textproduct: Milwaukee/Sullivan

KEY MESSAGES

- Mild and breezy conditions are expected Friday

- An east-west oriented, narrow band of accumulating snow is likely later Saturday morning through the afternoon. There remains some uncertainty with where exactly this band will set up.

SHORT TERM

Issued 1257 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Tonight through Friday night:

Mostly clear skies are likely tonight, as weak high pressure lingers in the area. Increasing temps aloft along with light southwest winds and some high clouds later in the night should result in low temps quite a bit milder than last night.

Much milder temps are expected Friday as southerly low level flow increases ahead of a low pressure system passing by well to the north. There should be enough sunshine to combine with the mild southwest winds for well above normal highs in the mid to upper 50s most places. Wouldn't be surprised by a couple 60 degree readings in the south/southeast forecast area tomorrow. The cold front associated with the low will move through late Friday afternoon and into early evening, resulting in temps returning to around normal for Friday night.

DDV

LONG TERM

Issued 1257 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Saturday through Thursday:

Models remain in good agreement showing an area of strong warm air advection and frontogenesis around 700 mb on Saturday, which should produce a relatively narrow east/west band of snow within the base of a quick moving trough. These situations are often tricky to pinpoint where the accumulating snow will set up, with north/south shifts likely in future model runs. 12Z deterministic solutions have this band anywhere from the WI/IL border to the northern forecast area. It's looking like a quick 1-3" of snow late morning through the afternoon wherever the band sets up on Saturday.

Mainly dry weather is expected Sunday and Monday as high pressure moves through the region. That said, the latest ECMWF and Canadian solutions have trended a bit farther north towards southern Wisconsin with snow chances Sunday night, so this is worth keeping an eye on. Colder conditions will persist Sunday behind the departing system, likely resulting in highs only topping out in the mid to upper 20s. Temps will begin to moderate Monday, with highs expected to reach the mid 30s most places.

Temperatures are expected to continue to climb through the middle of next week, with well above normal temps likely by Wednesday. Latest models suggest possibly a rain/snow mix on Tuesday, with dry weather Wednesday and rain chances Wednesday night into Thursday.

DDV

AVIATION

Issued 1257 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Clouds moving through the forecast area this afternoon may briefly touch MVFR north of I-94, but otherwise ceilings will be in the 6-10 kft range. Mostly clear skies are then expected this evening into tonight, with increasing high level clouds later tonight into Friday.

Southwest winds around 10 knots this afternoon will ease to around 5 knots for this evening and overnight. Southwest winds will then increase Friday ahead of an approaching shortwave and cold front. Gusts of 25 to 30 knot are likely late morning into the afternoon.

DDV

MARINE

Issued 1257 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Breezy southwest winds into this evening will gradually ease overnight under lingering high pressure of 30.1 inches centered over the northeast US. Southwest winds will then increase on Friday ahead of an approaching trough and associated cold front. Winds will become west to northwest Friday evening and overnight behind the passing cold front. A few gusts to gale force still look possible in the north Friday afternoon and evening. Overall though, forecast gusts are too borderline for a Gale Watch at this point. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the nearshore zones from late Friday morning through early Friday night. Breezy northerly winds are expected to linger through the weekend between departing low pressure an a strong approaching high.

DDV

MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WI...None. LM...Small Craft Advisory...LMZ643-LMZ644-LMZ645-LMZ646...10 AM Friday to 2 AM Saturday.