Holiday heat wave to bring back highs in 90s for Madison

The summer of 2023 will go down in history as the time when humans came face to face with the impact of global warming. Records were broken across the world, but in America, the following cities suffered scorching temperatures the most. Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.

A Labor Day weekend heat wave will push temperatures back into the 90s across southern Wisconsin for several days, potentially setting records while making for a hot Badgers football opener and Taste of Madison.

Thursday marked the end of meteorological summer, but the weekend heat wave definitely does not scream fall.

The hottest game ever at Camp Randall Stadium was Wisconsin’s 51-17 win over UNLV on Sept. 1, 2011, when it was 90 at kickoff. Forecasters say Saturday’s high in Madison should be around 90 and the game against Buffalo starts at 2:30 p.m., so a new record is possible.

To help fans deal with the heat, the University of Wisconsin has eased its usual rules about carry-ins to allow fans to bring in two unopened bottles of water.

The Taste of Madison runs Saturday and Sunday on Capitol Square. Hours this year are 2-8:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

The admission-free event presented by Starion Bank features 80 food vendors, beverage options and live music.

The city of Madison said it is extending the season for its splash parks through at least Friday, Sept. 8 to provide relief from the heat.

Goodman Pool closed for the season on Sunday, as the majority of lifeguards are students and no longer available to work, said Parks Department spokesperson Ann Shea.

But the Cypress, Elver and Reindahl splash parks that typically are open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day will stay open to at least Sept. 8.

“We plan to re-visit this plan later next week,” Shea said. “Although unlikely, the season may extend again, depending on the weather and staffing availability.”

The city does have a handful of beach lifeguards remaining from the 2023 season and plans to provide lifeguard service at Tenney and Vilas beaches 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday, Shea said.

Water quality testing at area beaches typically ends on Labor Day, but there are discussions with Public Health Madison and Dane County on extending the beach season through at least Sept. 8. That means that while there will be no lifeguard service beyond Labor Day, there would be opening and cleaning of restrooms through at least Sept. 8.

On Thursday, Fitchburg said it was extending the season for its splash pad at McKee Farms Park to Sept. 8. Hours for the splash pad are 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Thursday will be sunny with a high near 76 degrees in Madison, according to the National Weather Service.

Highs will rise to near 82 degrees on Friday, 90 on Saturday, 97 on Sunday, 95 on Labor Day and 93 on Tuesday. There is a 40% chance for showers and thunderstorms Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Madison’s record highs for Sept. 2-5 are 98, 92, 94 and 93, meaning new records could be set Sunday through Tuesday. The highest temperature ever in Madison in September was 99 on Sept. 1, 1953.

Wednesday’s high in Madison was 72 at 4:01 p.m., 6 degrees below the normal high and 25 degrees below the record high of 97 set in 1953. The low was 48, 9 degrees below the normal low and 8 degrees above the record low of 40 set in 1967.

The hot and dry forecast will exacerbate Madison’s drought. The city now stands at 1.61 inches below normal for August, 4.05 inches below normal for meteorological summer, and 5.53 inches below normal for the year.

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