In early August, Botham Vineyards owner Peter Botham looked out over his fields and panicked. The long, cool summer had stalled his grapes' journey to ripeness. He faced losing a lush crop.

"The cold weather slowed things down," he said. "It could have been a total disaster."

But as is weather's way, it turned. The sunny, dry days of early September offered salvation and propelled the fruit - first harvested Wednesday - toward what Botham expects to be greatness.

The summer of 2009, which fades into autumn next week, will go on record as Wisconsin's seventh coldest in the last 115 years, according to the National Climatic Data Center. In fact, Madison had the coolest July ever - the mean temperature in Madison for the month was 65.7 degrees, breaking the previous July record of 66.7 degrees set back in 1891, according to Chris Franks, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan.

The chill brought relief for utility customers, a mixed result for tourist spots and headaches for farmers.

Customers' electric bills for June, July and August were nearly 11 percent lower this summer compared to last year, said Steve Kraus, spokesman for Madison Gas and Electric.

The verdict is still out on the area's corn crop yield, but the summer delayed maturation.

"At the UW-Madison's Arlington Research Station UW-Madison. it has been the coolest growing season on record," said Joe Lauer, an agronomy professor and the UW Extension's corn specialist. "But the story isn't done yet."

Meantime, area water parks lost business on chilly Saturdays but tourists still shopped and patronized restaurants.

Cool and dry

Assistant State Climatologist Edward Hopkins said Wisconsin hasn't been alone this summer.

"Much of the Midwest and northern Plains had much below average temperatures," he said.

The summer also has been dry. Statewide, it was the 21st driest summer since 1895, Hopkins said.

"Only southwestern Wisconsin had above-average summer precipitation, as a large section of the state had between half and three-quarters of the normal precipitation totals," he said.

Farmers were concerned about the cool summer, he said, because the number of hot days good for growing was below normal by Aug. 1. But the last few weeks of warm and sunny days helped crops, he said.

Franks said a trend in one season does not necessarily carry forward into others.

"We are still seeing El Nino conditions in the Equatorial Pacific, which tends to bring Wisconsin a slightly warmer winter," Franks said.

Typically, the warmer winter temps during El Nino years bring less snow to Madison and Milwaukee, averaging out to about a 20 percent reduction in snowfall for El Nino winters in southern Wisconsin, Franks said.

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