The Effects Temperature Has on the Frequency, Intensity and Average Snowfall Amounts from Blizzards within Southeastern Wisconsin Between 1980-2010

Abstract

Winter in southeast Wisconsin is generally pleasurable, but sometimes the winter conditions can become dangerous. Winter storms can quickly sweep through the state, bringing high winds, large amounts of precipitation, hazardous conditions, and extremely cold temperatures. Within the past thirty years, severe winter storms are continuing to get more extreme and frequent. This kind of weather is consistent with climate change research and increasing higher annual snowfall from blizzards, more intense blizzards, and the overall frequency of blizzards. Specific recoding stations within the state of Wisconsin obtained data that record the air temperature, wind speeds, and the amount of snowfall from1895 to 2010. The data was used to look at the change, over a period of thirty years, of blizzard frequency, intensity, and average snowfall accumulations of blizzards within southeast Wisconsin. The data supports my hypothesis that the number of blizzards per decade has increased. It cannot be decided with confidence that my hypothesis, that the intensity of blizzards and the average snowfall amounts for blizzards in Southeast Wisconsin, are direct result of warmer winter temperature and climate change or that there is a correlation between temperature and intensity of blizzards.