766  
FXUS63 KMKX 010817  
AFDMKX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI  
217 AM CST THU JAN 1 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- BELOW ZERO WIND CHILLS LINGER THROUGH THIS MORNING.  
 
- LIGHT DUSTING TO HALF AN INCH OF SNOW POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
 
ISSUED 215 AM CST THU JAN 1 2026  
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT:  
 
WE RING IN THE START OF 2026 WITH SUB-ZERO WIND CHILLS WITH  
NEGATIVE TEENS UP ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL WI THROUGH DAYBREAK. THESE  
BRISK CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVE THROUGH THE LATE MORNING  
HOURS, BUT TEMPS WILL REMAIN ON THE CHILLY SIDE FOR NEW YEARS  
DAY WITH HIGHS ONLY TOPPING OFF IN THE MID/UPPER TEENS TO AROUND  
20F TOWARD LAKE MICHIGAN.  
 
OTHERWISE WITH THE PREVAILING UPPER-LEVEL NORTHWEST FLOW, ANOTHER  
RIPPLE OF MID-LEVEL VORTICITY IS PROGGED TO WORK ITS WAY DOWN  
ACROSS SOUTHERN WI TODAY. OVERALL MODELS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO PICK  
UP ON THIS FEATURE AND IS THE WEAKEST WAVE OVER THE PAST COUPLE  
OF DAYS. HOWEVER, THERE DOES LOOK TO BE ENOUGH MOISTURE WITH  
ANOTHER SWATH OF PACIFIC MOISTURE WORKING ITS WAY INTO THE  
REGION ALIGNING WITH A BIT OF LOW-LEVEL WAA FOR ANOTHER DUSTING  
TO HALF AN INCH OF SNOW THROUGH THE DAY LATE MORNING INTO THE  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. IMPACTS LOOK TO BE LIMITED GIVEN THE  
MINIMAL UPPER-LEVEL FORCING COMPETING NOT ONLY WITH DRIER LOW-  
LEVEL AND SUBSIDENCE FROM THE BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE  
REGION, BUT ALSO GIVEN ITS QUICK MOVING NATURE. THIS LIGHT SNOW  
ACTIVITY EXITS THE AREA TO THE SOUTHEAST BY 00Z TONIGHT.  
 
TONIGHT WILL BE DRIER WITH LIGHT WINDS AND MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS  
AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST.  
LOOKING AT SINGLE DIGIT TO LOW TEENS LOWS OVERNIGHT.WAGNER  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
 
ISSUED 215 AM CST THU JAN 1 2026  
 
FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY:  
 
HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD DOWN FROM THE DAKOTAS AND INTO  
THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. OVERALL PATTERN FAVORS  
DRY, BUT ADDITIONAL RIPPLES ALOFT MAY BRING ADDITIONAL SNOW  
CHANCES AT TIMES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LATEST 00Z MODELS SHOW  
HINTS OF THIS ON SATURDAY AND POTENTIALLY AGAIN ON SUNDAY.  
 
OTHERWISE INFLUENCE FOR HIGH PRESSURE AND COOLER AIRMASS PREVAILS  
INTO THE END OF THE WEEKEND BEFORE AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS SLIDES  
EAST INTO THE REGION. WPC CLUSTER ANALYSIS FAVORS THE 500MB RIDGE  
AXIS SETTLING OVER THE MIDWEST THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.  
GIVEN THE AGREEMENT IN THE LONG RANGE MODELS AND PREVAILING NATURE  
OF THIS PATTERN FOR A FEW DAYS, EXPECT TEMPS TO TREND ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPS. THEN THIS MILDER PATTERN HINTS AT BREAKING DOWN AND  
ACCOMPANIED BY ADDITIONAL PRECIP CHANCES THROUGH THE MIDWEEK.  
 
WAGNER  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
ISSUED 215 AM CST THU JAN 1 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AS HIGH  
PRESSURE CONTINUES TO WORKS IT WAY INTO THE REGION. WILL SEE  
LIGHT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS GRADUALLY INCREASE TO AROUND 10-15KT  
AND TURN MORE WESTERLY THROUGH THE DAY. ANOTHER QUICK ROUND OF  
LIGHT SNOW IS LOOKING LIKELY TO MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN WI LATE  
THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. MAINLY EXPECTING A DUSTING TO  
AROUND HALF AN INCH OF ADDITIONAL SNOW THAT MAY BE ACCOMPANIED  
BY BRIEF LOWERING IN CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES TOWARD MVFR  
LEVELS. OTHERWISE, HIGH PRESSURE TAKES A FIRMER HOLD OVER THE  
AREA TONIGHT WITH CLEARER CONDITIONS AND LIGHTER WINDS INTO  
FRIDAY.  
 
WAGNER  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
ISSUED 215 AM CST THU JAN 1 2026  
 
GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN  
TODAY ALONG WITH MODERATE FREEZING SPRAY CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY  
FOR EAST PORTIONS OF THE LAKE. WILL SEE WINDS TURN MORE WESTERLY  
TODAY AND GRADUALLY WEAKEN, BUT STAY WEST-NORTHWESTERLY INTO  
FRIDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE WORKS ITS WAY DOWN FROM THE CANADIAN  
PRAIRIES AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
EXPECT A SOUTHERLY WIND SHIFT INTO THE START OF NEXT WEEK AS THE  
HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES EAST OF THE GREAT LAKES.  
 
WAGNER  
 

 
   
MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WI...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...LMZ643-LMZ644-LMZ645-LMZ646 UNTIL 3 AM  
THURSDAY.  
 

 
 

 
 
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