February would bring a short break from the cold starting on the 2^nd with 3 consecutive days with highs in the 40s. Temperatures took another tumble after that, averaging below normal on 18 of the remaining 24 days. The average temperature for the month of 16 degrees was 6 ½ degrees below normal. It was a wet February. Measurable precipitation fell on 14 days, well over the average of 8 and tied for 4^th most in a February. Snow came often and was plentiful. There was an inch or more on 8 days (a record for February), with 3 inches or more on 4 of those (also a February record). The monthly total of 31.1” just barely beat out 1959’s 31.0” for the snowiest February on record – which also placed it as the 7^th snowiest month for La Crosse.

The February cold continued through the first week of March. The average temperature for the first 7 days was only 8.9 degrees which made it the 3^rd coldest first week for a March. Temperatures would moderate after that, mostly holding at or above normal. Still, the cold start left the average temperature for the entire month over 4 degrees below normal. Precipitation for the month was right around normal, but all of that fell within the first half of March. After the 14^th, no measurable precipitation fell in La Crosse. Snowfall was about an inch below normal, with 3 days accounting for all of the monthly total.

April was fairly typical for a spring month with cold and mild stretches. For instance, highs were in the 60s and 70s for the 6^th through the 9^th, but then didn’t reach 40 on the 10^th through the 13^th. Overall, highs were in the 30s and 40s on 8 days (normal) and in the 70s and 80s for 6 days (1 day above normal). The last freeze of the spring came on the 28^th (low of 31 degrees), right around when that usually occurs. Precipitation was normal for April, but mostly came in small amounts here and there. Measurable precipitation fell on 15 days, tied for 9^th most in an April, but less than ¼ of an inch fell on 12 of those. The last snowfall for the 2018-19 would fall on the 27^th with 0.3” – well past the average of April 4^th for the last snowfall in a season and tied for 12 latest in La Crosse. 

Snowfall for the 2018-19 season (July through June) was 64.3 inches, 12^th highest on record for La Crosse.

May continued the cold start to 2019 averaging 2 degrees below its normal. That said, there were no significant cold stretches, or warm for that matter. Temperatures were below normal on 18 days but still managed to reach 80 degrees or warmer on 5 days, even climbing to 90 on the 31^st. It was a wet month, with the rainfall having a hand in keeping May on the cool-side. There were 13 days with measurable precipitation with generally no more than a few days in between rainfall. Over an inch fell on 4 of those days – a record for the month (tied with 1908).

August would kick off with a week’s worth of warmth, but temperatures would then cool down to hover right around the August normals for the rest of the month. On the whole, the monthly average was close to a typical August for La Crosse.  August would also dry out after the soggy start to the summer that June and July brought. There were only 7 days with measurable precipitation (average is 10) with none of those days accumulating more than ½ inch. The monthly total of 1.66 inches was over 2 ½ inches below normal.

September got the traditional fall months off to a warm and wet start. Temperatures climbed to 80 degrees or greater 14 times, with the last 90 degree day of 2019 coming on the 30^th (91). Highs didn’t reach 70 on only 4 days, tied for 5^th least for a September in La Crosse. In addition, low temperatures never cooled into the 40s for only the 3^rd time on record (2016 and 1884 are the other years). Overall, the average temperature of 69.1 degrees was over 6 degrees above normal and made it the 2^nd warmest September on record. The warmth was also more reminiscent of what one would expect for the start of summer, not the start of fall. Rain returned in earnest in September. Measurable rains fell on half of the days (tied for 10^th most in a September) with 6 of those recording at least ½ inch (tied for 6^th most). There were 6 consecutive days with measurable rains from the 8^th through 13th with generally no more than a few dry days between wet ones.

November kept the cold trend going, more so for the first half of the month. Through the 15^th the average temperature was only 28.9 degrees, tied for the second coldest 1^st half to a November on record. Highs couldn’t warm out of the 20s and 30s on 17 days for the entire month (average is 12) with the first single digit low of the new winter season on the 8^th (9 degrees – well ahead of the average of Nov 30^th). The second half of November saw the return of more seasonable to mild temperatures with only one colder than normal day after the 15^th.  Like the previous two fall months, November continued the wet trend although not nearly as soggy as September and October. Measurable precipitation fell on half the days, tied for 5^th most in a November. Amounts were light most days, recording less than 1/10 of an inch on 9 of those. The first accumulating snow for the 2019-2020 snowfall season came on the 6^th. While this was within a few days of when measurable snows usually fall in La Crosse, the 4 ½ inch total was the 4^th most for a first measurable snow on record.

For the fall months (Sep-Nov) over 14 inches of precipitation fell with the 14.36” total making it the 5^th wettest on record for La Crosse,  

December would end 2019 on mild note with 22 out of the 31 days above normal. The latter half was particularly mild with temperatures averaging 32.9 degrees from the 19^th through the 31^st – the 8^th warmest for a December at La Crosse. Despite finishing right around its normal for precipitation, it was a fairly dry month. There were only 4 days with measurable precipitation through the 27^th, with 2 days of rain on the 28^th and 29^th then accounting for about 70% of the monthly total. Snowfall suffered as a result of the lack of wet days and mild conditions. There were only 5 days with measurable snow in La Crosse with only 2 of those accounting for more than an inch.