When Do Wisconsin Places See the First Real Fall Freeze? Soon

I can't be the only one asking this question. It seems that Wisconsin is overdue to see the first real freeze of the Fall season. Based on what I've learned from history, it should be sooner rather than later.

I was surprised how hard it was to find out when Wisconsin places normally see the first real freeze of the Fall season. I'm not talking about the occasional dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit then warming back up. I mean when it comes below freezing and generally stays there.

I finally found an interesting map from the National Weather Service in Illinois that included parts of Wisconsin in its Fall Freeze Climatology. This is the average date of the first day of freezing temperatures in Wisconsin.

Many parts of central and southern Wisconsin normally have either experienced a day of freezing temps or are about to by early-to-mid October. What about the average date of the first real hard freeze?

It's interesting that the Wisconsin places near Lake Michigan don't normally see a real hard freeze until early November. Thank you, lake effect weather.

This Fall has been unseasonably warm so far this year. For example, the forecast for Madison from the National Weather Service does not show a freezing temperature at least through October 20, 2024 as of this writing.

It appears that Wisconsin weather is going to be even more unpredictable this year than most. Brace yourself.