


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI
Issued by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI
199 FXUS63 KMKX 010831 AFDMKX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 331 AM CDT Mon Sep 1 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Areas of fog possible (~20-30% chances in a given spot) through sunrise and once again tonight along & west of the Kettle Moraine. - Shower and storms likely (~60-80% chances) late Tuesday night through Wednesday along a cold front. - Below normal temperatures expected Wednesday night through the end of the week. - Additional periods of showers and isolated storms possible (~20- 40% chances) Friday. && .SHORT TERM... Issued 333 AM CDT Mon Sep 1 2025 Today through Tuesday: Synopsis/Mesoanalysis: A broad area of high pressure extends from the Saint Lawrence River west to the Upper Mississippi Valley this morning, maintaining clear skies and light surface winds across southern Wisconsin. Efficient radiational cooling has occurred in the presence of the clear skies and winds, with areas of mostly shallow ground fog having been noted in recent observations. Slightly deeper valley fog has developed from Sauk City west to Prairie du Chien, and is well-defined in current nighttime microphysics imagery. Areas of patchy ground fog, in addition to valley fog near the Wisconsin River, will continue through daybreak, with visibilities rapidly improving after sunrise. Well to the north of the region, surface observations show a nearly stationary surface front extending from the Hudson Bay into Saskatchewan. Even further northwest, water vapor imagery shows an upper trough along the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The trough is forecast to dig southeast today through Tuesday, dragging the currently stationary Hudson Bay - Saskatchewan surface front with it by Tuesday afternoon. The pair of features will continue to drive toward the international border Tuesday evening, reaching the Upper Mississippi Valley by predawn Wednesday morning. Shower and storm chances thus return to the forecast late Tuesday night, particularly along & north of US-151. Rest Of Overnight: Expect current trends showing areas of fog along/west of the Kettle Moraine to continue through daybreak. Similar to last night, forecast soundings show an extremely shallow layer of near-surface saturation outside of the immediate Wisconsin River Valley, which likely helps to explain the high variation in hour to hour visibilities being reported at impacted observation sites (JVL, UES, ETB, and MSN to name a few). Given these trends, don`t anticipate the need for Dense Fog Advisories through sunrise, but will nevertheless be closely watching surface ob & webcam trends. If < 1 mile visibilities become more prevalent outside of low-lying spots, Special Weather Statements may be considered. Slow down, use low beam headlights, and allow for extra following distance if encountering areas of ground fog through daybreak. Tonight: With largely unchanged surface conditions, expect another round of ground fog development along and west of the Kettle Moraine. Budget a few extra minutes of travel time if taking to the roads late tonight/early Tuesday morning. Tuesday Night: Shower and thunderstorm chances will begin to increase after midnight as the aforementioned upper trough and surface front begin to approach the region. Expect that the majority of precip potential will remain along and north of US-151, where proximity to the approaching features will be greatest through sunrise. Don`t currently anticipate any strong/severe storms in this activity given overnight timing, though storms could produce brief heavy downpours. Quigley && .LONG TERM... Issued 333 AM CDT Mon Sep 1 2025 Tuesday night through Sunday: A robust mid level shortwave trough over central Canada will swing across the MN/Ontario border Wednesday morning and bring us our first glimpse of Fall. Ahead of this wave, surface low pressure will develop over Ontario, and the associated cold front will approach northwest Wisconsin Tuesday and Tuesday night. We can expect increasing southerly winds ahead of this front. The cold front will cross southern WI on Wednesday, although the timing is uncertain. Showers and thunderstorms are likely along the front. If it is later in the day, there will be time for temps to reach 70s one more time, and also a potential for a few stronger storms. If it crosses in the morning, there will be less instability and weaker convection. Brisk northwest winds will usher colder air into the area behind the front Wednesday night into Thursday. Highs Thursday will be around 60. Another shortwave trough is expected to swing across MN and WI Thursday night and bring a reinforcing blast of cool air on gusty WNW winds on Friday. We should see some showers along this secondary cold front. The upper trough will begin to move out on Saturday, although a few light showers are possible before it completely exits. Cronce && .AVIATION... Issued 333 AM CDT Mon Sep 1 2025 Mostly SKC conditions prevail across southern Wisconsin early this morning. The combination of clear skies and light surface winds is leading to a favorable environment for another round of shallow FG development tonight, with several sites reporting visibilities at/below 1 SM as of 2:30 AM CDT. Similar to previous overnight periods, near-surface saturation is very shallow, leading to scattered FG pockets & highly variable fluctuations in VIS readings at any given location. Given these factors, have accounted for FG potential with TEMPO groups through daybreak at terminals along and west of the Kettle Moraine. FG will quickly dissipate after sunrise, allowing for the return of prevailing VFR conditions at all terminals. Currently VRB winds will become generally easterly this morning, with VRB conditions re-establishing after sunset. Given anticipated similar sky & wind conditions tonight, expect that additional FG development will be possible. Will address this potential with TEMPO groups in future updates as forecast trends clarify. Quigley && .MARINE... Issued 333 AM CDT Mon Sep 1 2025 1026 mb high pressure is centered over Lake Huron this morning, resulting in generally light northeasterly winds over the southern third of Lake Michigan, light/variable winds over the central third, and light/southeasterly winds over the northern third. This general pattern will persist into Tuesday morning as the broad area of high pressure slowly migrates into Ontario. South to southwest winds will become established late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night as low pressure of at least 1004 mb develops across Lake Superior. Said area of low pressure will slowly move east toward the Ontario-Quebec border Wednesday, dragging a strong cold front across Lake Michigan in the process. Gusty northwest winds will become established along and behind the passing front Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. Widespread gale-force gusts are not anticipated at this time, though forecast trends will be closely monitored through the beginning of this week. Winds are forecast to turn west- southwesterly Thursday afternoon and night as second area of low pressure develops across the western Great Lakes. Central pressure of the low, in addition to its precise location, remain a source of uncertainty at this time, with forecast trends being monitored through this week. Additional gusts in the 20-25 knot range will be possible during this time frame. The second area of low pressure will cross over or just to the north of Lake Michigan during the day on Friday, resulting in a northwest wind shift Friday night into Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms are likely along the advancing cold front Wednesday and Wednesday evening. Widespread severe thunderstorms aren`t anticipated, though a few storms could produce gusty winds. Forecast trends will also be monitored for waterspout potential during the day on Wednesday, particularly across the northern half of the open waters. Additional showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible ahead of the second low on Friday. Whether or not gusty winds or waterspouts will accompany this activity remains uncertain at this time. Light and variable winds continue in nearshore zones through Monday night with a broad area of high pressure lingering across the Great Lakes. Prevailing west-southwest winds will become established Tuesday night as low pressure develops across Lake Superior. The low will drag a front through the region Wednesday, bringing a gusty northwest wind shift and chances for showers and storms. Winds will briefly turn out of the west-southwest Thursday afternoon and night as a second area of low pressure forms across the western Great Lakes. Said low will pass over or just to the north of Lake Michigan on Friday, bringing additional chances for showers and isolated storms. Winds will shift out of the northwest once again Friday night into Saturday as low pressure shifts into Ontario. Periods of Small Craft Advisory conditions are possible Wednesday through Friday, with trends being monitored in the coming forecasts. Quigley && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. LM...None. && $$ Visit us at weather.gov/milwaukee Follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSMilwaukee www.x.com/NWSMilwaukee www.youtube.com/NWSMilwaukee