Wisconsin won’t get relief from extremely hot and humid conditions until at least Monday night, when storms will move across the southwestern part of the state.
The heat is likely to break records in several ways.
The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures will reach 97 degrees in Milwaukee today, which is the same record high for June 22 set in 1911.
“It’s going to be close. We could tie it, we could break it, we could be just short,” said NWS meteorologist Mark Gehring.
There’s another important measure called the record high minimum — essentially, the warmest low temperature of a 24-hour period. Madison broke its record for that metric yesterday.
In Milwaukee, that record was 73 degrees in 1921. The low temperature in Milwaukee this morning was 78 degrees, Gehring said, and setting a new record will depend on how much temperatures drop late tonight.
“There’s a very good chance that will happen,” he said of breaking that record.
That metric is important because it doesn’t allow people to cool down in the overnight hours, Gehring said, especially when homes without air conditioning are warmer than outside temperatures.
How to stay safe in extreme heat
It will stay hot and muggy well into the evening on Monday, Gehring said.
A heat advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. June 23 across Wisconsin for heat index values reaching up to 105 degrees. Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine counties are under an extreme heat warning until 7 p.m. tomorrow, with heat index values reaching up to 110.
The National Weather Service and health officials give the following tips to stay safe and cool.
Rain on the way, including severe weather potential
As extreme heat moves out, storms will roll in across southwestern Wisconsin, including over Madison by early Monday evening. The system will likely weaken before reaching Milwaukee.
Rain chances continue essentially every day for the rest of the week. Right now, models show storms are hovering to the north and west of the Milwaukee metro area.
“It’s close enough that if it shifts just a little bit (to the south), Milwaukee could get rounds of showers and storms through the week,” Gehring said.
Those storms could involve severe weather not far from Milwaukee, he said, including wind and hail damage.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin will see record-breaking heat through Monday night. How to stay safe and cool.
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
