MONROE - Even the hardiest, winter-wise Wisconsinites will have to "relearn" winter today as a forecasted snowstorm and a 30-degree drop in temperatures break the unusually warm conditions of this season.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, the National Weather Service had issued warnings in southern Wisconsin for blustery conditions and snow accumulation of 4 to 7 inches, starting early today, Jan. 12 and continuing into early Friday.
"Stay home," advises police chief Fred Kelley. If you have to drive, "stop way ahead of time and leave early." Kelley's department is preparing for the snow by gassing up the four-wheel-drives in its fleet and making sure all shifts are fully staffed.
Calendar parking rules have been in effect in Monroe since Nov. 15, but now it is especially important to follow them. Park on the side of the street that corresponds with the next day's date, odd or even.
"That's how streets get cleaned," Kelley said. When cars are left parked on the wrong side, "it just makes it that much harder for the plow drivers."
The past few weeks of no-hat, no-scarf weather - with temps creeping into the 50s - were unusual but not unprecedented, according to climate scientist Jon Martin, who chairs the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
"Though it has been incredibly warm since Dec. 1, this year's Dec. 1 to Jan. 10 is only the eighth warmest of all time in Madison, and our lack of snow is only the 11th driest start to a winter ever," he said.
Scientists examine trends in climate over several decades, not years, but this winter so far fits with data indicating a general warming trend across the globe.
"Winter will always be winter in Wisconsin, but as the years go by, we are likely to see fewer cold snaps where the temperature drops below -20F, (and) maybe less snow in the long-term average as well," Martin said. "In short, our winters 30 years from now may resemble the current winters in St. Louis, Mo."
The lack of snow accumulation made it easier for dairy farmer Randy Severson to get around, he said, but he'll be welcoming the snow. He farms on 200 acres south of Monroe, and snow cover is important for protecting his field of alfalfa.
"It's nice to have it covered," he said. Without snow, freezing rain could choke it. "The ice covering it would not let it breathe."
Mark Mayer, agriculture agent with the Green County University of Wisconsin-Extension, said no snow can also have a detrimental effect on winter wheat, which is planted in September and October, or on any perennial. Alfalfa withstands soil temperatures as low as 5 degrees, and winter wheat is even tougher - but only as long as a blanket of snow insulates them from the elements.
"That's why Mother Nature developed snow," Mayer said. "If we get the 4 or 5 inches that they're predicting, that'll be just what the doctor ordered."
With snow on its way now, Severson said his biggest concern is taking care of his 120 cows after temperatures takes a nosedive.
"Temperatures changing fast is hard on cattle. They tend to get pneumonia," he said.
A shortened snowfall season may become the norm, according to research by Michael Notaro, who heads the Center for Climatic Research at UW-Madison and studies climate and snowfall patterns in Wisconsin.
Don't get ready to retire your shovel just yet, however. A shortened snow season doesn't necessarily equal less snow.
Areas along the Great Lakes have experienced a pronounced increase in snowfall related to a reduction in lake ice cover and more evaporation, Notaro said, citing a 2003 study. Looking forward several decades, his own research predicts "a likely pronounced shortening of the snowfall season across Wisconsin, as warming leads to more rain and freezing rain."
Since 1950, the observed trends across the state show an overall warming, in excess of 3 to 4 degrees in central and western Wisconsin, and a slight increase in precipitation, according to data from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.
These are slow-moving trends, as Notaro and his colleague Martin both point out.
In the immediate months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a "La Nina" winter - a condition that will drench the Midwest and parch the South.
In other words: start doing reps on those shoveling muscles.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, the National Weather Service had issued warnings in southern Wisconsin for blustery conditions and snow accumulation of 4 to 7 inches, starting early today, Jan. 12 and continuing into early Friday.
"Stay home," advises police chief Fred Kelley. If you have to drive, "stop way ahead of time and leave early." Kelley's department is preparing for the snow by gassing up the four-wheel-drives in its fleet and making sure all shifts are fully staffed.
Calendar parking rules have been in effect in Monroe since Nov. 15, but now it is especially important to follow them. Park on the side of the street that corresponds with the next day's date, odd or even.
"That's how streets get cleaned," Kelley said. When cars are left parked on the wrong side, "it just makes it that much harder for the plow drivers."
The past few weeks of no-hat, no-scarf weather - with temps creeping into the 50s - were unusual but not unprecedented, according to climate scientist Jon Martin, who chairs the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
"Though it has been incredibly warm since Dec. 1, this year's Dec. 1 to Jan. 10 is only the eighth warmest of all time in Madison, and our lack of snow is only the 11th driest start to a winter ever," he said.
Scientists examine trends in climate over several decades, not years, but this winter so far fits with data indicating a general warming trend across the globe.
"Winter will always be winter in Wisconsin, but as the years go by, we are likely to see fewer cold snaps where the temperature drops below -20F, (and) maybe less snow in the long-term average as well," Martin said. "In short, our winters 30 years from now may resemble the current winters in St. Louis, Mo."
The lack of snow accumulation made it easier for dairy farmer Randy Severson to get around, he said, but he'll be welcoming the snow. He farms on 200 acres south of Monroe, and snow cover is important for protecting his field of alfalfa.
"It's nice to have it covered," he said. Without snow, freezing rain could choke it. "The ice covering it would not let it breathe."
Mark Mayer, agriculture agent with the Green County University of Wisconsin-Extension, said no snow can also have a detrimental effect on winter wheat, which is planted in September and October, or on any perennial. Alfalfa withstands soil temperatures as low as 5 degrees, and winter wheat is even tougher - but only as long as a blanket of snow insulates them from the elements.
"That's why Mother Nature developed snow," Mayer said. "If we get the 4 or 5 inches that they're predicting, that'll be just what the doctor ordered."
With snow on its way now, Severson said his biggest concern is taking care of his 120 cows after temperatures takes a nosedive.
"Temperatures changing fast is hard on cattle. They tend to get pneumonia," he said.
A shortened snowfall season may become the norm, according to research by Michael Notaro, who heads the Center for Climatic Research at UW-Madison and studies climate and snowfall patterns in Wisconsin.
Don't get ready to retire your shovel just yet, however. A shortened snow season doesn't necessarily equal less snow.
Areas along the Great Lakes have experienced a pronounced increase in snowfall related to a reduction in lake ice cover and more evaporation, Notaro said, citing a 2003 study. Looking forward several decades, his own research predicts "a likely pronounced shortening of the snowfall season across Wisconsin, as warming leads to more rain and freezing rain."
Since 1950, the observed trends across the state show an overall warming, in excess of 3 to 4 degrees in central and western Wisconsin, and a slight increase in precipitation, according to data from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.
These are slow-moving trends, as Notaro and his colleague Martin both point out.
In the immediate months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a "La Nina" winter - a condition that will drench the Midwest and parch the South.
In other words: start doing reps on those shoveling muscles.