Coldest air of winter set to sweep across Wisconsin
The coldest temperatures of the season will arrive overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday, and some parts of the state could dip down into the minus 20s.
“It’s going to be really cold,” said Taylor Patterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.
In Milwaukee, the forecast calls for the temperature to hit minus 8 with a wind chill as low as minus 20 on Tuesday night. The high temperature on Tuesday is forecast to be 8 degrees in Milwaukee.
Waukesha is forecast to drop to minus 12 with a wind chill as low as minus 25 on Tuesday night. Waukesha on Tuesday will see a high of 7 degrees.
The frigid weather that is expected for Tuesday led the city of Milwaukee to close its three COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites at the Northwest Health Center, Southside Health Center and the Menomonee Valley for the day. Operations will resume Wednesday, with the Menomonee Valley site opening from noon to 6 p.m. Extra staff will be on hand to handle any increased demand from Tuesday’s closure.
Those seeking COVID-19 testing and vaccinations on Tuesday can search for alternate locations at HealthyMKE.com .
It’s probably not going to be cold enough to lead to widespread school closures. Many school districts use the Weather Service’s standard of a sustained wind chill of around minus 35 to minus 45 degrees or colder in deciding whether to close because of the cold.
Meanwhile, crews at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will be on alert and watching for anyone who might be returning from a trip only to find a dead battery in their car.
“We’re staffed 24/7” to help travelers with any cold-weather issues they may encounter, said Harold Mester, an airport spokesman. Crews offer complimentary jump start service for travelers who are parked in airport parking.
If your car won’t start and it’s in airport parking, travelers can return to the terminal and ask for help, Mester said. Airport parking customers can also call 414-747-4561 if they need help with a jump start or other cold weather issue.
It will be even colder in northern, central Wisconsin
“The coldest temperatures are going to be in the north woods and northwest Wisconsin,” Patterson said.
In Wausau, the temperature is forecast to plummet to minus 23 overnight on Tuesday. Combined with the wind, it will feel like minus 30, according the Weather Service.
That won’t set a record, but it will be in the neighborhood. The record low for Jan. 25 in Wausau was minus 31 in 1904.
Wausau is forecast to top out at 3 degrees on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Marshfield is set to hit minus 22 overnight Tuesday and Rhinelander is forecast to dip down to minus 24.
Anyone who has to be outside should prepare for the bitter cold, Patterson said.
“Definitely put on some extra layers,” of clothing, she said.
The nasty cold will not hang around long. By Thursday, winds will turn around and be out of the south, sending temperatures into the 20s across much of the state. It could approach 30 degrees in southern Wisconsin, Patterson said.
Mobile phone batteries do not like the cold
Car batteries aren’t the only things that don’t like working in the cold weather. It turns out mobile phone batteries see their performance slip when exposed to really cold temperatures.
“iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch work best at 32° to 95° Fahrenheit ambient temperatures,” Apple says on its website.
“When using your device in a very cold environment, you may notice a decrease in battery life, but this condition is temporary. Once the battery’s temperature returns to its normal operating range, its performance will return to normal as well.”
The extreme cold also tends to affect the batteries in electric vehicles, according to weather forecast company AccuWeather.