December 2023 One of the Hottest on Record for Wisconsin

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) As the world crushed global heat records last year, a warmer than normal December edged 2023 into the top five hottest years on record for Wisconsin in almost 130 years.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said Wisconsin tied 1987 to become the fourth-warmest year on record since 1895.

The statewide average temperature for the year was 46.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which was roughly 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the long-term average. Only 2012, 1998 and 1931 were hotter. As of November, Vavrus said 2023 was shaping up to be the 10th-warmest year the state had ever witnessed.

"To jump from 10th to fourth on the basis of one really warm month was kind of a surprise," Vavrus said. "This was globally by far the warmest year on record, so Wisconsin being one of the top five warmest years is fitting."

December marked the warmest on record in Wisconsin with an average temperature of 32.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Vavrus said it’s the first time in December that the state averaged a temperature above freezing.

While the world had its hottest summer, Vavrus said Wisconsin had fairly normal temperatures as drought conditions covered much of the state. However, he noted an "especially bad" heatwave hit western and southern Wisconsin in August.

"It was the first time in over 10 years that our temperature anywhere in Wisconsin exceeded 100 degrees," Vavrus said. In late August, Boscobel in southwestern Wisconsin recorded temperatures as hot as 105 degrees.

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