Dangerous wind chills expected across parts of Wisconsin; Milwaukee temperature has dropped 23 degrees since midnight
Wind chills across much of Wisconsin will fall into the dangerous category overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Milwaukee and other areas along Lake Michigan will be spared the worst of the cold, but areas away from the lake will see temperatures and wind chills plummet overnight, said Aidan Kuroski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.
The temperature at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport has already dropped 23 degrees Wednesday — from 40 degrees at 12:01 a.m. to 17 degrees at 11 a.m. — as arctic air sweeps across Wisconsin.
"It will likely keep dropping," before perhaps leveling off during the afternoon and then falling further overnight, Kuroski said.
"Frigid, arctic air in combination with west to northwest winds gusting from 15 to 20 mph overnight into Thursday morning will result in wind chills between -20 and -25 degrees over western and south-central Wisconsin," the weather service said in a statement. "Wind chills at this level can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes."
Wind chill advisories have been issued for the western two-thirds of Wisconsin roughly west of a line from Green Bay to Janesville.
None of this is unusual for Wisconsin in January, but folks still need to take precautions against the cold if they are going to be outside.
"This happens two to three times a year where we get these" air masses that sweep down from arctic regions and envelop Wisconsin, Kuroski said.
Friday morning could have coldest temperatures
Friday morning could be the coldest, temperature-wise, but the wind chills won't be as bad as the gusty northwest winds subside somewhat, Kuroski said.
Look for single-digit low temperatures in Milwaukee overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
The lowest temperatures will be just before sunup on Thursday, Kuroski said.
Anybody who is out early Thursday, especially children who are waiting for their school bus, will need to be bundled up against the cold.
"Maybe wait to go to the bus stop until the bus is there," Kuroski said.
Away from Lake Michigan, lows will likely be at or below zero. The overnight low for Waukesha is expected to be 1. The overnight low for Madison is forecast to be minus 2 and Wisconsin Dells is forecast to drop to minus 6.
Elsewhere in Wisconsin, in Wausau the overnight low on Wednesday into Thursday is forecast to hit minus 12, with wind chills in the minus 15 to minus 25 range.
Temperatures are expected to moderate somewhat on Saturday, but highs only in the teens for Milwaukee will return for early next week.
Light snow is possible in the Milwaukee area beginning Saturday and continuing through Tuesday, but the forecast remains very uncertain and any snow could miss us altogether, Kuroski said.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
Contact Joe Taschler at (414) 224-2554 or jtaschler@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeTaschler or Facebook at facebook.com/joe.taschler.1.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Arctic air hits Wisconsin; expect wind chills as low as -25 degrees
