Chances of rain, thunder, and snow dominate Thursday and Friday, and while Milwaukee enjoys a calm weekend, an active week of weather sets up for us on Monday.
Today: Thursday features a cool down and the return of thunderstorm chances for the Milwaukee area. A northwestern cold front makes this possible, pushing southeast towards Milwaukee in the afternoon. Before its arrival, Thursday morning looks to start off with partly cloudy skies and peek-a-boo sunshine. By late morning, clouds begin to fill in as the cold front approaches. Temperatures drop past the 50s in the morning to land in the mid- 40s at 3 p.m. Winds start from the north and turn to the northeast by the afternoon, all the while averaging 14 mph with gusts approaching 30 mph. Around 1 p.m., isolated showers begin to move into the Milwaukee area. Showers and isolated thunderstorms become more numerous into the evening with gusts possibly over 30 mph. No severe weather is expected out of this system but specifically in any isolated thunderstorm, expect heavy downpours and lighting with rumbles of thunder. For the general area, new precipitation amounts should be less than a tenth of an inch. If Milwaukee gets caught under a thunderstorm, there could be locally higher amounts.
Overnight: By 10 p.m., all rain chances come to an end, leaving overcast skies over Milwaukee for the remainder of the night. Temperatures dip overnight into the mid 30s for a low because of the passing of the recent cold front. Winds slowly ease to around 10 mph, and gusts should diminish.
Tomorrow: Friday is the start of much calmer weather for us. On Friday morning, a strong dome of high pressure starts to drop out of the northwest and heads toward Wisconsin. Before this comes however, a weak clipper system bisects Wisconsin from the northwest in the early afternoon. High temperatures Friday are not able to rebound much, only making into the upper 30s for an afternoon high. Winds primarily come out of the northeast throughout the day around 10 mph sustained; however, speeds start to decrease by the mid-afternoon. The clipper system’s front induces a 20% chance of isolated snow showers across the Milwaukee area. No accumulation is expected out of this system, so it shouldn’t cause any travel problems. By the evening and into the overnight hours, skies begin to clear as winds switch to east and become calm. Temperatures cool into the upper 20s for a low as the strong high pressure moves closer to Wisconsin.
Weekend: A nice weekend looks to be in store across the Milwaukee area. This is made possible by the strong dome of high pressure maneuvering around the state. We see temperatures range in the mid-40s on Saturday followed by low-50s on Sunday. Saturday starts off with mostly sunny skies and winds of 8 mph from the northwest. By the afternoon, winds switch to the west as the high pressure shifts south. By the evening and into the overnight, clouds fill back in. Winds turn to the south, ranging between 5-10 mph sustained. The high-pressure system starts to move off to the southeast of Wisconsin overnight Saturday. Sunday acts as a transition day for Milwaukee’s weather. Due to a low-pressure system moving closer, the fair-weather system that brought us a beautiful Saturday moves farther off to our east. Before that, Sunday features partly sunny skies and gusty south winds between 10-15 mph. Because of the next weather maker, overnight winds stay consistent, and skies become overcast.
Extended: Finally, Milwaukee could see high temperatures near 70 degrees on Monday. A stationary front sets up to the north of Milwaukee, making high temperatures skyrocket. Winds are on a bit of a roller coaster over the course of the day, but wind will primarily be out of the northeast between 5-10 mph. Skies are mostly cloudy, but a bit of sunshine may poke through in the late afternoon. Into the evening and overnight, winds increase slightly to around 10-15 mph sustained and turn to the east. Finally, clouds build back in ahead of other weather maker approaching Wisconsin on Tuesday.
