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Milwaukee is on track to break heat records on Tuesday and Wednesday

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Milwaukee is on track to experience two days of record-breaking warm weather as a low pressure system also brings strong wind gusts.

The forecast high temperatures for Tuesday and Wednesday are over 20 degrees warmer than the late October Milwaukee average of about 55 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday's afternoon high is expected to be around 80 degrees, with temperatures further from Lake Michigan expected to be in the low 80s. This could easily rival Milwaukee's Oct. 29 record high temperature of 81 degrees set in 1937.

Overnight temperatures should only drop to 68 degrees, well above the average low of around 40 degrees. High temperatures of 78 degrees are expected in Milwaukee on Wednesday, matching or possibly breaking the city's Oct. 30 record of 78 degrees set in 1901.

“We have a low-pressure system developing in the plains and heading northeast into Minnesota,” explained Benjamin Sheppard, NWS meteorologist based in Milwaukee-Sullivan. “This has resulted in the winds from the south creating a very strong southerly feel, resulting in a rapid rise in temperatures.”

Why is it so windy in Milwaukee today?

In addition to the high temperatures, strong winds with gusts between 30 and 40 miles per hour are expected across southern Wisconsin over the next two days.

In Milwaukee, “we're just barely meeting our wind advisory criteria, but we're very close,” Sheppard said. Wind warnings are active in the southwestern part of the state, he continued.

Beaches in all Wisconsin counties along Lake Michigan, including Milwaukee County, are under a storm warning and a small watercraft warning through Wednesday afternoon. Click here to learn more about coastal warnings from NWS.

Sheppard explained the reason for the strong winds. In addition to the low pressure area heading toward Minnesota, “we have a migrated high pressure area to the east. The combination of high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west is creating some really strong southerly winds.”

When will it cool down in Milwaukee?

Fall temperatures will return Friday after a cold front moves in Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. High temperatures of around 65 degrees are expected in Milwaukee on Thursday before dropping to the upper 40s on Friday.

The cold front is also expected to bring rain and possible thunderstorms Wednesday evening into Thursday afternoon. NWS forecasts 35% precipitation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, rising to nearly 90% between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Thursday. Thunderstorms are usually expected between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Thursday. The rain should ease by the afternoon.

Wisconsin weather radar

Weather warnings for Wisconsin

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