Record high temperatures on the way for Milwaukee, Madison
Milwaukee and Madison are expected to hit record high temperatures this week, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday, temperatures are forecast to reach 62 degrees in Milwaukee and 64 degrees in Madison, said meteorologist Denny VanCleve at the weather service in Sullivan.
The warmest it has “ever been” in Milwaukee on Dec. 15 is 55 degrees in 1891, he said. Madison’s record high for that date is 52 degrees in 2011.
A pretty strong low pressure system is coming through the region, VanCleve explained.
Ahead of that system, winds will gradually be turning southerly, especially Tuesday night into Wednesday.
“That’s expected to pull up a lot of mild and moist air into the area,” he said.
Leading up to Wednesday, temperatures in the Milwaukee and Madison areas will be gradually warming, VanCleve said.
“Plenty of sunshine” is expected for Monday with temperatures in the mid-40s and possibly reaching the upper 40s in some places, he said.
Tuesday will be in the mid-to-upper 40s and could hit 50 degrees in a couple of spots. At night, a warmer air mass will start to push in, which could result in temps near 50 degrees at daybreak Wednesday.
“Wednesday, we’ll have the warmest push of air into the area through the daytime hours,” VanCleve said.
VanCleve said there’s still time for details to change “given the timing of the front,” and the potential for clouds and light precipitation.
Clouds could increase Tuesday, and there’s a chance of light rain Tuesday night, he explained. Showers and a few thunderstorms are possible for
Wednesday.
Due to the warmer temperatures, the Dane County Sheriff ’s Office is urging people to stay off of thin ice forming on area waterways.
“Although ice has been forming on portions of area lakes throughout the week, the conditions are still unsafe for ice fishing and other activities,” a Sunday news release from the sheriff ’s office said.
The Madison and Milwaukee areas can expect a pretty strong cold front Wednesday night, VanCleve said, especially in the later hours. A secondary cold front will also be coming through later in the week.