The April Heat Wave No One Noticed
But you should because it is a warning
The talk around town and with friends was about how lovely the day was as the snow melted and the earth sprang to life. Eighty-two degrees! I celebrated with them. Got the bike out. Sat on the patio furniture to enjoy the sun. Grilled chicken in the evening. After a long winter of unusual ice storms and incredible amounts of snow for our area, the warm weather was a huge relief. We all relaxed. Spring is coming joyfully to northern Wisconsin!
But I have a foreboding…
It is April 13, 2023 and we are in the middle of a heat wave that no one noticed. The 82F degrees flashed on the bank sign would be a lovely summer day, but our normal average high for this date is 57F. So we were 25 degrees warmer than usual. In any other circumstance, that’s a heat wave.
Over 100 places will set record-high temperatures this week. The warm air is extending all across the Midwest and the Northeast. Sioux Falls, South Dakota broke their record by seven degrees. La Crosse, Wisconsin shattered theirs by ten degrees. Temperatures are 25–30F degrees above normal from Nebraska to Delaware. And boy, does it feel nice after the lo-o-o-ong winter!
I was out of the country for about 30 days and arrived home a week ago. The snow over my garden was…
