Wild Wisconsin winter; El Niño's impact on the weather
MEQUON, Wis. - Wonky winter weather has many Wisconsinites asking, "what’s going on?"
Winter in Wisconsin has been wild, filled with unusual weather patterns.
"In January we had two winter storms back to back," said FOX6 Weather Expert Lisa Michaels.
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This was followed by record-setting storms.
"We had our first tornadoes ever recorded in February for Wisconsin," Michaels said.
This was followed by more severe weather.
Michaels said this year’s El Niño winter is behind Mother Nature’s mood swings.
"What we're talking is warmer pacific waters that shifted closer to South America," Michaels said. "What happened with that because we had weaker trade winds? That warm water shifted further east that then warms up the air."
So what does that mean for you?
"For the average person you might not notice much of a difference," Michaels said. "It's been very mild for the winter. Of course, we're still keeping a very close eye on the agricultural aspect; warmer temperatures can help the growing season but we're still heading into a period where we could have sub-zero temperatures at night impact crops."
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It’s an impact felt by Keith Gierach, as the sun shines over his orchard in Mequon.
"The biggest concern though is if we get too many of those 60 to 70 degree days, things will start moving along," Gierach said.
Keith Gierach
Gierach hopes the temperatures drop to avoid his apple trees from blooming too early.
"A good indicator too is we will look at the buds on the trees," he said. "They are swelling a little bit but they are not opening up yet so that's a huge blessing for us."
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Gierach said he feels optimistic about the forecast.
"I always say faith and farming goes together and I'm just thankful for our blessing and take it day by day," he said.