Geography 321, Chapter 2: Environmental Settings of Madison

(http://www.city-data.com/forum/wisconsin/1836099-wisconsin-thoughts-midwest-high-speed-rail-4.html)

 Madison sometimes described as The City of Four Lakes: Lake Mendota ("Fourth Lake"), Lake Monona ("Third Lake"), Lake Waubesa ("Second Lake") and Lake Kegonsa ("First Lake"). The four lakes region was formed by the glaciers when they retreated about 13,000 years ago. Only Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are nearby and these lakes created Madison as Isthmus.

(Wikipedia)

Lake Michigan and Milwaukee is distanced more than 100 km east.

Madison has a humid continental climate hot summer with high humidity level [Dfa, Koeppen]. Although Madison has significant precipitation during summer, it still get moderate to occasionally heavy snowfall on cold winter.

Most of Vegetation around Madison is Grassland with Eastern Temperate deciduous forest. Majority of agriculture in south Wisconsin is very active and it is a part of "Corn Belt"