  Many residents in the southern and central Plains region say they haven’t seen snow like this in 20 years.  While the travel troubles it has caused have not been good, in large part the moisture it will provide to the ground and streams and lakes when it melts is very good.  Much of the Plains has been in quite a drought in recent years.  By the way, Chicago got over 5″.  While that doesn’t seem like too much, it is the largest storm for them this season.  In fact it accounts for about 30% of their season so far.  They have been missed by most of the snows that have frequently hit Wisconsin this winter.

In Wisconsin, the heaviest snow piled up around Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Racine, and Kenosha with 12 to 15″ reported.  This combined with northeast to north winds of 20 to 40 mph created huge drifts to 4 feet deep.  Travel on certain roads was basically impossible Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning.  The extra snow they got in the eastern part of the state came basically because of the way the moisture wrapped in from the east on the north side of the low pressure system that traveled from central Illinois to southern Lower Michigan.  The band just stayed on top of them the longest.  There was no true lake effect contributing to the totals because the air wasn’t cold enough for that.  However, there probably was some lake enhancement.  That is, the snow bands that were already present from the storm picked up just a little extra moisture as they crossed over the humid air over Lake Michigan.

Posted under snow, Storms, Weather NEws, Winter Weather

Before going into a discussion about heat, drought, and ice, I wanted to first highlight once again how the StormTrack9 weather blog is a place for insight and information long before it reaches a wider audience. Late last year I recapped the status of Peak Oil theory. In the blog entry I linked to the latest night-time image of the earth – a cool zoom-able image. I noted what looked like a new huge city in western North Dakota. I mentioned that it was not a city but the sign of all the oil and gas production occurring in the Bakken shale. If you were reading the weather blog, you were a month and a half ahead of Newscientist writers.  Keep reading the weather blog. Stay ahead of the crowd.

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Drought Monitor For Wisconsin

Heat and drought were big stories last year and unfortunately one of the stories continues. Mass media might have forgotten about how dry some parts of the country remain, but I haven’t. Here at StormTrack9 we keep a close eye on the Drought Monitor. If my eyes are not deceiving me, then we still have a problem in much of the country.  Yes, there have been some bouts of significant precipitation in drought-stricken areas, but not enough to budge the “drought” needle across the mid section of the country or in the southeast. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor still indicates extreme to exceptional drought in many areas. The biggest improvement since last Summer has occurred in parts of the Ohio valley in big food-growing states such as Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio.  As I have mentioned before, if we have another widespread drought this growing season, you will probably be blown away by apocalyptic media coverage, even though historically, we have had multi-year droughts and even multi-decade droughts many times on this continent through the centuries.

Here in Wisconsin, the drought situation has not changed too much in the last month or two, which is a bit surprising. We had above normal precipitation (in Wausau) in December and now again in January (check Tony’s January recap). This should start to show up in the Drought Monitor. One thing about the heavier snow that makes me happy is that we will have some Spring melt-off that should help lake and river levels somewhat. Deeper snow usually means a good start to the growing season too, based on my experience.

Ice cover in the Great Lakes

The other half of the big weather story last year – the heat - might be gone but its effects are still being felt. Take a look at the ice coverage map of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Even though we have had some fairly extreme cold over the last couple of weeks, the ice cover is not too extensive. Fast (solid) ice can only be found in the bays. The heat from last Summer produced lake temperatures well above normal and that heat is slow to leave. With some colder weather now in the forecast for the next few days, I suspect we will have more ice floating around on the Great Lakes but most likely remaining below normal for the season. I think we saw some of the heat effects on the smaller lakes around here in NorthCentral Wisconsin as well. Even after we had enough ice on the lakes to put fishing shacks out, the ice was not firm enough to hold up during a couple of the mild spells. A handful of shacks fell through. I don’t think I can recall as many instances of vehicles and shacks falling through the ice as this year. During most years, once the ice is thick enough to drive on, it is good for the rest of the Winter. This was not the case this year.

Have a nice Friday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Drought, Freeze, Heat, Weather NEws, Winter Weather

If you haven’t checked it out yet, take a look at 2012 “by the numbers” in Northcentral Wisconsin. We had a lot of records including the warmest ever average max temperature in Wausau! Besides comparing the current year or month’s numbers against normal, I also try to find some interesting or odd patterns in the data. Given that weather is rather chaotic, most of the time the “numbers” seem to be random, but sometimes coincidences do happen. One interesting thing that happened this year is that the number 1.61 showed up 3 different times. We had 1.61 inches of precipitation in September, we had 1.61 inches of precipitation in December, and the largest record daily rainfall was also 1.61 inches and that occurred on July 19th.

One other little nugget for this blog post. Even though it might not feel like it, today the earth is at its closest orbital point to the sun. We are closer to the sun today than at any other point in the year. In fact, we are about 3 million miles closer to the sun than we will be on July 5th – when we are farthest away from the sun. Today’s date is the perihelion. July 5th is the aphelion (farthest point) of the earth’s orbit. So why is it cold this time of year? It is due to the tilt of the earth on its axis, a simple fact that many non-scientists do not understand. Most people think that we are closer to the sun in the Summer and that is why it is warmer, but that is not the case. During the winter we are on the hemisphere of the earth (northern) that is tilted away from the sun so the rays of sunlight do not hit us very directly (and they don’t hit the arctic at all) and it is not as warm. During the Summer, our hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and we receive more direct rays of light which warms things up more (and in the arctic they have 24 hours of sunlight).

Have a good Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Records, Seasonal Items, Space, Weather NEws

We have counted down the top ten weather events of the year and now it is time to put it all in perspective with some year-end numbers. How does 2012 compare to normal? If you guessed it was warmer and drier than normal, you are correct. It is not too hard to figure out if you had looked at the top ten weather events. Most of them had to deal with abnormally warm and dry conditions. Without further ado, here are the numbers for 2012 in Wausau:

• Average High: 58.1  (normal 53.1)
• Average Low: 37.6  (normal 33.7)
• Mean temp: 47.9  (normal 43.4)
• Precipitation: 29.46″  (normal 32.41″)
• Snowfall: 51.7″  (normal 59.6″)
• Highest Temp: 98 on July 16th
• Lowest Temp: -14 on January 20th

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is the average high temperature. As far as the records I have available indicate, 2012 had the highest average high temperature in Wausau’s history. The second highest average high temp occurred in 1998 when it was just 58.0. So it appears we beat that record by just one tenth of a degree. However, it was not the hottest year in Wausau history if you go by the mean temperature. The mean temperature in 1998 was 48.7 which means we were almost a degree shy of the “hottest year ever” in Wausau. Now some of you might be wondering how we could have beat out all of those dust bowl years from back in the 1930s. Well, those years did have some of the hottest Summers on record, but the Winters were typically cold so the yearly mean kind-of “averaged out”. As far as the avrage low temperature goes, it is tied for third on the list for the warmest average low temp. 2012 is tied with 1987 which had an average low temp of 37.6. Higher on the list is 1931 which had an average low of 38.3 and 1998 which had an average low of 39.3.

Even though I spent a lot of blog time complaining about the lack of rain this year, the precipitation total actually ended up only about 3 inches below normal. I certainly would have been happy with an extra 3 inches of rain for my garden, but at least we had enough rain to pull us through most of the growing season. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for areas south of Marathon county where total precipitation was much less. Snowfall was surprisingly close to normal for the year, checking in at 51.7 inches, but that number is a bit deceiving. During January, Febraury and March of this year we had piddly little snowfalls from time to time (only one big one). No one could enjoy snow-related activities very much. The just at the end of the year in December we ended up with 21.8 inches of snow which really brought the number up close to normal. However, even in December we could not get out on the snowmobile trails because the first 5 inches of snow we received melted!

In some respects, 2012 was not as extreme as some recent years. The difference between the highest and lowest temps this year was 112 degrees. In 2011 the difference was 115 degress (warmest temp 94 and lowest temp -21). In 2009 the difference was a whopping 116 degrees! The most extreme year in recent memory was probably 1996 when the difference between the highest and lowest temp was 122 degrees (warmest temp was 91 and the coldest was -33).

What about the new daily records for the year? In this case, 2012 looked a lot like 2010 when we had many record high temps and many record warm low temps, but not records for cold. In fact, we have gone another year with no new record low temps during the winter. We haven’t experienced a record low during the Winter (the months of December, January, and February) since 1996. Here are the records:

Record High Temps:

• 47, January 10th
• 45, January 11th
• 61, March 10th
• 63, March 11th
• 75, March 14th
• 68, March 15th
• 72, March 16th
• 78, March 17th
• 78, March 18th
• 76, March 19th
• 78, March 20th
• 76, March 21st
• 71 (tie), March 22nd
• 88, May 19th
• 96, July 4th
• 96 (tie), July 5th
• 98 (tie), July 16th
• 93, August 30th
• 62 (tie), November 22nd

Record Low Temps: None

Record Warm Low Temps:

• 44, March 12th
• 44, March 15th
• 55, March 17th
• 54, March 18th
• 55, March 19th
• 57, March 20th
• 60, March 21st (the earliest we have ever had a low temp of 60)
• 57, March 22nd
• 53, March 23rd
• 74, July 5th
• 59, October 24th

Record Cold High Temps: None

Record Precipitation:

• 0.60 inches, February 29th
• 1.61 inches, July 19th
• 2.34 inches, October 25th
• 0.54 inches, December 20th

Record Snowfall:

• Trace, October 6th
• 10.9 inches, December 20th

And while I am in the mood to spit out all kinds of numbers, we always do a monthly recap, so how about the stats for December of 2012? December of 2012 was very similar to last December (2011) as far as temperatures go (well above normal) but much higher on the snowfall end of things. Once snowcover enveloped the land after the big storm on the 20th, temperatures were about normal to a little below. It was the first half of the month that was “hot” by Winter standards with a near record high temperature of 58 on the 3rd. So for December 2012 in Wausau…

• Average High: 31.6  (normal 26.5)
• Average Low: 19.1  (normal 11.4)
• Precipitation: 1.61 inches  (normal 1.36 inches)
• Snowfall: 21.8 inches  (normal 13.9 inches)
• Highest Temp: 58 on the 3rd
• Lowest Temp:

Posted under Monthly Recap, Records, Seasonal Items, Uncategorized, Weather NEws

The day has arrived. The last day of the year. We survived 2012 and it is time to reveal our top 3 weather events of 2012 for Northcentral Wisconsin. First, I will repost numbers 10 through 4 in case you weren’t paying attention last week.

• 10. The number 10 weather event was killing frost(s) in April. This would normally not be anything special because frost occurs very frequently in Wsiconsin during the month of April. What made the frost in April more significant this year is that temperatures had gotten so warm in March. It was warm enough in March to cause many fruit crops and trees to start growing and blossoming. Those blossoms were “ripe for the picking” so to speak, when the frost came around in April. Many apple orchards in Northcentral Wisconsin lost almost their entire crops. Other fruit trees were similarly hard hit.
• 9. October of 2012 was the 7th wettest October on record. We recorded 5.49 inches of rain during the month in Wausau. Some spots had even more. This might not have made the list except for the fact that it was also the wettest month of 2012 and the rain came too late to do much good. The growing season, which had been very dry, was over by the time we recived enough moisture to be beneficial to the crops.
• 8. Did I mention that 2012 was a warm year? It turns out that 10 out of the 12 months during 2012 were above normal, most of them were significantly above normal. The only two months that were below normal on temps were September and October. Even those two months were just barely below normal. 2012 was not a year when we had to complain about the cold too much. In fact, I think this year I have probably heard the least amount of complaints about “cold weather” in my entire career. It was a nice respite. Most years, most people complain nearly contantly about how cold it is, which always makes me wonder why more people do not move to warmer places.
• 7. Making it to number 7 on the list is a non-event. There was hardly any severe weather in the area. Since most of the year was quite warm, one might think there would have been more opportunity for severe weather to develop. Interestingly, sometimes it can be too warm. If there is not enough cold air to form cold fronts at the surface, or form instability higher in the atmosphere, then thunderstorms just won’t form. Of course, it was also quite dry for extended periods of time. If there is not enough moisture in the air then we will not end up with thunderstorms, and thus little severe weather. The most active period of severe weather was from June 14th through the 20th when we had a few rounds of thunderstorms and some tornado warnings in Marathon and Langlade counties.
• 6 – A very warm winter with little snow. This was a continuation of a trend that began in December of 2011. December (2011), January (2012), and February (2012) were all about 6 degrees above normal. Snowfall during January in Wausau was 12.9 inches but it fell over many different days and was not enough to open snowmobile trails in most of central Wisconsin. During February 12.2 inches of snow was reported in Wausau but most of that – 6.9 inches – fell on the last 2 days of the month. Snowmobile trails were able to open for a few days in some counties during early March. Because of the warm and relatively snowless Winter, the skating rink in downtown Wausau was never able to be opened. Total snowfall for the year (not including today’s light snow) in Wausau was 46.2 inches which is about 13 inches below normal for the year.
• 5 – A strong Winter storm on December 20th. This one should be fresh in everyone’s mind as it occurred only about a week ago. It was the biggest snowstorm of the year in Wausau with a record 10.9 inches for the day. 6 to 10 inches of snow was fairly common across much of central Wisconsin. The highest snowfall in the state was in the Madison area where some locations reported close to 20 inches. In addition to heavy snow there was some gusty wind which created blizzard conditions in the southern part of the area and southern third of the state. Check this past blog post for some extra details on the storm.
• 4 – Another strong Winter storm makes the list at number 4. This is the one that was referenced earlier, the one that occurred on February 28th and 29th. We ranked this one higher than the December 20th storm because the highest snow totals in the state were in our area. Around 20 inches of snow was reported in many locations in the northwoods. In Wausau the total was 6.9 inches. It was just enough snow to open a handful of snowmobile trails in the area, but it didn’t last long. By the 10th of March it was melting away fast. Check this past blog entry for a map of the snow totals from this storm. Check this blog post for additional information.

And now on to the top three which should come as no surprise to anyone – as they once again are related to the warm year we had.

• 3. Heat waves! We had several heat waves during the year and the worst was from July 2nd to July 6th. In Wausau we had 5 days in a row with high temps in the 90s. On three of those days we had highs of 96. The 96 degree high temp on the 4th of July set a new record. The 96 degrees on the 5th of July tied the old record. High temps hit 100 in the southern part of our area and in the southern part of the state. As mentioned previously, it ended up being the 2nd hottest July on record in Wausau. Check these blog posts for a review of the July heat waves: Comparing to the 1930s, Holiday heat records. And, the southern half of the area had hotter temps during the July heat wave(s) because we had…
• 2. Severe Drought. It was bad. I remember driving into southern Wisconsin over the 4th of July and already by that time, everything was brown. The drought was quite severe in the southern half of the area, south of Marathon county, through the first 6 months of the year and then spread northward into early Fall. Thankfully, the southern half of the state did receive some beneficial rain later in the year, but it was not enough to save non-irrigated crops.
• 1. As many of you probably guessed, the number 1 weather event of the year was the record warm March. We had so much unusual warmth during March that we smashed all kinds of records all over the state, including here in Northcentral Wisconsin. We tied or broke 20 different daily records for warmth. It really felt a lot like early Summer in the middle of the month. All the snow melted and vegetation started turning green. We broke the old warm March monthly record (from 1910) by 2.5 degrees. Some further reading: Warmest March on record, Does a hot March foretell a hot Summer?, A warm spell for the ages.

And now a few more fun lists looking back at 2012 and looking forward to 2013:

• Actually this first one is something more dramatic and positive than fun. It is a look at amazing medical technologies that grew-up a bit in 2012 and should make a big impact in 2013. Medical progress continues at a rapid pace. Hopefully soon we will be able to more effectively combat the ravages of aging.
• Wired’s top image galleries of 2012. Many of which I have shared throughout the year.
• Wired’s top science images of the year.
• Some of the “big numbers” behind the big science and technology stories of the year.
• 100 best space photos of the year. A great gallery if you love space, but be sure to have a lot of time on your hands.
• What will be some of the top science stories of 2013. This article has a few cool candidates, including a comet that could outshine the moon.
• Five technologies that could continue to change our world in 2013.
• And how about 13 tech items you might have caught wind of but probably will not come to fruition in 2013.

Have a good Monday! Meteorologist Justin Loew

Posted under Records, Seasonal Items, Top 10 List, Weather History, Weather NEws

Here at StormTrack9 we have been counting down the top ten weather events of 2012, specifically for Northcentral Wisconsin and our viewing area (part 1 here, part 2 here). For a more detailed lok at the weather for the entire state, check out this report from the National Weather Service (pdf). One of the positive highlights of the year was that there were only 4 tornadoes in the state and none of them caused any injuries or deaths. One of the tornadoes was in Marathon county and only blew down a few trees. On the negative side, the heat was the biggest story of the year, causing multiple deaths and millions of dollars of damage to crops and infrastructure. We will finish up our Northcentral Wisconsin top ten list on Monday with numbers 3 through 1.

In addition to weather highlights, I have also been sharing a few other lists looking back at 2012 and forward to 2013. Here are a few more:

• Some real cool science videos of the year from Newscientist.
• One of those Newscientist videos is this mind blowing illusion.
• Some of the more interesting consumer electronics trends you will see in 2013.

Posted under Records, Seasonal Items, Weather NEws