View source for Climate of Milwaukee

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
Milwaukee has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa''), with four distinct [[season]]s and wide variations in [[temperature]] and [[precipitation]] in short periods of time. The city's climate is also strongly influenced by nearby [[Lake Michigan]], which creates two varying climates within the [[Milwaukee]] area.{{clarify|date=November 2012}} The [[urban heat island effect]] also plays a role in the city's climate, insulating it from winter cold, but keeping it cooler in spring and summer.

==Monthly normals and record temperatures==
{{Milwaukee weatherbox}}

==Temperatures==
Milwaukee has a continental climate with wide variations in temperatures over short periods, especially in spring and autumn. The warmest month is July, when the average high temperature is 81 °F (27 °C), and the overnight low is 63 °F (17 °C).<ref name=TWCMilwaukee>Average and record temperatures and precipitation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/53201]</ref> The coldest month is January, when the average high temperature is only 28 °F (-2 °C).<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/> Low temperatures in January average 16°F (-8°C).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Monthly average temperatures in Milwaukee, Wisconsin<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !!Nov !! Dec
|-
! High (°F)
| 28 || 33 || 43 || 54 || 66 || 76 || 81 || 79 || 72 || 60 || 46 || 33
|-
! °C
| -2 || 1 || 6 || 12 || 19 || 25 || 27 || 26 || 22 || 15 || 8 || 1
|-
! Low (°F)
| 13 || 18 || 27 || 36 || 46 || 56 || 63 || 62 || 54 || 43 || 31 || 19
|-
! °C
| -11 || -8 || -3 || 2 || 8 || 13 || 17 || 17 || 12 || 6 || -1 || -7
|}

The highest temperature ever recorded in Milwaukee is 105 °F (41 °C) on July 24, 1935<ref>Average and record temperature for July, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=7]</ref> and the coldest temperature is -26 °F (-32 °C), on both January 17, 1982 and February 4, 1996.<ref>Average daily and record temperatures for January, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=1]</ref><ref>Average daily and record temperatures, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53201?climoMonth=2]</ref> The former occasion is referred to as "[[Cold Sunday]]", because of the extreme cold felt in many locations in the United States on that day.<ref>Average and daily temperatures for January, [[Mequon, Wisconsin]], The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/53097?climoMonth=1]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Record High and Low Temperatures by month at Milwaukee, Wisconsin<ref name="TWCMilwaukee"/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !!Nov !! Dec
|-
! Record High (°F)
| 63 || 71 || 84 || 91 || 95 || 104 || 105 || 103 || 99 || 89 || 77 || 68
|-
! °C
| 17 || 20 || 28 || 33 || 34 || 40 || 41 || 39 || 37 || 32 || 25 || 20
|-
! Record Low (°F)
| -26 || -26 || -10 || 12 || 21 || 33 || 40 || 41 || 28 || 15 || -14 || -20
|-
! °C
| -32 || -32 || -23 || -11 || -6 || 1 || 4 || 5 || -2 || -8 || -20 || -29
|}

==Precipitation==
Milwaukee has varied precipitation throughout the year, in both type and amount. Although [[rain]] can fall all year round, it is rare during winter months. [[Snow]] falls from late November until early March, although snow can fall as early as late September or as late as the end of May. During the transition into and out of winter, various mixed forms of precipitation can occur, such as [[Ice storm|sleet]], [[ice]], and [[freezing rain]]. Ice storms are uncommon. These types of precipitation tend to occur mainly in November and March.

An average year in Milwaukee sees 34.81 inches (884.2&nbsp;mm) of precipitation, with a yearly average snowfall of 52.4 inches (133&nbsp;cm).<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/><ref>Average annual precipitation by month at selected locations, [[NOAA]] [http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/snowfall.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619061102/http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2011/061511-hb218.htm |date=2011-06-19 }}</ref> The city receives more snowfall than cities even slightly inland because of [[lake-effect snow]] produced by [[Lake Michigan]]. As Milwaukee lies on the western shore of Lake Michigan, east winds, although not the prevailing wind direction in the Midwest, occur when [[panhandle hook]] systems move northeast bringing heavier snowfall on the Milwaukee side of the lake. Milwaukee receives far less snow than cities on the eastern shore of the lake, which receive extra snowfall when more common west or north-west winds blow.

The wettest month of the year is August, with an average 4.03 inches (102&nbsp;mm) of precipitation, mainly as rainfall.<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/> Long-duration rains are uncommon in summer, usually occurring only in April or October. Thunderstorms are the main precipitation events from May until September, and Milwaukee experiences an extended [[tornado season]] that lasts from late March until early June, however, severe weather and tornadoes are more frequent inland to the west. The driest month is February, when only 1.65 inches (41.9&nbsp;mm) of precipitation falls, almost entirely as light, low moisture content snow resulting from the [[Alberta clipper]] type system when cold, dry air masses dominate.<ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Monthly average precipitation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin <ref name=TWCMilwaukee/>
|-
! Month !! Jan !! Feb !! Mar !! Apr !! May !! Jun !! Jul !! Aug !! Sep !! Oct !! Nov !! Dec
|-
! Inches
| 1.86 || 1.65 || 2.59 || 3.78 || 3.06 || 3.56 || 3.58 || 4.03 || 3.30 || 2.49 || 2.70 || 2.22
|-
! Millimeters
| 47.0 || 41.9 || 65.8 || 96.0 || 77.7 || 90.4 || 90.9 || 102.0 || 83.8 || 63.2 || 68.6 || 56.4
|-
! Snowfall (in)
| 13.9 || 9.3 || 8.3 || 1.9 || 0.1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.2 || 3.0 || 10.6
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist-ua}}

==See also==
*[[Geography of Wisconsin#Climate|Geography of Wisconsin § Climate]]
*[[Climate of Door County, Wisconsin]]
*[[Green Bay, Wisconsin#Climate|Green Bay, Wisconsin § Climate]]
*[[Manitowoc, Wisconsin#Climate|Manitowoc, Wisconsin § Climate]]
*[[Madison, Wisconsin#Climate|Madison, Wisconsin § Climate]]
*[[Climate of Chicago]]
*[[Lake Michigan#Hydrology|Lake Michigan § Hydrology]]

==References==
<references/>

{{Milwaukee|state=expanded}}
{{ClimateUS}}

[[Category:Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Milwaukee metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Climate in the United States by populated place|Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Climate of Wisconsin]]