It is the month of April.  We've already had a taste of mild temperatures, and the tulips and daffodils are really putting in the effort, despite the headwind.  However, Mother Nature continues to tell us winter isn't done, seemingly testing our resolve.  The images of our radar below highlight the contrast of what we want, and what we are getting:

We are getting lots of questions wondering about how unusual this is.  If you're a long time resident of the Upper Midwest, you know this is quite normal.  April is a classic transition month, when winter is ending, and summer is gradually moving in.  In April, we can have warm afternoons, with highs in the 70s and 80s, or overnight lows in the single digits.  For example, on April 8th in Madison, the record high was 77 (set in 1971), while the record low was 9 (set in 1972).  Normals are 54 and 33.  Milwaukee was similar.

Through April 9th, Milwaukee has had 3.4 inches of snow, while the normal for the entire month is 2.0 inches.  Madison has had 4.2 inches through April 9th, while the normal for the entire month is 2.6 inches.  We will end up above normal for the month for snowfall.  But, we've had some memorable snowstorms in April.

Here are the top 5 snowstorms in April for Madison and Milwaukee:

It's also cold, but how did April 7th rank among other April days in history?  The April 7th average temperature in Milwaukee was 37 degrees Fahrenheit (that's adding the high and the low and dividing by 2).  In Madison, it was 35 degrees Fahrenheit.  They didn't even crack the top 100 of coldest April days historically.  The coldest average temperature in Milwaukee was 19.0 degrees Fahrenheit (low of 12 and high of 29), set on April 17, 1875.  In Madison, it was 16.0 degrees Fahrenheit (low of 0 and high of 31), set on April 7, 1982.

So, this all just highlights that April can either be wonderfully mild and spring-like, or just more of the same winter we are struggling to get away from.  

But, hang in there!  There is hope on the horizon (there always is in April).  The long range (8-14 day) outlook from the Climate Prediction Center shows a pattern shift toward a more mild weather regime: 

Unfortunately, we have one more shot of winter this morning, with a wintry mix transitioning over to rain.  Once that ends, much of this week (Monday through Friday) looks dry, with a gradual warming trend. Highs on Monday start out in the 40s, warm to around 50 by Wednesday, with some 60s showing up by Friday.  And those who live closer to Lake Michigan know that these warmups can be tempered when winds come off those colder lake waters. 

Davis/Wood
NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI