Washington's Birthday is the official name for Presidents Day. This holiday is officially designated Washington's Birthday in Section 6103a of Title 5 of the United States Code. It is National Weather Service policy to refer to holidays by the names designated by law. The effort to rename the holiday Presidents Day, to honor both Washington and Lincoln, failed in the Congressional Committee. Federal law signed on June 28, 1968, specified that the federal holiday would retain the name Washington's Birthday. The Uniform Monday Act of January 1, 1971, established its observance on the third Monday in February (anywhere from February 15 through February 21). Prior to that (1880 to 1970), it was celebrated on February 22nd. Below are Washington's Birthday climate statistics for La Crosse, WI, and Rochester, MN.
La Crosse, WI:
The following statistics comprise 144 years of data. From 1880 through 1950, the data came from various locations in downtown La Crosse. Since 1950, the data has been gathered at La Crosse Regional Airport.
Washington's Birthday in La Crosse, WI (Period of Record 1880-2023) |
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1991-2020 Normals
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Records
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Maximum Temperature |
32 to 35°F
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Warmest High Temperature |
60°F
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February 16, 1981
February 22, 1930 |
Coldest High Temperature |
-4°F
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February 22, 1889
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Minimum Temperature |
14 to 16°F
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Warmest Low Temperature |
45°F
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February 20, 2017
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Coldest Low Temperature |
-21°F
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February 15, 2021
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Average Temperature |
23 to 26°F
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Warmest Average Temperature |
51.5°F
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February 20, 1917
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Coldest Average Temperature |
-10.0°F
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February 22, 1889
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Precipitation |
0.04 to 0.05"
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Wettest |
2.05"
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February 22, 1922
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Snowfall |
0.3 to 0.4"
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Snowiest |
9.0"
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February 22, 1928
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Snow Depth at 7 AM |
5"
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Greatest Snow Depth at 7 AM |
26"
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February 15, 1971
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The odds of having any precipitation at all on Washington's Birthday is 51.4% (74 out of 144). There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) precipitation on 41 (28.5%) Washington's Birthday and trace amounts (less than 0.01") of precipitation on 33 (22.9%) Washington's Birthday.
Since 1909, it has snowed on 54 out of 127 (42.5%) Washington's Birthday. Measurable snow (0.1" or greater) has fallen on 27 (21.3%) Washington's Birthday and a trace (less than 0.1") on 27 (21.3%) Washington's Birthday.
Since 1893, residents have woken up with measurable snow (1/2" or greater) on the ground 97 (74%) times, trace amounts (less than a 1/2") 6 (4.6%) times, and no snow 28 (21.4%) times.
In 2023 (February 20), the high temperature was 44°F and the low temperature was 19°F. A total of 0.04" of precipitation and 1" of snow fell. There was no snow on the ground and the average wind speed was 10.2 mph.
Rochester, MN:
The following statistics comprise 109 years of data. From 1887 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 Washington's birthday from 1889 to 1892, 1908, and 1921 to 1928.
Washington's Birthday in Rochester, MN (Period of Record 1887-2023) |
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1991-2020 Normals
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Records
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Maximum Temperature |
27 to 29°F
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Warmest High Temperature |
59°F
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February 22, 1930
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Coldest High Temperature |
-3°F
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February 15, 2020
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Minimum Temperature |
10 to 13°F
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Warmest Low Temperature |
42°F
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February 22, 1930
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Coldest Low Temperature |
-25°F
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February 22, 1936
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Average Temperature |
19 to 21°F
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Warmest Average Temperature |
50.5°F
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February 22, 1930
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Coldest Average Temperature |
-13°F
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February 15, 2021
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Precipitation |
0.03 to 0.04"
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Wettest |
0.81"
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February 20, 2017
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Snowfall |
0.3 to 4"
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Snowiest |
8.0"
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February 22, 1913
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Snow Depth at 7 AM |
6"
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Greatest Snow Depth at 7 AM |
21"
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February 15, 2010 |
The odds of having any precipitation at all on Washington's Birthday is 50% (54 out of 108). There has been measurable (0.01" or greater) precipitation on 33 (30.6%) Washington's Birthday and trace amounts (less than 0.01") of precipitation on 21 (19.4%) Washington's Birthday.
Since 1929, it has snowed on 41 out of 105 (39%) Washington's Birthday. Measurable snow (0.1" or greater) has fallen on 26 (24.8%) Washington's Birthday and a trace (less than 0.1") on 15 (14.3%) Washington's Birthday.
Since 1938, residents have woken up with measurable snow (1/2" or greater) on the ground 69 (77.5%) times, trace amounts (less than a 1/2") 9 (10.1%) times, and no snow 10 (12.4%) times.
In 2023 (February 20), the high temperature was 36°F and the low temperature was 11°F. 0.03" of precipitation and 0.7" of snow fell. There was no snow on the ground and the average wind speed was 15.3 mph.
The following weather events affected northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin on Washington's Birthday: