Has this been the worst winter in Milwaukee? So far this season, Milwaukee has experienced the second-most pre-Christmas snow we’ve seen since 2008, so it sure feels that way – but we’re not quite there yet.
According to data from the National Weather Service, which has been archived by the Wisconsin State Climatology Office (a database that goes back to 1877), Milwaukee has recorded 15.7 inches of snow thus far this season. The last time we had at least 16 inches of snow pre-Christmas was 2016, when 18.8 inches fell.
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Before that, we had back-to-back punches from 2007 and 2008, when almost two feet (23.4 inches) and more than three feet (34.4 inches) accumulated in each respective December.
2008 remains the snowiest calendar year in the past century, thanks to nearly 70 inches falling in the first 90 days of the year, leading to a total of 106.6 inches across 365 days.
The snowiest ever calendar year recorded in Milwaukee was 1886, when 110.3 inches reportedly accumulated. That’s the equivalent of one Giannis Antetokounmpo with an average 10-month-old standing on his head.
The snowiest ever pre-Christmas season in Milwaukee, according to the database, was 2000 when 41.6 inches accumulated. Another 10.7 inches fell before New Year’s that year, but not much came after: Less than 7 total inches fell between January and April 2001.
Will This Milwaukee Winter Be Snowier Than 2016?
Probably not.
“Our general expectation going forward… obviously we’re in a cold snap here, but we’re expecting a warming trend and expecting an all-rain event mid-week – Wednesday night into Thursday,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Sheppard tells MilMag Sunday morning. “Unfortunately, it would be tough to surpass some of those (snow) records.”
He says January and February might “be more interesting” in regard to snowfall, but that’s still too-far out to predict with any confidence.
For now, it might just be best to bundle up, grab some hot cocoa, and throw down some extra rock salt.
