OSNW3 | OSHKOSH-NORTH

The words below were originally written for The Oshkosh Northwestern - Monthly Weather Report ---- The old saying goes “when it rains, it pours” and that was exactly the case for how May of 2012 transpired. Seven of the first thirteen days recorded measurable precipitation. These seven days accounted for more than 80% of the monthly rainfall total which included the deluge that occurred on May 2-3. The May 2-3 rainfall became the largest daily rainfall in the month of May and also became the 6th all-time largest daily rainfall in Oshkosh history. Two of the four precipitation observation stations in the greater Oshkosh area recorded over 7 inches for the month pushing the monthly total into second place all-time for the month of May. The top spot belongs to May of 2004 when 9.04 inches were recorded. Oshkosh daily observations date back to 1893. Greater Oshkosh May 2012 Precipitation Totals 5.84", Oshkosh 5.2 N 7.64", Oshkosh 1.3 NNE 7.99", Oshkosh WWTP (NWS)...

Lately I've been drawn into the NCDC - Image and Publications System , specifically the COOP Data / Record of Climatological Observations Form in hopes to find numbers to back up photos of certain weather phenomena. What I've learned; Historically, Oshkosh weather observers have recorded daily observations with diligence and enthusiasm. That pleases me. (February 22, 1922 - Menominee Park, Oshkosh, WI) Photo courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum View of the sleet storm of 1922, showing fallen trees in Menominee Park. The statue of Chief Oshkosh is at center and covered with ice. On February 22, 1922, a freak winter thunderstorm turned into a devastating sleet storm that paralyzed the city and surrounding communities for several days. In Oshkosh the damage started early in the morning when the weight of the ice started bringing down trees by the hundreds, breaking electrical, telephone and telegraph lines as well as the electric streetcars that left passengers stranded t...

With the fourth passing of the 'signature' storm in this seasons LRC and winter keeping a grip on the region I feel it is a great time to share the research I've done on the Oshkosh winters of 1977-78 and 1978-79. I decided to research these winters for a couple of reasons. The first being to learn the weather, climate and local history that accompanied the second all-time back-to-back snowiest seasons in Oshkosh's recorded history. The second reason being to find Lezak's Recurring Cycle within them and hopefully extend my learning on the theory by providing visual details on the patterns within the cycles. ---- RESEARCH Participation in discussions on the WeatherWatch12 blog since Oct of 2010 has led me to many great resources for learning about our atmosphere and the LRC. After attempting to find the LRC within previous years on my own with little success, a few lessons from Scott at LRCweather of ways to find the cycle quickly helped ignite the resea...