Excerpts from Wisconsin

1
Excerpts from Wisconsins Weather and
ClimatePackerland AMS Meeting16 September 2000

• Joe Moran
• Univ. of Wisconsin- Green Bay

• Ed Hopkins
• Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison

2
Did You Know That...

• The naturalist John Muir made weather
  observations at North Hall in the early 1860s?
• Eric Miller of the U.S. Weather Bureau Madison
  City Office had one of the earliest public
  weather broadcasts in the country from WHA
  (starting in 1920)?
• Wisconsin naturalist Increase A. Lapham(of
  Milwaukee) is often called thefather of the
  U.S. Weather Bureauas he championed it 1870
  creation?

3
Did You Know That...

• Hilda Goodrich of the Green Bay USWB office, was
  first woman to run a Weather Bureau Office
  (1943-1944)?

4
Did You Know That...

• The first weather observations in Wisconsin were
  made by the post surgeons at Army Forts in the
  1820s?
• These observations were at Fort Howard (Green
  Bay), Fort Crawford (Prairie du Chien) and Fort
  Winnebago (Portage)?

5
Did You Know That...

• More than 200 official observation stations
  currently collect temperature and precipitation
  data across Wisconsin on a daily basis?
• Jacob Lups and his daughter Johana made nearly
  continuous daily weather observations at
  Manitowoc between 1851 1933?

6
Did You Know That...

• The highest temperature recorded in
• Wisconsin was 114F at Wisconsin Dells on 13 July
  1936?
• Madison was 107F at North Hall on 14 July 1936
  ?
• The lowest temperature recorded in
• Wisconsin was -55F near Couderay on 4 February
  1996?
• Madison was -37F at Truax Field30 Jan 1951?

7
History of Madison Weather Observations

• The Early Era
• 1850s and 1860s Observations by Professors J.
  Sterling and S. Carpenter at North Hall and
  University Hall.
• 1878-1883 Observations on Capitol Square by U.S.
  Army Signal Service.
• 1883-1904 Observations by UW Astronomy Dept. at
  Washburn Observatory.

8
History of Madison Weather Observations (cont.)

• The Modern Era
• 1904-1963 Observations on roof of North Hall by
  U.S. Weather Bureau.
• 1940-Present Observations at Dane County
  Regional Airport (formerly Truax Field) by U.S.
  Weather Bureau, now known as National Weather
  Service.Note Official climate record for
  Madisonswitched from North Hall to Airport about
  1948

9
Increase Lapham

• Epilogue
• KEC-60 transmitter at Lapham Peak State Park.

10
Increase Lapham

• First Official Forecasted Storm Warning (issued 8
  Nov 1870)
• "High wind all day yesterday at Cheyenne and
  Omaha a very high wind this morning at Omaha
  barometer falling with high winds at Chicago and
  Milwaukee today barometer falling and
  thermometer rising at Chicago, Detroit, Toledo,
  Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester high winds
  probable along the Lakes."

11

• At 735 a.m., November 1St, 1870, simultaneous
  weather observations were taken at 24
  locations and telegraphed to several cities,
  bringing a national weather service, called the
  Division of Telegrams and Reports, into being for
  the benefit of commerce.

12
(No Transcript)
13
Increase Lapham

• 1811-1875
• Also State Geologist (1873-75)
• Helped found
• Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters
• State Historical Society
• Milwaukee Female Seminar (Downer College)

14
Increase Lapham

• Act of Feb. 9, 1870, Sess. II, Res. 12, 16 Stat.
  369 (1870)
• FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS. SESS. II. RES. 8, 12, 13,
  15, 16. 1870. 569
• No. 12. Joint Resolution to authorize the
  Secretary of War to provide for taking
  meteorological Observations at the military
  Stations and other Points in the Interior of the
  Continent, and for giving Notice on the northern
  Lakes and Seaboard of the Approach and Force of
  Storms.
• Be it resolved by the Senate and House of
  Representatives of the United States of America
  in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War
  be, and he hereby is, authorized and required to
  provide for taking meteorological observations at
  the military stations in the interior of the
  continent, and at other points in the States and
  Territories of the United States, and for giving
  notice on the northern lakes and on the
  sea-coast, by magnetic telegraph and marine
  signals, of the approach and force of storms.
• APPROVED, February 9, 1870.

15
Increase Lapham

• To General Halbert E. Paine, Congressman for
  Milwaukee. In one letter Lapham asked if it were
  not "...the duty of the Government to see whether
  anything can be done to prevent, at least, some
  portion of this sad loss in the future...?"

16
The Forts

• Where/Why/When
• Picture of Ft. Howard
• Orders from Tilton
• Instruments/Instructions
• Data Compilation/Distribution

17
Glacial Climates of Wisconsin
18
Weather and the Peshtigo Fire