Warmer fall weather has become the new normal for southeast Wisconsin and the US

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN - In the last 50 years, all of the North Woods, including Wisconsin, are seeing a warming trend. The average fall temperature for the season in Milwaukee is 3.4˚F warmer than it was back in 1970, just by analyzing temperature data. The average temperature is the high for the day added to the low then divided by two. 

In the last half-century, we've seen extremes on both ends and that's quite normal. Weather is what you get and climate is what you expect. But our overall shift is moving to warmer temperatures following a line of best fit.  

Average temperature for Milwaukee for Fall from 1970 to 2019

The average temperature can be a confusing way to look at the warming weather. Odds are you won't be able to notice a 3˚F-5˚F change but a thermometer could. What you do notice is the day overall and putting it into context, our region experiences 16 more days above normal more than what Milwaukee did back in 1970.

This means that between September and November there's nearly half a month more of warmer than average conditions. 

Number of Fall days above normal for Milwaukee for the months September through November

It's not just Wisconsin that is seeing a warmer fall, and fortunately, we're not the most extreme region either.

Looking at southeast Wisconsin as a whole, since 1970 we were between 1˚F-2˚F warmer on average. All major regions are seeing some kind of a warming pattern during autumn. The fastest change is coming in parts of the Rocky Mountains and the desert southwest, seeing well over 3.45˚F+ for the entire section.  

Fall warming average temperature for regions across the entire United States since 1970