Milwaukee, WI

Scattered thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the Milwaukee area Sept. 3

Published

5 days ago

September 3, 2026

Press Room

Scattered thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the Milwaukee area Sept. 3

Scattered severe thunderstorms are impacting the Milwaukee area Thursday, Sept. 3.

National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings across southern Wisconsin beginning before 8 a.m. A brief severe thunderstorm impacting northern Milwaukee County, northeastern Waukesha County, southwestern Ozaukee County and southeastern Washington County moved east, clearing out of the area by around 9 a.m.

A flash flood warning for northern Milwaukee County, southwestern Ozaukee County, southeastern Washington County and southwestern Waukesha County remained in effect until 12:15 p.m.

As of about 9:30 a.m., more than 16,000 utility customers were without power in southeastern Wisconsin, according to We Energies’ outage map.

Marcia Kronce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan, said brief, rapidly developing storms are a hallmark of the week’s weather, with high levels of moisture in the air and temperatures in the upper 80s.

“We’re just stuck in a pattern where we’re extremely hot and very humid,” Kronce said.

She said Milwaukee is at the edge of the area that has been experiencing the high heat and humidity – and storms tend to develop right along that boundary line.

“It’s so juicy of an environment that we can get storms pop up randomly,” she said.

Heavy rain and downbursts – pockets of powerful winds that hit the ground during a storm – are expected to continue throughout the morning across southern Wisconsin, but should move out around noon or 1 p.m., Kronce said.

After that, thunderstorms will likely pop up again in the evening.

“We’re not exactly sure where, but they’re going to probably be in a line and then evolve in to a slow-moving cluster of storms through the overnight hours,” Kronce said.

As a result, there is a possibility for some flooding overnight Thursday into Friday, Sept. 4.

Kronce said southern Wisconsin’s hot, humid pattern is not leaving yet; however, there should be a reprieve over the weekend.

“Looks like our high will be around 80, instead of like 86, 87,” she said. “It’s still going to feel humid, but maybe not this humid.”

Kronce advised people to stay up-to-date with weather alerts, particularly throughout the day Thursday into Friday morning. She said it’s helpful for people experiencing severe weather to send reports to the National Weather Service, which can be done on a web-based form, via email, the National Weather Service’s smartphone app or through social media.

This story has been updated with new information.

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee School Board urges rejection of We Energies rate hikes

Published

50 minutes ago

September 8, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee School Board urges rejection of We Energies rate hikes

The Milwaukee School Board is calling on officials to deny plans by We Energies to raise utility rates over the next two years.

The proposed rate hikes – about 14% by 2028 for residential users – would impact Milwaukee Public Schools families, School Board President Missy Zombor said, along with the school district itself.

At a meeting Sept. 8, school board members unanimously backed Zombor’s resolution, which directs MPS administrators to determine the potential budget impact on the school district and formally oppose the rate hike plan.

“Our students and families are directly impacted by the rate hikes,” Zombor said. “They shouldn’t have to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.”

We Energies can’t raise rates without approval from the Public Service Commission, a regulatory board of three governor-appointed commissioners tasked with protecting the interests of both energy customers and utility company investors. All three current members were appointed by Gov. Tony Evers.

The school board’s resolution is meant to add pressure on the commission to scrutinize the proposal amid growing public opposition to the rate hike plan.

Under the plan, We Energies would invest in alternative energy sources while seeking a 9.9% profit rate in 2027 and 2028. The Citizens Utility Board, which represents utility customers, is calling to reduce that margin to 9.1%, saving customers about $200 million over the next two years, according to Executive Director Tom Content.

The Milwaukee Common Council previously passed its own resolution against the rate hikes in May, in defense of low-income residents. The We Energies proposal would add about $22 to a typical residential customer’s monthly bill, which currently totals about $143.

For Milwaukee Public Schools, the rate hikes could also have a hefty impact on the district’s own budget, as We Energies is also proposing hikes for commercial and industrial consumers.

“Every dollar we spend on increased utility costs is less money that can go directly to the classroom,” said Zombor, adding that WEC Energy Group’s 2025 profit of $1.6 billion was larger than MPS’ annual budget. “When a company is generating profit on that scale, it’s fair to ask why our parents and public schools should be asked to pay more.”

MPS gets all of its electricity from We Energies, a total cost of about $12.8 million for the 2025-26 school year, according to Interim Chief Operating Officer Mike Turza. MPS also gets about a fifth of its natural gas from We Energies, he said, and has budgeted about $5.1 million for natural gas in its 2026-27 budget.

MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius spoke in support of the resolution and said she would “encourage We Energies to tighten their belt the way we are.”

The discussion comes as many residents are calling on MPS to expand air conditioning in its schools – a project that would come with annual utility costs. Zombor said the potential rate changes make it more difficult to take that on.

“We’re trying really hard to find ways to increase the availability of air conditioning in our schools and this is going to make it even harder to afford that necessity moving forward,” Zombor said.

The Public Service Commission is expected to rule on the We Energies plan by the end of 2026. Anyone can submit a comment to the commission online until Sept. 18.

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Milwaukee, WI

41-year-old killed in Milwaukee shooting on city’s north side

Published

11 hours ago

September 8, 2026

Press Room

41-year-old killed in Milwaukee shooting on city’s north side

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police are investigating a shooting that left a 41-year-old dead in the Washington Park neighborhood Monday night.

The shooting happened around 9:15 p.m. near 37th and Brown streets. According to police, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said an investigation into what led up to the shooting and the search for known suspect(s) are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 TIPS.

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Milwaukee, WI

Water main failure causes flooding concerns for Milwaukee neighbors on 38th and Helena

Published

21 hours ago

September 8, 2026

Press Room

Water main failure causes flooding concerns for Milwaukee neighbors on 38th and Helena

MILWAUKEE — A water main failure near 38th Court and Helena Street sent water bubbling up from the ground over Labor Day weekend, raising concerns among neighbors about potential flooding.

The issue first appeared Friday and continued intermittently through the weekend.

“I have never in my life seen anything like this before,” neighbor Dennis Devoy said.

Neighbor Roy Chisley said the situation had been ongoing for several days.

Chisley said his biggest worry was water reaching his basement.

“I’m hoping it doesn’t get downstairs in my basement; that’s the problem, and I think everybody else has the same problem, worried about the water running in their basement,” Chisley said.

Large crews spent hours on Labor Day draining water, digging down to the broken main, and removing debris.

Milwaukee Waterworks said the water main under the street was already the site of a planned replacement. While crews were working to install the new pipe, the existing one failed, causing the water to bubble up from the ground.

Devoy said neighbors had hoped an earlier repair attempt had resolved the issue.

“They thought that they had fixed it and then this happened today again,” Devoy said.

Water access was cut off Monday night, impacting those who rely on the main. Milwaukee Waterworks expected repair work to be completed by Tuesday morning.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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