High pressure system will bring cooler than normal temperatures to Wisconsin this week

The beginning of the week will bring almost unseasonably cool weather to Wisconsin, with high temperatures hovering in the mid-70s.

That’s because of a high pressure system that’s moving into the area, explained National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Gehring.

“It’s coolest on Tuesday, and then it starts to move away just a little bit. The temperatures, the air mass starts to modify and warm up more,” Gehring said.

This type of high pressure system can happen any time in summer. Temperatures this week will be about seven or eight degrees below typical highs for mid-August, which are usually in the 80s.

But even that isn’t very unusual, and those temperatures are “within the range of typical variability for summer,” Gehring said.

The current forecast for Milwaukee shows a 76 degree high on Monday and 73 on Tuesday. It’s “gradually going to get warmer” the rest of the week, Gehring said, with a high around 76 on Wednesday, 78 on Thursday and 82 on Friday.

Those cool temperatures will affect all of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region, not just Milwaukee. The front could make it all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, Gehring said.

Another highlight of the forecast this week? No rain, unlike the heavy storms that Milwaukee saw last week.

“We’re going to have a dry week, which I think is welcome,” Gehring said. “It’s going to be a drier week and just nice, pleasant weather.”

Still, a beach hazards statement is in effect from Sunday morning until 10 p.m. Monday night, due to strong north winds.

High waves up to three to five feet and rip currents are possible. People should stay out of the water and avoid piers, jetties and breakwalls, the NWS says, and avoid fishing close to shore.