New Year… but same old January in Wisconsin! Lots of cold is in the forecast not only for this week, but next week too!

Flurries and even some scattered snow showers are possible today, mainly in the morning. Some of those flurries are developing because of the power plant in Portage. A quick dusting of snow will be possible. We likely already saw our high temperature of 32 degrees early this morning, afternoon temperatures will be in the upper 20s to near 30 degrees. Breezy winds from the northwest will bring back wind chills making it feel like the teens.

A weak clipper passes to our south Thursday afternoon bringing a few snow showers south of us towards northern Illinois. We’ll hold on to near-average temperatures for Thursday with highs near 30 degrees before another drop in temperatures arrives for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Highs get stuck in the 20s with lows in the single digits and teens. Wind chills will be single digits Thursday and Friday morning then going below zero for Saturday morning.

We’re still watching that system for Sunday night into Monday. The track of the low continues to sink south, which could leave us just dry and cold. There are some early indications that a lake-effect band could set up south of Milwaukee into Racine and Kenosha with winds turning northeast for a period of time. There’s plenty of time for better details to come.

WEDNESDAY: Snow Shower/Flurries, Mostly CloudyHigh: 32
Wind: WNW 10-20 mph

TONIGHT: Partly Cloudy
Low: 20
Wind: NW 10-15 mph

THURSDAY: Mostly Cloudy, PM Slight Snow Chance South
High: 30

FRIDAY: Mostly Sunny, Breezy
High: 24

SATURDAY: Mostly Sunny
High: 23

SUNDAY: Mostly Cloudy
High: 26

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MADISON – This game of catch up isn’t working for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team.

For the second straight game, a slow start laid the foundation to a Big Ten loss. Tuesday in a New Year’s Eve late afternoon matinee at the Kohl Center the Badgers didn’t have a basket in the first quarter when they fell behind by as many as 21 points.

The result was an uphill climb for the final 30 minutes and in the end a 59-50 loss to Minnesota.

The recipe for defeat included 14 turnovers, seven in each half. Wisconsin also got out-worked on the boards and continued to struggle to get opportunities from three-point range.

As a result the Badgers (10-4 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten) are searching for answers after getting off to the program’s best 12-game start in 15 years.

“It really starts in practice, everyone coming in hungry,” junior guard Ronnie Porter said. “Our last two games weren’t our best two games. Obviously you’ve seen from the beginning of the season until now a lot has changed and what we were good at we’re not doing now and it’s given us the results we’ve gotten these last two games.”

Wisconsin’s four-game winning streak over the Gophers snapped

Serah Williams, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, finished with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Porter posted 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists.

Minnesota (14-1, 2-1 Big Ten) never trailed. Three Gophers reached double figures including former Kettle Moraine standout Grace Grocholski, a 5-10 sophomore guard who finished with 12 points, went 2 for 5 from three-point range, and grabbed five rebounds.

Minnesota has played without standout Mara Braun (foot) but even without the 6-foot junior guard the Gophers had plenty of size inside and length across its lineup to make it difficult for Wisconsin to move the ball, get off passes cleanly and clean the boards as well as it would like.

“Honestly I think the biggest thing for us is we’ve killed people on the boards. We had four offensive rebounds (today)” Badgers coach Marisa Moseley said. “For us that is not our game. We’ve got to be able to go get second- and third-chance opportunities, getting to the free throw line.

“Starting down 19 points (after one quarter), you’re not going to win many games like that. I’ll take responsibility.  We’ve got to have better starts,”

At Indiana, the Badgers trailed by as many as 15 points in the first quarter before an 11-0 run allowed them to cut the lead to four. The Hoosiers led by 19 at the half.

Tuesday Minnesota enjoyed runs of 10 and 13 straight points in the first quarter. Wisconsin settled into the game in the second quarter, but never enough to pull closer than 13 points. The halftime deficit was 17.

UW had a few chances in the fourth quarter to pull to within 10 but the outcome was never in jeopardy down the stretch.

Cutting turnovers, increasing three-pointers key to improving

As Wisconsin tries to get back on track, two areas will be key.

* Turnovers. Williams finished with six to lead the Badgers for the second straight game. Porter had four for the second straight contest.

Williams has been getting smothered in the paint, which has caused her to attempt a lot of passes through traffic.

“I just think I’ve got to be more patient with it and see the thing develop,” she said.

* Three-point shooting: At one point this season the Badgers had a run of four straight games with at least 20 three-point attempts. Thursday marked fourth straight game they didn’t reach that mark.

UW had 12 attempts against Indiana, six less than its season average, and was on track for that total in the first half Tuesday before going 3 for 11 in the second half when they were playing catch up.

“We know how good we are and how good we can be,” Porter said. “These games just show us what we need to work on. We play in one of the best conferences in the country so it’s just about how we respond and be as one while respond.”

Upcoming Big Ten schedule filled with challenges

Porter isn’t kidding about the Big Ten.

Up next is a trip to west coast to face Oregon on Saturday and Washington on Tuesday. After that comes two games against opponents ranked in the USA Today coaches poll – vs. No. 7 Maryland Jan. 11 and No. 9 Ohio State Jan. 16 – before back-to-back road games at Nebraska Jan. 20 and Minnesota Jan. 26.

“You can’t ride that rollar coaster and be so high then get so low,” Moseley said. “We’ve got to find that midpoint to say, how do we dissect this and how do we get better.  

“We’ve got three months to figure this thing out. I told them that’s a lot of time and for us to continue to grow. We’ve made big leaps, but we obviously still have a long way to go to really become the team we want to become.”

Since New Year’s Day is the first of nearly a dozen federal holidays in 2025, some services — like mail delivery and Milwaukee’s public libraries — won’t be available.

But, despite the closures of some banks and the post office, many local stores will still be open.

Here’s what to know:

Are post offices open on New Year’s Day?

U.S. Postal Service (USPS) post offices will be closed and mail will not be delivered on New Year’s Day, the USPS told USA TODAY. The USPS will resume regular operations on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Are shipping services, like UPS and FedEx, available on New Year’s Day?

According to the UPS website, pickup and delivery services will not be available on New Year’s Day and store locations may also be closed.

FedEx pickup and delivery services will also be unavailable and locations will also be closed, according to the company’s website.

Are banks open on New Year’s Day?

Branches of Capital One, Bank of America, PNC, Truist and CitiBank, among others, will be closed, the banks confirmed to USA TODAY. 

Are federal and local government offices open on New Year’s Day?

Since New Year’s Day is a federal holiday, federal offices will be closed, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Wisconsin state government and Milwaukee city offices will also be closed.

Are local stores and other businesses open on New Year’s Day?

Most stores are open on New Year’s Day, though some have reduced hours.

For a list of grocery stores that are open, click here.

For a list of malls that are open, click here.

Are Milwaukee Public Schools open on New Year’s Day?

Milwaukee Public Schools will be closed on New Year’s Day, according to its districtwide calendar.

Are Milwaukee Public Libraries open on New Year’s Day?

Milwaukee Public Libraries will be closed on New Year’s Day, according to its website.

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