Wisconsin
Wisconsin lakeshore counties are under an air quality advisory until 11 p.m. Saturday
See the Canadian wildfire smoke over Milwaukee, as air quality worsens
Canadian wildfire smoke descended over Milwaukee in late June 2023, causing hazy skies and the quality of the air to be among the worst in the world.
Eight lakeshore Wisconsin counties are under an air quality advisory for potentially unhealthy ozone levels until 11 p.m. Saturday. Children, older adults, people working outside and those with lung or heart ailments are encouraged to take precautions for their health, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Here’s what to know:
Ozone advisory issued for eight counties, including Door, Milwaukee, Racine
The DNR issued an ozone advisory from 2 to 11 p.m. in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Door counties.
The DNR has advised that the air quality in all eight counties may reach the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” level before the warning subsides.
“People with lung ailments (such as asthma), heart disease, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors (including outdoor workers) should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion,” said a news release from the DNR.
How should people in sensitive groups take precautions during the air quality advisory in Wisconsin lakeshore counties?
It’s OK for people in the groups sensitive to the air quality at this level to be active outdoors, but take more breaks, the National Weather Service advises. Be sure to watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
People with asthma are also advised to keep quick-relief medicine handy, according to the NWS.
People with heart disease should contact their health care provider if they experience symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath or unusual fatigue. That may indicate a serious problem, the NWS said.
More: Summer prepares for a resurgence, with Southeastern Wisconsin temperatures climbing into the 90s
What is the Air Quality Index in Southeastern Wisconsin?
The Air Quality Index is broken into six colored categories on a 0-500 scale, and when readings get above 100, air quality becomes unhealthy for certain groups, according to a previous Journal Sentinel report. AN AQI level between 101 and 150 is in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” category.
Shortly after 3: 20 p.m., Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties had all reached that level. Milwaukee County was at an AQI level of 105, Racine was at 118 and Kenosha had reached 119, according to the Wisconsin Air Quality Monitoring Data map.
The other counties were at “Moderate” and “Good” levels at about the same time, according to the DNR map. However, they remain under an advisory as the potential remains for readings to rise. Ozaukee reached an AQI level of 86, and Sheboygan was at 87, the map showed.
Contact the reporter bfogarty@gannett.com.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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