Warm Wisconsin winter makes last January's polar vortex seem like a distant memory

With the relatively mild winter weather across the state this month, some Wisconsinites may have forgotten what we were dealing with at this time last year. 

Beginning on Jan. 28, 2019, a winter storm blanketed most of the state in several inches to over a foot of snow and then a polar vortex moved in, causing temperatures to plummet below zero for days, according to the National Weather Service. 

Gov. Tony Evers declared a statewide state of emergency.

The U.S. Postal Service suspended mail delivery to parts of the state. 

Schools and businesses closed.

Thousands of people were without power during the record-breaking cold. 

Wisconsinites are used to the cold, and while it's not unusual for temperatures dip below zero most winters, last year's polar vortex brought one of the longest stretches of sub-zero temperatures on record, according to the weather service.

Temperatures did not climb above zero degrees until the morning of Feb. 1, 2019. Strong, gusty winds brought the windchill down to minus 60 in some parts of the state. Many communities across the state broke records for the most snowfall on a particular date and others broke temperature records. 

This winter has been nowhere nearly as cold as it was at the end of last January, National Weather Service meteorologist Timm Uhlmann said. 

"We get blasts of arctic air most winters, but we haven't gotten one this year," he said. "It's not unusual to get arctic air most winters."  

Uhlmann described this winter as "very mild" so far, though there is a possibility temperatures could drop below normal in the next couple weeks. However, this weekend, the National Weather Service predicts temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s. Some areas could get close to breaking their daily record for highest temperatures on Sunday. 

While some Wisconsinites may welcome the above-average temperatures, it could affect the 2020 sturgeon-spearing season on Lake Winnebago and its upriver lakes. Due to the warmer weather, the ice is not as thick as it usually is, which raises safety concerns.

"Temperatures have been above normal for most of January," Uhlmann said. "It's been considerably warmer, especially compared to last year. We're on the opposite side of last year." 

Sharon Roznik of the Fond du Lac Reporter contributed to this report.

Contact Natalie Brophy at 715-216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie or Facebook at facebook.com/bynataliebrophy.