Weather at Airventure

I'm thinking of going to Airventure for the first time. If I go, I'll be driving the RV up from California and camping at Camp Scholler. I'm trying to get a handle on what the weather is going to be like. Is it generally hot? Humid? Will leaving the windows of the RV open be enough to keep it cool? What about if I bring our dog? I don't want to run a generator all day for an air conditioner, but I don't mind if I just need to run it for a little bit to bring the temp down.

I tried searching the forums for weather, but as I'm sure you are aware most discussions of weather here have to do with flying. :)

Thanks
Cyrus

Cyrus, in many years going there, weather went from frost to rain down pours where my campsite had lake front property next morning, to temps to 100 and humidity almost unbearable. During the show, you will more that likely get caught in sever T storms, or hear occassional tornado alert. But then, that is all part of the adventure, why I keep going back.

Daily high temperatures are around 81°F, rarely falling below 71°F or exceeding 89°F. The highest daily average high temperature is 81°F on July 19.
Daily low temperatures increase by 2°F, from 61°F to 63°F, rarely falling below 53°F or exceeding 71°F. The highest daily average low temperature is 63°F on July 27.

In 30 years of attendance, the weather has been mostly 70%? Moderate and the other 30% has gone from the 30’s to the upper 90’s. I’ve been in hellacious t-storms and have been tornado warned.

So I plan for a wide variety of conditions.

I always take a long sleeve shirt and a pair of long pants, generally some type of jacket. Always keep a rain poncho with you, I usually keep a couple of the disposable ones with me at all times. Comfortable shoes, (lots of walking), a hat, sun screen and water bottles. I generally carry a mesh back pack to keep stuff in, but that's just the way I roll, I was a Boy Scout for many years, "Be Prepared", but don't burden yourself, it's supposed to be fun. In 2018 I brought a camper and a generator but never used it, I did use the long pants and shirt though. You can also get Electric and Water sites, but they cost more and sell out early, check the website.
Bob

Certainly got to be weather savvy. EAA is very good about keeping folks informed about potential severe weather. If weather is a possibility, you better assume you’re not going to make it back in time to batten down your site. Some of the squall lines move pretty darn fast and get pretty vicious. There are also days when it can get hot and humid. Dress for the weather and carry sun screen, a poncho, hat, sunglasses, aspirin for your sore and tired feet, and whatever you think will get you thru the day. I always have an extra pair of socks, bandaids for the inevitable blister and wear an evaporating cooling scarf. Guess we all need to add masks to the list too.

"What kind of weather can I expect at Oshkosh?"

Yes.

Seriously. The answer is just "yes." Short of actual snow or hurricanes, you should be prepped for mostly good summer weather (with the associated humidity and mosquitos), occasional bits of cool weather (I've definitely been downright chilly there)... but most of all you should be prepared for some nasty summer storms if you are camping.

If you intend to tent camp, and you are not adequately prepared, you (and all your stuff) WILL get soaked. If you do not adequately tie your stuff down, it will get blown across all of Camp Scholler.

It's a GREAT time as long as you come prepared for the eventuality of significant amounts of rain and wind. If you aren't prepped for that, a great time turns soggy and kinda miserable pretty quickly.

Good point for the new comers. Fortunately one can usually see the weather coming from a fair distance. Everyone typically heads for hard shelters - the exhibit buildings and the like, especially if there is bad lightning or winds to wait it out. With social distancing in play somebody is literally going to be left out in the rain.:eek:

When it rains there are areas of AV that turn into mud bogs pretty quickly. The grounds are mostly clay and generally don’t drain well. So chose your campsite carefully. Foot and vehicular traffic can make for localized messes. The facilities guys try their best to keep up especially if the rains are really heavy. Vehicle and aircraft parking takes real hits if the grounds get too saturated.

I'm in the middle of moving back into my office after it was just repainted, so I have not gotten my NAS back up and running, but when I do, I'll post some pics of Mudkosh 2019. I spent a good portion of the weekend prior to Oshkosh, and honestly, many of the evenings the rest of the week, yanking people out of the mud with my truck. It was comPLETELY covered in mud. I'm forever thankful that I rented a camper for 2019, because my site was under at least 1.5 of water from Saturday through much of Wednesday. I didn't even bother with shoes. It was a hilarious mess! :D

Edited to add: I spent $20 in quarters at the coin-op carwash north of the airport. The amount of mud I sprayed off just made me laugh. I left quite a mess in that wash bay.

Tonight's forecast: Dark with increasing light toward morning. That's the one thing you can bank on. Otherwise you can expect sun, rain, wind, heat, humidity, and cooler evenings, sometimes all in one day.
Ref the rain at KOSH: It doesn't just sprinkle lightly either; it rains buckets, almost like south Florida. You'll look like you fell in the lake if you venture outside.

Very few people know this but "Oshkosh" is actually a combination of two Native American words "osholaka" and "koshnan" which loosely translate to "No Shade" and "Gonna Rain". Dress accordingly.

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Originally Posted by CHICAGORANDY

Very few people know this but "Oshkosh" is actually a combination of two Native American words "osholaka" and "koshnan" which loosely translate to "No Shade" and "Gonna Rain". Dress accordingly.

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You had me for a second... had to look that up! :D

About running your generator. There a some guidelines that the EAA has at: https://www.eaa.org/airventure/plan-...ler/guidelines
Some people ignore these.

Generators

• No generators will be operated between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. (except in designated 24-hour use area).
• All camping units in 24-hour generator area must be positioned perpendicular to fire lanes. Fire lanes are marked as burn lines in the grass or with signage.
• No tents are allowed in the 24-hour auxiliary power area.

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Originally Posted by SteveCostello

You had me for a second... had to look that up! :D

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I 'live' by my signature line - lol - "Don't believe everything you see or read on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln

Being that the convention is held on planet earth, there’s no telling what the weather will be.
From: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/we...peratures.html

But it was during the July heat wave of 1995 that the highest dew point of all was measured in the Upper Midwest: 90° at Appleton, Wisconsin at 5 p.m. on July 13th of that summer. The air temperature stood at 101° in Appleton at that time leading to a heat index reading of 148°, perhaps the highest such reading ever measured in the United States.

I don’t think there’s any way to prepare for that.

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Originally Posted by CHICAGORANDY

Very few people know this but "Oshkosh" is actually a combination of two Native American words "osholaka" and "koshnan" which loosely translate to "No Shade" and "Gonna Rain". Dress accordingly.

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I have never had the pleasure of meeting you, Randy, but I don't believe a word that you said. ;) :D I do hope to meet you during my fourth, and probably final, trip to Osh.

I have believed for a long time that it's a Wisconsin state law that it has to rain at least once during the convention.

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Originally Posted by SteveCostello

"What kind of weather can I expect at Oshkosh?"

Yes.

Seriously. The answer is just "yes." Short of actual snow or hurricanes, you should be prepped for mostly good summer weather (with the associated humidity and mosquitos), occasional bits of cool weather (I've definitely been downright chilly there)... but most of all you should be prepared for some nasty summer storms if you are camping.

If you intend to tent camp, and you are not adequately prepared, you (and all your stuff) WILL get soaked. If you do not adequately tie your stuff down, it will get blown across all of Camp Scholler.

It's a GREAT time as long as you come prepared for the eventuality of significant amounts of rain and wind. If you aren't prepped for that, a great time turns soggy and kinda miserable pretty quickly.

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All the above is true. Just enjoy and remember it will get better!

Thanks for the info everybody. Out of curiosity, what are the evenings and nights like? Does it usually cool down?

Do your dog a favor and leave it home with a friend, neighbor or relative. Apart from being half way across the country, in an unfamiliar environment, AirVenture is a pretty hostile environment for a dog's sensitive hearing. If you leave him in the camper, it's seperated from you anyway. Dragging it along with you on the show grounds is very imposing on other attendees and only puts you dog in closer proximity to the noise. Don't get me wrong. I have been a dog owner all my life. I love my dogs but in over 40 conventions I have never felt the need to bring my pets along.
Something no one else has mentioned....mosquitos, and not the British variant. Some repelant would be advisable.
......and a second set of keys to your vehicle, secreated away somewhere safe on the frame of your vehicle.
Some evenings can require a warm jacket to fend off the cool air, and the next night you might wish for a fan to cool you off.

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Originally Posted by dclaxon

I have believed for a long time that it's a Wisconsin state law that it has to rain at least once during the convention.

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It is a law of nature. I flew to OSH at the end of July this year, as a fueling stop between Traverse City and Peoria. I asked the Basler guys about what it was like without AV this year. I was told that they had their Wednesday Thunderstorm, just like always.

Regarding dogs. I have to agree about leaving the dog in the trailer. Not a good idea. I also understand that you are on a long trip and want to have the dog with you. There are many kennels/dog boarding facilities in the OSH area. I strongly recommend that you look into boarding them for the time you are at AirVenture. Your dog will appreciate it and you will have a better time not worrying about your pet.

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Originally Posted by Mayhemxpc

It is a law of nature. I flew to OSH at the end of July this year, as a fueling stop between Traverse City and Peoria. I asked the Basler guys about what it was like without AV this year. I was told that they had their Wednesday Thunderstorm, just like always.

Regarding dogs. I have to agree about leaving the dog in the trailer. Not a good idea. I also understand that you are on a long trip and want to have the dog with you. There are many kennels/dog boarding facilities in the OSH area. I strongly recommend that you look into boarding them for the time you are at AirVenture. Your dog will appreciate it and you will have a better time not worrying about your pet.

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A slightly different viewpoint. We are guardians of a Boston mix and a Doxie; both 15 yrs old. We've taken them with us through all types of trips, including staying in our motorhome in Sleepy Hollow. I fully appreciate the issues about the noise, but we feel better staying in Sleepy Hollow, since it's a bit more removed from the flightline. The Boston mix has been our constant companion since he was 4 wks of age. He cannot stay under the care of someone else due to separation anxiety issues. We used to board him at a nice person's house just down the street from us. She's a professional groomer / boarder and is loved by guardians as well as the canines. But for the last 5 years or so, Mo (the Boston) just sits and shakes the entire time we're gone now, and thats with industrial strength anxiety meds. Stares out the window and doesn't eat. It's heartbreaking. We have no idea what caused this transformation. They cannot stay with our kids as one is an ATC controller with weird shifts and stairs (which have messed up the Doxie's back in years past.) #2 son has a daughter who lives in a figurative bubble and who is allergic to dogs and many other common foods. Hmm..... that sounded kinda like, "Let's eat Grandma!" as opposed to "Let's eat, Grandma!"

I would not stay in Scholler because of a lack of electrical power for the a/c. We keep the TV on and the a/c running. We have the Waggle temperature monitor with alert functions and as-desired monitoring. We stop in to walk and tend to them during the day. They are thrilled to be there with us and relax as if they're in the living room at home.

Some folks would say they're too much trouble; for us they're just part of our daily routine and make it work.

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Originally Posted by CyrusL

Out of curiosity, what are the evenings and nights like? Does it usually cool down?

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The temperature is the least of your concern as the sun goes down. Mosquitos are the national bird of Wisconsin.

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Originally Posted by mc20

The temperature is the least of your concern as the sun goes down. Mosquitos are the national bird of Wisconsin.

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And yet ..... we keep returning every year! I'll be driving from CA, bringing my Dog this year. I teach fabric covering for Stewarts Systems so I camp near the Ripple exit so I can zip over where I teach in the ultralight area. My wife won't be on the grounds the all day, so she will be in and out of the motorhome with our dog; AC during the day when the doggie is on her own. This will be our second Osh with a dog; worked fine the first time.
Marty57

Will it rain... YES, Will it be dry... YES, Will it be hot... YES, Will it be cold... YES. I believe the only weather not seen at OSH during Airventure is snow.

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Originally Posted by Pnancoz

I believe the only weather not seen at OSH during Airventure is snow.

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Don't say that out loud!

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Originally Posted by mc20

The temperature is the least of your concern as the sun goes down. Mosquitos are the national bird of Wisconsin.

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That said, I have noticed over the past half dozen years or so that the mosquitos are much less of a problem than they were, say 10 years ago. I think that there must be some very effective mosquito abatement procedures in place at Oshkosh.