Severe weather outbreak likely this weekend in Wisconsin, forecasters say
Forecasters are watching what they say is a "classic" setup taking shape for a potential severe weather outbreak Saturday in Wisconsin.
As of Thursday, it appeared that all the ingredients for severe thunderstorms are likely to come together in the state.
Much of Wisconsin will be in the grip of a warm, humid, unstable air mass on Saturday. A cold front is expected to collide with that air and generate severe storms.
"There will be severe weather somewhere in the state of Wisconsin," on Saturday, said Aidan Kuroski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.
The big questions are where, when and how severe the storms will be, he said.
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The national Storm Prediction Center has placed much of western and west-central Wisconsin including Madison, La Crosse and Eau Claire, under an enhanced -- level 3 out of 5 risk -- for severe storms on Saturday.
Most of the rest of the state, including the Milwaukee metro, Green Bay, Appleton, Sheboygan and Fond du Lac, are under a slight — level 2 out of 5 — risk for severe storms.
"The atmospheric setup on Saturday could result in a dangerous severe weather event," said La Troy Thornton, a meteorologist with weather forecasting company AccuWeather, in a statement.
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Forecasters in the next 24 to 36 hours will be working to determine where they think the worst of the weather will occur and exactly when, Kuroski said.
"The main concern with this will be timing and how it all plays out," he said.
The heat index — what it actually feels like outside when the temperature is combined with moisture in the air — will be in the 95 to 100 degree range on Saturday, according to the weather service.
High wind, tornadoes, hail possible
It's possible that by the time any storms reach southeast Wisconsin, they will have lost much of their energy, especially if they arrive late Saturday night.
But they could also still pack a punch for the metro Milwaukee area, Kuroski said.
Damaging thunderstorm winds are the greatest risk but severe hail and tornadoes are also possible with any storms that develop, Kuroski said.
Anyone with outdoor plans for Saturday should pay attention to the forecast, he added.
Forecasters will be carefully monitoring the situation.
"It's a scenario where we are definitely going to be watchful," Kuroski said. "When you get a day like (Saturday), you could get some pretty (impactful) severe weather."
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.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Severe weather likely for Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Green Bay on Saturday
