We've had a mild start to fall here in Southeast Wisconsin. Both September and October brought above-normal temperatures, and we may do it again in November.
Looking specifically at October, the average monthly temperature came in a full 5° warmer than normal. That makes this October the 7th warmest on record for Milwaukee, with records dating back 154 years.
The average temperature is calculated by taking the high and low for a day, adding them together, and dividing by two.
This number is compared to the average for the date, resulting in a departure number, which shows how close the temperature is to the "normal" for that date. The number will be either above, below, or at average.
We can do this for the entire calendar month to get the average monthly temperature.
The warmest high Milwaukee saw in October was 82° on the 11th of the month. The coldest temperature was 36°, on both the 16th and the 24th. While most inland locations saw their first frost and freeze in October, Milwaukee remained too warm.
Taking a quick look back at September, it too was above normal. The September 2024 average temperature was 3° above normal. Putting September and October together, so far, this is the 3rd warmest fall on record.
November is the last month of climatological fall, and it may very well be above normal too. The Climate Prediction Center temperature outlook for November shows Wisconsin leaning above normal.
To take this one more step, looking at 2024 so far, this is THE warmest year on record for Milwaukee. This means through the first 10 months of the year, it has never been warmer than it has been this year, going back 154 years.
Through November 1st, the year-to-date average temperature is running 3.3° above normal.
If you have an idea for a weather blog or any weather questions for Storm Team 4, send us an email at weatherteam@tmj4.com.
