Day 2 of Milwaukee, MI (KMKE)

Wow, last night’s southwest wind and warm advection right ahead of cold front really overperformed, with a peak of 72F and 25 kt. There might be an error with the weather station though as it recorded a high of 70F between 06z and 12z despite being 72F at 06z. That won’t really affect the rankings though as almost nobody put a high >70F.

Much cooler, down to 52F now, with a shift to northerly winds and rain really getting going now. Only 0.23” so far as of 2145 UTC but that will increase a lot this evening with several hours of at least moderate rain moving in. Northerly winds are not that strong yet but they will gradually strengthen (though likely well under 25 kt) through tonight with continued cold advection leading to a steady cooldown, even after the rain stops after around 09z or so. Amount of rain left after 06z for day 2 is kind of tricky, but there could be moderate rain for the first 1-2 hours before tapering off. But any timing differences will lead to substantial precipitation differences. 

 

Source: RadarScope

Clouds mostly clear out tomorrow with drier air and still a north-northwest breeze, with enough of an offshore component to mitigate any Lake Michigan influence. Despite the sunshine, temperatures will be cooler than today with the much cooler air mass. But the sun will help mix down some of the winds aloft to the surface, though the winds aloft won’t be that strong. Note that the HRRR shows cooler, more moist low-level air that leads to a more persistent deck of low clouds that don’t really clear until late in the afternoon, leading to afternoon and evening temperatures of 5-10F cooler than other models. I don’t believe that, but might want to caution against going too warm in case clouds stick around for a bit longer. Low will be at the end (Thursday 06z) with all models indicating clear skies (except a few high clouds) and light northerly winds, though don’t expect rapid radiational cooling given the urban heat island and proximity to Lake Michigan. I didn’t realize the USL was running for Milwaukee at all yesterday but it should be available at the usual time today.

 

Source: PivotalWeather