Wisconsin
This will almost certainly be the warmest winter ever in Wisconsin’s recorded history
We are well on our way to what will almost certainly be Wisconsin’s warmest winter in recorded history.
The National Weather Service defines winter as the months of December, January and February. Wisconsin’s two-month average of temperatures from December 2023 and January 2024 was 11.1 degrees above average, said local NWS meteorologist Andy Boxell, which already puts this winter “pretty far ahead” of all others on record.
The next-warmest winter was 2001-2002, which was 10.4 degrees above average by the end of January. This is followed by the winter of 1931-1932, which was 8.7 degrees above average by the same point in the year.
At 10.9 degrees above normal, December 2023 was Wisconsin’s warmest last month of the year on record, according to the State Climatology Office.
Additionally, this month, we’ve seen the warmest start to February on record in Milwaukee, with high temps in at least the upper 30s (and some days as high as the 50s) each day since the month began. For context, normal high temperatures this time of year are between 31 and 33 degrees.
“With how warm we’re starting out February, it’s fair to say that this will likely be the state’s warmest December-January-February of all time,” Boxell said.
“11.1 versus 10.4 doesn’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but that’s a pretty big difference to have 0.7 degrees. And now, we’re halfway through the month of February, and we’re well above average for February, so far. So, it’s pretty likely that we’re going to finish the winter as the warmest on average for the state.”
Despite the cold snap, 2024 saw one of Wisconsin’s warmest Januarys of all time
It turns out, every month this winter has been record-setting.
NWS announced Monday that January 2024 was Wisconsin’s 10th-warmest January on record, according to records dating all the way back to 1871. The month was 8.5 degrees warmer, on average, than normal. This record was set despite nine days of well-below-normal temperatures during mid-January’s frigid cold snap.
Only one state, Minnesota, had a warmer January. For our neighbors to the northwest, the month was 9.2 degrees warmer, on average.
Without the cold snap, January no doubt would have finished higher in the top 10 for Wisconsin, Boxell said.
According to data from the State Climatology Office, temperatures in Milwaukee were above normal Jan. 1 through 13, and then again Jan. 22 through 31. Jan. 24 and 25 even set records for the highest daily low temperatures on record ― 36 and 37 degrees, respectively.
What were the top 10 warmest Januarys in Wisconsin history?
According to NWS data, Wisconsin’s warmest January occurred in 2006. It was 15.3 degrees warmer than normal, on average. This is followed by January 1990, which was 11.7 degrees warmer than normal.
Here are Wisconsin’s top 10 warmest Januarys on record, according to NWS records dating back to 1871:
- 2006
- 1990
- 2002
- 1944
- 2023
- 1933
- 2020
- 1931
- 1989
- 2024
Why has this been the warmest winter in Wisconsin history?
The primary culprit behind Wisconsin’s unseasonably warm winter is a weather phenomenon known as El Niño.
An El Niño event is caused when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean warm to above average for several months. During an El Niño, the polar jet stream is shifted northward, which limits cold air intrusions from the north, NWS explains.
In general, El Niño brings above-average temperatures to the northern United States, which often result in below-average snowfall in moderate-to-strong El Niño years.
Last year, local NWS said this winter’s El Niño was on track to be one of the strongest on record.
According to the weather service, during the past seven winters with strong El Niño effects, temperatures across southern Wisconsin were “near average to 6 degrees above average.” Additionally, snowfall has been as much as 18 inches below average in southern Wisconsin during strong El Niño winters.
This winter, from Dec. 1 through Feb. 12, Milwaukee has received 16.2 inches of snow, Boxell said. Average winter snowfall by this time of year is nearly double that, 30.5 inches, meaning we’re at a deficit of 14.3 inches.
It is important to remember that El Niño conditions ― warmer-than-average temps and below-average snowfall ― apply to the winter season average. Individual days can still see lots of snow, as Milwaukee saw in early January, or below-normal temperatures, as we saw in the middle of last month.
More: Wisconsin is experiencing a historic lack of snow this month
More: El Niño looks strong this year. That could mean a warmer, and wetter, Wisconsin winter.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 11, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 11 drawing
08-10-14-45-59, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 11 drawing
Midday: 2-3-2
Evening: 4-0-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 11 drawing
Midday: 6-3-0-0
Evening: 0-9-6-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from July 11 drawing
Midday: 02-08-09-12-13-15-17-18-20-21-22
Evening: 01-04-05-08-10-15-17-18-19-21-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from July 11 drawing
06-15-16-19-22
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from July 11 drawing
09-12-17-19-22-31, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from July 11 drawing
06-08-19-27-30-41
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Which Central Wisconsin high school girls soccer standout is most worthy of being called 2026 MVP for the area? You can be the judge right here.
Choose from a field of first-team and second-team all-conference honorees on the field across the Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids areas.
Cast your vote for the local soccer star you feel is most deserving of the nod until the poll closes on Friday, July 17 at noon. Refresh the page if the poll does not populate.
MORE LOCAL COVERAGE:
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
Scores of camping chairs and event tents surrounded the basketball courts at Elver Park on Madison’s west side on a day in late June. The smell of carne asada rode a light breeze as basketballs arced through the air against the backdrop of thick summer clouds.
The crowd was gathered for Quiotepec en Wisconsin, a basketball tournament hosted annually for more than 10 years.
Event organizer Guillermo Martinez Melgar said while participating teams tend to be from the Midwest, some come from as far as California. The thing that connects them all, he said, is their shared roots in Oaxaca, Mexico.
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A total of 14 men’s and 6 women’s teams appeared in the tournament. Over 100 players from Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Arcadia, Sparta, Minneapolis and Chicago traveled to Madison to compete for cash prizes.
Representing Oaxaca in Madison
Angelica Navarro Gomez is the captain of Madison-based team Las Alebrijes, which has played together for three years.
“It started off with one of our friends, Itzel and her sister,” she said. “There were no girls playing [in the tournament], and she decided ‘Hey, how about we make a team?’”
Las Alebrijes had never played basketball before, but saw it as an opportunity to grow.
“We just never looked back,” Navarro Gomez said.
Her sister, Marisela Gomez Castellano, said Oaxaqueños are known within Mexico for their special interest in basketball.
The region hosts a decades-old tournament called La Copa Benito Juárez, named after Mexico’s first indigenous president. That tournament attracts teams from across Oaxaca and the Mexican diaspora in the United States.
“I think there is a lot of pride in representing where you are from,” she said in Spanish.
Gomez Castellano said playing basketball in Oaxaca is tied to the community’s indigenous identity.
Soccer is widely accepted as the favorite sport in Mexico. The country has hosted the World Cup more than any other nation in the tournament’s 100-year history. But in the Sierra Norte region of Mexico, basketball is the unchallenged favorite.
In the 1930s, Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas introduced basketball as a method of folding the indigenous communities that resided in the mountainous region into Mexico’s wider national identity. Basketball has smaller courts than soccer, which are easier to build in the region’s terrain. While Cárdenas’ vision did not come to fruition — most indigenous communities remain isolated — basketball became a tradition and a part of indigenous identity itself.
Indigenous identity is still represented through the sport today. Las Alebrijes named themselves after the sculptures of mythical creatures that artisans carve in Oaxaca.
Tournament continues despite fear of immigration enforcement
While the community feels pride in bringing their customs to Madison, she said this year felt different.
“Right now, it looks a little empty with everything going on with immigration,” she said in Spanish. “People didn’t want to come because they were afraid of not knowing what could happen.”
Increased enforcement by ICE across the country and in Wisconsin is driving Latinos to be more cautious about how they show up in the community. Gomez Castellano said it has driven the community to have more “underground” and “low key” gatherings.
“So [at the tournament] you see the absence of the crowd, the absence of the community,” she said in Spanish. “And though we have some people here, you don’t feel the same energy and vibe as when everyone is present.”
Despite being “a little scared,” Gomez Castellano and organizers decided to publicize the Quiotepec tournament.
“I think we’re trying to resist and we’re trying our best,” she said.
For Gomez Castellano, resisting looked like showing up and participating, in spite of what could happen.
“I think that’s also beautiful and inspiring to see that regardless of all the fear and the violence that our community is facing, they’re still showing up and being positive about it,” she said.
Guillermo Martinez Melgar, the event organizer, said he hopes that the culture he and his community built will continue to grow.
“I would like it if there were more of these events throughout the year,” he said in Spanish. “I invite anyone to step up and host more events like this.”
After being sent to the losers’ bracket, Madison’s Las Alebrijes climbed back into the regular bracket to defeat Quitotepec Minnesota and become women’s champions. Milwaukee’s Sierra Mixe took first place in the men’s bracket.
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Speaker 1
It’s time for Wisconsin life. As people across the globe tune in to cheer on their country’s soccer team in the World Cup this summer, one Wisconsin community is competing in a different kind of tournament. Members of Madison’s Mexican-American community recently came together for an annual basketball tournament that celebrates their indigenous roots. Reporter Jonas Tijerino has more.
Speaker 2
Scores of camping chairs and event tents surround the basketball courts at Elver Park on Madison’s west side. The smell of carne asado rides a light breeze as basketballs arc through the air against the backdrop of thick summer clouds. This is Kyotepec in Wisconsin. A basketball tournament hosted annually for more than 10 years. That’s Guillermo Martinez Melgar, one of the event’s organizers. He says while participating teams tend to be from the Midwest and sometimes as far as California, the thing that connects them all is their shared roots in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Speaker 3
Somos paisanos que radicamos in este bonito de Madison.
Speaker 2
Angélica Navarro Gomez is the captain of Madison-based team Las Alebrijges. They’ve been playing together for three years.
Speaker 4
Yeah, um it started off with the fr um one of our friends, Ixel, and her sister. There was no girls playing and she decided like hey how about we make a team And she made the offer and we decided, you know what, like let’s give it a shot. We never play basketball so we decided, hey, there’s Let’s just give it a give it an opportunity and see we can grow from there and we just never look back.
Speaker 2
Her sister Marisela Gomez Castellano says oaxaqueños are known within Mexico for their special interest in basketball The region hosts a decades-old tournament called La Copa Benito Juárez, named after Mexico’s first indigenous president. That tournament attracts teams from across Oaxaca and the Mexican diaspora in the United States. Gomez Castellano says playing basketball in Oaxaca is tied to the community’s indigenous identity. And while the community feels pride in bringing their customs to Madison, she says this year feels different. is driving Latinos to be more cautious about how they show up in the community.
Speaker 5
Gatherings and communities are just like going back to what it was before, like more underground, more like local, more low-key. And so yeah, it was like we did publicize the whole tournament but we also were, you know, a little scared like would this br you know attract other non people that we don’t want, you know, and so then um but yeah. But so far I think we’re trying our business and we’re doing our best.
Speaker 2
For Gomez Castellano, resisting looks like showing up and participating in communities in spite of what could happen.
Speaker 5
And I think that’s also beautiful and inspiring to see that regardless of all the fear, the Como the agr the violence that our community is facing, they’re still showing up and being positive about it and and I think that’s really inspiring.
Speaker 2
After six games, Madison’s Las Alebrijges defeated Kiotepec, Minnesota to become women’s champions. Milwaukee’s Sierra Mije took first place in the men’s bracket.
Speaker 1
Jonas Tijerino brought us that story about the Quiotepec in Wisconsin basketball tournament. Wisconsin Life is a co-production of Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin in partnership with Wisconsin Humanities. Additional support comes from Lowell and Mary Peterson of Appleton
“Wisconsin Life” is a co-production of Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin. The project celebrates what makes the state unique through the diverse stories of its people, places, history and culture.
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