Spring Records for La Crosse

Spring Records for La Crosse
(March - April - May)

Warmest	Coldest
1) 54.7 2012	1) 39.5 1888
2) 53.9 1977	2) 42.3 1965
3) 52.0 2010	3) 42.4 1956
1878	1950
5) 51.9 1987	5) 42.5 1907
6) 51.4 1998	1892
7) 51.3 1946	7) 42.6 2013
8) 50.9 2000	1909
9) 50.7 2016	1883
1921	10) 42.7 1975,
	1893, 1890

normal temperature is 47.6 degrees

Wettest	Driest
1) 17.21 1973	1) 2.70 1887
2) 16.53 2013	2) 3.19 1925
3) 15.37 1945	3) 3.39 1934
4) 15.04 1991	4) 3.89 1910
5) 14.61 2004	5) 3.90 1958
6) 13.83 2017	6) 3.94 1886
7) 13.70 1993	7) 4.27 1873
8) 13.61 1888	8) 4.57 1889
9) 13.28 1908	9) 4.79 1939
10) 13.11 1903	10) 4.84 1988

normal precipitation is 8.90 inches

Spring weather normally begins around the end of March and extends into early June, at which time the average high temperature has reached the mid to upper 70s. Thus, a typical spring lasts just slightly over two months but may seem much shorter when cold weather lingers into April and parts of May.

Average high temperatures in the spring rise from about 50 degrees at the beginning of April to the middle 70s by the end of May. Average lows rise from around 30 to the lower 50s during the same time interval. Freezing temperatures are common during the first half of April when invading Canadian air masses are still very cold. The last frost is usually around the first week of May in the city of La Crosse but low lying areas in the surrounding countryside are more likely to see frosts into the middle of the month.

The jet stream gradually moves northward as spring progresses but the track of surface lows is often still to the south of Wisconsin, especially in April. Significant snows are still possible when polar air is in place over the upper midwest and lows track through the central Mississippi valley. Severe weather becomes more likely when the lows begin to track further to the north of La Crosse later in the spring. The frequency of thunderstorms increases during the spring with an average of three days with thunderstorms in April and six such days in May.

Spring is, on average, the windiest season of the year and April is usually the windiest month in La Crosse. This is largely due to the strong temperature difference at this time of the year when the polar regions are still cold but the southern U.S. has warmed up significantly.