Heat, Milwaukee
- When
- January 2, 12:00 PM CST to January 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Milwaukee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat in Wisconsin, January 2 to 4, 1998
Persistent southwest winds pulled warm air into southeast Wisconsin over a 2 day period of time, which was enough to set some new temperature records. ) set a new daily record high of 47 on the 2nd, and another new daily record high of 54 on the 3rd.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.
Persistent southwest winds pulled warm air into southeast Wisconsin over a 2 day period of time, which was enough to set some new temperature records. The city of Sheboygan (Sheboygan Co.) set a new daily record high of 47 on the 2nd, and another new daily record high of 54 on the 3rd. The old record for the 3rd was 46. Janesville's (Rock Co.) high temperature of 54 on the 3rd broke the old daily maximum of 48 set back in 1952. The city of Milwaukee registered 53 degrees at 0200 CST on the 4th, breaking the old daily record of 50 set back in 1950. Normal maximum temperatures in early January are 26. Other locations in southcentral and southeast Wisconsin shared the warmth. Noteworthy was the fact that Lake Mendota and Lake Monona in Madison (Dane Co.) were still unfrozen. The Merrimac Ferry (Sauk Co.) broke it's record late winter closing date by continuing trips across the unfrozen Wisconsin River into the first few days of January. The previous late closing date was December 23, 1948. The ferry eventually ceased operations on January 13th, thanks to El Nino.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Rock
- When
- January 2, 12:00 PM CST to January 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Sheboygan
- When
- January 2, 12:00 PM CST to January 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sheboygan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heat
- Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Oregon, January 2, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, January 2 to 11, 1998
- Storm Surge in Florida, January 2, 1998 to January 3, 1999
- Flood in Florida, January 2 to 31, 1998
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 2, 1998
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 2 to 4, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Utah, January 2 to 3, 1998
- High Wind in Alaska, January 2 to 4, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Montana, January 2, 1998
- Heavy Snow in California, January 2, 1998
- Funnel Cloud in California, January 2, 1998
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, January 1998
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5627253, 5627581, 5627582.