Veterans Day Climate

Below are some Veterans Day climate statistics for La Crosse, WI, and Rochester, MN.

 La Crosse, WI:

The following statistics comprise 105 years of data. From 1919 through 1950, the data came from various locations in downtown La Crosse. Since 1950, the data has been gathered at La Crosse Regional Airport. Due to the office being officially closed in 1985, no observation was available for this year.

The odds of having any precipitation at all on Veterans Day are 42.4% (45 out of 106).  There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) precipitation on 22 Veterans Days (20.7%) and trace amounts (less than 0.01") of precipitation on 23 Veterans Days (21.7%).  Precipitation has fallen on the past 9 of the last 13 Veterans Day (5 measurable and 4 traces) through 2024.

It has snowed on 19 of 106 (17.9%) Veterans Days.  Measurable snow (0.1" or greater) has only fallen on 7 Veterans Days (6.6%).  They were in 1921 (0.2"), 1932 (0.2"), 1940 (0.9"), 1966 (0.2'), 1991 (0.9"), and 2014 (2.7" - snowiest).  Trace amounts of snow have fallen on 12 (11.3%) Veterans Days.

There has been measurable snow on the ground 7 times (the greatest 5 inches in 1991) and trace amounts (less than a half-inch) 2 times. The last time there was measurable snow on the ground on Veterans Day morning was back in 2014 when there were 2 inches on the ground.

Last Veterans Day (2024), the high temperature was 49°F and the low temperature was 30°F.  No rain fell.  The average wind speed was 14.2 mph. 

Rochester, MN:

The following statistics comprise 99 years of data. From 1919 through 1931, the data came from several cooperative observers in the Rochester area. Since 1932, the data has been gathered at Rochester International Airport. No data was taken on Veterans Day from 1921 to 1927, and 1933.

The odds of having any precipitation at all on Veterans Day is 45.4% (45 out of 99).  There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) precipitation on 22 Veterans Days (22.2%) and trace amounts (less than 0.01") of precipitation on 23 Veterans Days (23.2%).  Precipitation has fallen on the past 9 of the last 13 Veterans Day (5 measurable and 4 traces).

It has snowed on 26 out of 95 (27.3%) Veterans Days.  Measurable snow (0.1" or greater) has only fallen on 9 Veterans Days (9.4%). They were in 1940 (1"), 1966 (1.6"), 1979 (0.4"), 1985 (0.1"), 1991 (0.2"), 1996 (0.2"), 2008 (0.2"), 2013 (0.5"), and 2014 (0.6").  Trace amounts of snow have fallen on 17 (17.9%) Veterans Days.

There has been measurable snow on the ground 11 times (the greatest 11 inches in 2006) and trace amounts (less than a half-inch) 10 times.

Last Veterans Day (2024), the high temperature was 49°F and the low temperature was 30°F.  No snow fell in 2024. There was no snow on the ground.  The average wind speed was 15.7 mph. 

The following weather events have occurred on Veterans Days in southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and western Wisconsin:

• In 1927, a strong arctic cold front moved through the Upper Mississippi River Valley. La Crosse WI had an early morning high temperature of 67 degrees and then temperatures fell through the remainder of the day into the next morning. By midnight the temperature had fallen to 28 degrees and to 19 degrees by the morning of November 12th. The barometric pressure at Madison, WI climbed to 30.61 inches on November 12th.

• In 1940, a rapidly deepening low pressure moved northeast from Kansas City, MO northeast through the Upper Mississippi River Valley and into the Upper Great Lakes. This low pressure area produced the lowest pressure reading ever recorded up to this time at Charles City, IA (28.92 inches), La Crosse, WI (28.72 inches), and Duluth, MN (28.66 inches). Armistice Day (now known as Veterans Day) began with blue skies and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. The weather forecast for that morning was for colder temperatures and a few flurries. The day was so nice that duck hunters dressed in short-sleeved shirts rushed to the marshes along the Mississippi River early that morning. However, during the late morning and early afternoon, a strong cold front moved through the region. Behind the cold front, the weather became rather blustery and the temperature plunged to the single digits by the next morning. The rain turned to sleet and eventually to driving snow. Twelve duck hunters were trapped on the Mississippi River between St. Paul and Prairie du Chien by gale-force winds and threatening waves. These hunters sought shelter on small islands and eventually froze to death. Rescue work the next day was hindered by ice which had developed during the preceding night. Elsewhere heavy snow fell across the Dakotas, much of Minnesota and Iowa, and northwest Wisconsin. The greatest snow total was 26.6 inches in Collegeville, MN. In addition, 30 to 50 mph winds caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow which trapped unsuspecting motorists. Twenty-foot drifts were reported near Willmar, MN. The blizzard left 49 dead in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused ship wrecks resulting in another 59 deaths. The storm claimed a total of 154 lives and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. More than a million turkeys were killed by the storm in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states. The storm became known as the “Armistice Day Storm”. This storm, along with a slow-moving blizzard that would move across northern Minnesota in mid-March 1941, caused the Weather Bureau to rethink its forecasting procedures. Forecasting for the entire region had been directed by the Chicago office, but in the wake of this storm, responsibilities were distributed to regional centers to provide more timely and accurate predictions.  (A more in-depth description of this storm can be found at the following link:  http://www.weather.gov/arx/nov111940 )

• In 1982, as blizzard conditions raged across northern and western Minnesota, high winds struck the southeast portion of Minnesota. High winds tore the roofs off a trailer home in Wabasha county during the evening. Later that night winds up to 68 mph were reported at Mankato and 75 mph in Albert Lea. Meanwhile, in southwest Wisconsin, two to four inches of rain fell in 24 hours across parts of southwest Wisconsin. Hillsboro, WI received 2.41 inches of precipitation. This made it their wettest November day. The heavy rains led to some minor flooding and mudslides.

• In 1985, freezing drizzle developed across Iowa on the morning of November 10th and continued through the evening of Veterans Day. This created very hazardous driving conditions and many traffic accidents resulted. Harmony, MN received 9.5 inches of snow.

• In 1989, this day was the last of 16 consecutive days where a trace or more precipitation fell in La Crosse, WI. A total of 1.31" of precipitation fell during this period.
   
• In 2014, 2.7 inches of snow fell at La Crosse Regional Airport.  This made it their snowiest Veterans Day.
   
• In 2019, it was unusually cold across the region.  La Crosse WI had a high temperature was 25°F (2nd coldest only 1986 was colder with a high temperature of 21°F) and a low temperature was 11°F (3rd coldest).  The average temperature was 18°F (second coldest - only 1986 was colder with an average temperature of 12.5°F).  Rochester MN had a high temperature was 19°F (2nd coldest Veterans Day - only 1986 was colder with a high temperature of 17°F) and a low temperature was 5°F (tied with 1950 for the 3rd coldest Veterans Day).  The average temperature was 18°F (the second coldest Veterans Day - only 1986 was colder with an average temperature of 5.5°F).