Milwaukee, WI
Thunderstorms in the forecast as Milwaukee enters its second day of record-warm temperatures
A view via drone of the Lake Michigan lakefront in Milwaukee
Check out the view from a drone of the Lake Michigan lakefront just north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee.
Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After temperatures in the 80s on Tuesday, Milwaukee will continue closing out October with summer-like weather on Wednesday and into Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service, both Milwaukee and Madison tied their Oct. 29 high-temperature records on Tuesday, recording highs of 81 and 82 degrees, respectively. The records for both cities were set in 1937.
Milwaukee is on track to hit another record on Wednesday, with an early afternoon high of around 78 degrees in the forecast and temperatures close to 80 further from Lake Michigan. Milwaukee’s Oct. 30 record high of 78 degrees was recorded in 1901. The city’s average late-October highs are more than 20 degrees colder at around 55.
As for the reason behind this week’s unseasonably warm weather, Milwaukee-Sullivan NWS meteorologist Benjamin Sheppard said, “We have a low pressure system developing out in the Plains and tracking northeastward into Minnesota. What this has done is it has created a very strong southerly wind feel to winds from the south, and that’s causing the temperatures to rapidly rise.”
Along with the unusual heat, the system has brought with it high winds and likely overnight thunderstorms. Here’s what to know.
Why is it so windy in Milwaukee today?
Tuesday’s high winds are expected to continue in southern Wisconsin over the next two days, with gusts up to 35 mph on Wednesday and up to 40 mph on Thursday in Milwaukee.
Beaches in all Wisconsin counties along Lake Michigan, including Milwaukee County, are under a Gale Warning through 1 p.m. Friday and a Small Craft Advisory through Thursday morning. Click here to learn more about coastal warnings from NWS.
In addition to the low pressure system heading toward Minnesota, “we have a departed high pressure system to our east. The combination of high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west is driving some really strong south winds,” Sheppard explained.
Southern Wisconsin thunderstorm forecast
Moderate-to-heavy rainfall and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast across southern Wisconsin Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.
In Milwaukee, precipitation chances begin to rise around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, peaking between 1 and 6 a.m. on Friday. Rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch are in the forecast, with rain totals higher in thunderstorms, NWS says. Rain is expected to taper off in Milwaukee by Thursday afternoon.
Thunderstorms are most likely in the Milwaukee area between 1 and 9 a.m. on Thursday. Throughout southern Wisconsin, NWS says some “strong to severe” storms are possible, potentially bringing damaging winds and “even a tornado or two.” The heaviest rain and most severe storm threat will mainly be in the Madison area and further west, the weather service said.
When will things cool back down in Milwaukee?
More typical fall temperatures will return Friday after a cold front moves in with the storm. Milwaukee is expected to see a high of 65 degrees around 10 a.m. on Thursday before temperatures drop to the upper 40s by the evening.
A high of 51 degrees is in the forecast on Friday for Milwaukee.