Discover the Absolute Hottest Place in Wisconsin

Wisconsin isn’t generally viewed as a hot place, but one might just be surprised by how hot this midwestern state can get! Today, we are going to be looking at this steamy state in order to learn about the absolute hottest place within it. Let’s discover the hottest place in Wisconsin, plus learn a little about the geography and how that impacts the weather of the region.

The Hottest Place in Wisconsin

The hottest place in Wisconsin is the city of West Allis, with the highest number of days per year exceeding 90°F (16 on average) and the highest average maximum summer temperature.

West Allis is currently listed as the hottest city in the entire state of Wisconsin. There are a few ways to look at the data, but overall, West Allis is usually a chart-topper when it comes to hot and steamy weather. To begin, West Allis has the highest number of days per year that exceed 90°, a solid 16. Essentially, for nearly half a month each year, West Allis is hotter than 90°F.

Additionally, West Allis has an average summer high temperature of 82.4°F and an average summer minimum temperature of 61.1°F. This means that, on average, the daily high during the summer is 82.4°F, and the daily low is 61.1°F. These aren’t all that high when compared to some of the other states in the U.S., but they are plenty high to cause problems for humans and infrastructure.

Where is West Allis and Why is it So Hot?

West Allis is a city within Milwaukee County and a suburb of the more well-known city, Milwaukee. In fact, West Allis is technically considered part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, a little over 60,000 people live in West Allis, which means that at least that many people experience the extreme heat that sweeps through the area each year. The total land area of West Allis is 11.38 square miles, making it a relatively small city. The Root and Kinnickinnic Rivers travel through the area, although they don’t seem to be doing much as far as cooling goes.

Why is West Allis so hot? Well, it probably isn’t a single answer, but a combination of them. Wisconsin has five geographic regions: Lake Superior Lowland, Northern Highland, Central Plain, Western Upland, and Eastern Ridges & Lowlands. Milwaukee and its suburbs, including West Allis, are located within the Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region. As a general rule, the higher the revelation, the cooler the temperatures, something which will occasionally have an inverse effect. Since West Allis is located in the lower portions of the state, the lowlands, these regions are generally hotter than the areas to the west that are higher elevation and cooler.

On top of the elevation, the city of West Allis is a suburb of a large city, and is mostly covered in developed portions of land. Again, as a general rule, urban areas with high concentrations of development and limited greenery create isolated pockets of higher temperatures that can be between 1-7°F higher in the day.

When looking at the lower geography of the region, plus the increased concentration of urban development, it makes sense that a suburb of Milwaukee holds the record for the hottest place, on average, in the sate.

The Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded in Wisconsin

While West Allis holds the record for the hottest average place in Wisconsin, it isn’t the hottest single temperature ever recorded in the state. According to the National Weather Service (otherwise known as the NOAA), the hottest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was a balmy 114℉ in Wisconsin Dells on July 13th, 1936.

While this may seem a little crazy for a state so far north, it most definitely wasn’t something unique that was happening to the state. During that same period, there was a massive heatwave spreading across the nation that hit a few other states. That same year, twelve other states in the U.S. recorded their current highest temperatures of all time, which is about a quarter of all records. Most people today weren’t around to have experienced such an insane weather event, but that’s probably not an experience you seek out!