It’s not your imagination, Wisconsin DID see more bad weather than normal in April

The Wisconsin Independent reports, Wisconsin saw more severe thunderstorm, tornado and flash flood warnings in the first three weeks of April than in any other month in the last four decades of available data, more than a month before the usual peak of the severe weather season.

Wisconsin had 289 warnings as of the morning of April 22, according to National Weather Service data shared by the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. That compares to 264 in June 2005, 262 in July 2006, 258 in June 1998 and 253 in June 2008. June and July usually have the most severe weather each year, said Amanda Latham, climate outreach specialist with the climatology office.

“So far this month, we have packed about 70% of our annual average severe weather activity just into this month,” she said. “It’s just been a wild month, and it also hasn’t been confined to one area of the state. The entire state of Wisconsin has been seeing some sort of severe weather impact.”

A record-setting start to the severe weather season doesn’t necessarily mean the next few months will see more severe weather than normal, Latham said, but the records for April are still alarming. Wisconsin has averaged about 23 tornadoes per year. Last year, there were 39. This month, there have been at least 25.

“There’s some randomness and bad luck behind the recent storms”, State Climatologist Steve Vavrus said, but climate change could also be playing a role here: Wisconsin is experiencing more of the warm and humid air that can lead to severe weather, extending the normal season back into April and as late as September or October.

“As severe weather begins earlier and becomes more damaging, cities and counties are starting to incorporate data from the climatology office when they make their five- or 10-year plans.” Places are now considering the effects of flooding or wind damage in ways they didn’t before. Municipalities might dig different culverts or construct buildings in new ways to make them more storm-resistant.”

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