Well the weather in the Western Great Lakes region continues to be the big story.  Here in Wausau, WI the average high and low temperatures for March 3rd should be 34 and 15.  However, this morning the recorded low temperature was -18 with an anticipated high of 9.  Numerous friends on social media even posted pictures of thermometers showing -27 to -32 in some rural areas.  We now have had below zero temperatures for the past 9 days and 46 of the 72 days this winter.  Not to mention, the overall average temperature for this winter has been 6.5 degrees, and on top of it all, we beat the total snowfall record last week.  So, where does this winter stack up in weather history.  I took a look back at some of the epic winter events in Wisconsin History to bring some comparisons. 

The majority of large storm systems have passed by to the South this year, dumping 6-12" of snow in the Omaha to New York path on multiple occasions.  But history shows that we weren't always that lucky.  On this date in 1881, much of Central and Southern Wisconsin received 2 to 4 feet of snow in a 3 day period.  This storm was accompanied by high winds, creating recorded drifts to 20 feet.  A storm like this validates your parents claims of being able to touch the power lines on their walks to school.  And, speaking of the power lines, this week in 1976 produced one of the worst natural disasters in Wisconsin history.  A devastating ice storm hit Southern and Eastern Wisconsin for a two day stretch.  Ice built up on tree limbs, and power/telephone lines to a diameter of 5".  The 60 mph winds that accompanied the ice downed trees and utility poles, knocking out power to more than 100,000 homes.  Some rural areas were without power for 10 days.  And, as history shows, we have had 7 major winter storms in March in the past 20 years.  That information coupled with the Farmer's Almanac's prediction of 30+ inches for this March, may indicate the worst is yet to come. 

For those that are more concerned with the cold temperatures instead of the snow, here are few years you may not have wanted to participate in either.  Of the major weather station cities, Wausau tops the list of consecutive subzero days, with 14 days.  From January 2 through January 15 of 1912, Wausau never saw a temperature above 0 deg F.  That same timeframe also set records for every other major weather station in Wisconsin.  Mid to late January in 1994 and 1996 also had major cold snaps where we saw 6 consecutive days below 0 deg F.  2013-2014 has only produced a streak of 2 consecutive days.  While I'm sure this data does nothing to ease the pain of a long, cold, snowy winter, what I hope it does is to help put things into perspective.  It could always be worse, the only thing you can do is make the most of what you have.

"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." - Robert H. Schuller

Groundhog Day, a day in which far too many people eagerly await the weather predictions of the "Marmota Monax", has resulted in a 37% accuracy over the past 40 years.  Not a great track record if you are making plans for a spring warm up.  You are better off flipping a coin and making the prediction yourself or planning for the opposite of Punxsutawney Phil's prognostications.  But, the idea of an animal predicting the remaining length of winter isn't a new concept.  Imbolc, a Gaelic festival, dates back hundreds of years and includes weather divination.  People would focus on the winter dens of serpents and badgers to see if they would emerge from their winter slumber on February 1st, marking the beginning of the spring season. 

Another source for weather prophecy is the Old Farmer's Almanac.  The first publication of the Farmer's Almanac was released in 1792 and has been in continuous print every year since.  And, instead of relying on a rodent to make assumptions about the weather, the Almanac's weather predictions are based on a formula created by Robert B. Thomas, after an extensive study of weather patterns, solar activity, and astronomy cycles.  This formula is still used today, with a few modifications based on climatology studies, and it uses the 30 year statistical average to predict temperature and precipitation deviations.  Thomas' increased scientific approach resulted in accuracy gains of 10-15% over its animal counterparts.  But, that's still only equivalent to a coin flip.  

The strangest form of weather prediction I have read about involves an onion.  Cromniomancy uses the sprouting tendencies, skin thickness, and moisture content of onions to predict everything from the location of lost loved ones to the amount of rain you will receive in each month of the year.  Regardless of which method you choose to accept or not accept, weather prediction has been a part of human culture for many generations, and it will be an important part of our future.

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay

His birthplace is a hotly debated topic for many cities in the
upper Midwest as well as places in California and Maine, and his achievements read like the exploits of Chuck Norris or a Dos Equis commercial, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone more responsible for the history and creation of the Great Lakes region than the enormous buffalo-plaid wearing Paul Bunyan, and his trusty sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox.  Here are a few of Bunyan’s geological accomplishments to prove it.

- Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes were created by the footprints of Paul and Babe as they wandered blindly through a terrible blizzard.
- Paul needed to create the Great Lakes so that Babe had a sufficient watering hole.
- The Mississippi River was created when the Blue Ox pulled tank wagon used to coat the logging roads with ice in the winter, sprang a leak and trickled south. 
- Every time they needed new shoes for Babe, they had to open a new iron mine. 
- Even our own Rib Mountain is rumored to be Paul Bunyan’s final resting place, giving us a glimpse into his mythical size.  By my estimation, that would make him nearly 2 miles tall.

Paul Bunyan’s achievements even extend to the western states, with the creation of the Grand Canyon as Paul drug his axe behind him and Mount Hood getting its beginnings as a stack of rocks piled by Bunyan as he put out his campfire.  But, in spite of the intended comedic relief of Bunyan's folklore, many of the tall tales also offer us a glimpse into the harsh reality that was life in a logging camp.  The weather could be harsh, the work dangerous, and the seclusion uninviting, but the lumberjacks and logging camps prospered.  In the end, they helped develop many of the cities and towns of our "Northwoods", they formed the roots of our paper industry, and shaped the rail tracks and roadways we have today.  And, even though Paul Bunyan himself won't be mentioned in Great Lakes History 101, the thousands of people his character was based on, have a starring role. 

 "The year of the two winters it got so cold the axemen let their beards grow full length. They wrapped the beards around them for warmth. In the spring Paul cut all the beards with a large scythe. The whiskers were stacked like hay and later sold for making mattresses..."  Courtesy of Bang Printing, Drawing by Homer Dimmick