626  
FXUS63 KMKX 192025  
AFDMKX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI  
325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT WILL  
DIMINISH THIS EVENING.  
 
- EASTERLY WINDS WILL KEEP LAKESHORE TEMPERATURES COOLER THAN  
INLAND AREAS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. EXPECT A GRADUAL  
WARMING TREND SATURDAY THROUGH MEMORIAL DAY.  
 
- RAIN CHANCES RETURN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT (40-60%), WITH  
MUCH SMALLER CHANCES THE REST OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
 
ISSUED 325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2026  
 
TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT:  
 
GUSTY WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THE SURFACE COLD  
FRONT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH LATE EVENING AS AN  
INVERSION SETS UP. CLOUD COVER IS MORE UNCERTAIN, BUT THERE  
SHOULD BE A THINNING/CLEARING TREND FROM WEST TO EAST  
OVERNIGHT. THE UPPER WAVE WILL SWING ACROSS WI MUCH LATER THAN  
THE SURFACE FRONT, SO TEMPS WILL REMAIN ON THE MILDER SIDE  
DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD, RANGING FROM THE UPPER 40S  
SOUTHEAST TO THE LOWER 40S TOWARD CENTRAL WI.  
 
BY 12Z/7AM WED, THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AND 850MB FRONT WILL BE  
STALLED OVER CENTRAL WI. MEANWHILE, A SHORTWAVE TRACKING ACROSS  
THE PLAINS WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHERN WI BY MIDDAY. THE  
INTERACTION OF THE 850MB FRONT SLIDING SOUTH AND THE INCOMING  
SHORTWAVE WILL HELP COLDER AIR RUSH DOWN THE LAKESHORE QUICKER  
THAN INLAND (BACK DOOR COLD FRONT) DURING WED MORNING. THIS  
SHOULD ALSO BRING A PERIOD OF LOW CLOUDS TO THE LAKESHORE AND  
SLIGHTLY HIGHER BUT STILL WIDESPREAD CLOUDS TO INLAND AREAS.  
TEMPS WILL REMAIN COOLER NEAR THE LAKE, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM  
THE MID 50S LAKESHORE TO THE LOWER/MID 60S WELL INLAND.  
 
DESPITE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SITTING OVER THE UPPER GREAT  
LAKES, THE MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE AND RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE  
UPPER JET SHOULD KEEP AT LEAST MID LEVEL CLOUDS AROUND. WITHOUT  
THE CLEARING AND WITH A PERSISTENT LIGHT EASTERLY BREEZE, OUR  
FROST POTENTIAL IS VERY LOW. THE FORECAST LOW TEMPS ARE BETWEEN  
39 AND 42. THIS IS SLIGHTLY UP FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AND  
NEARLY LINED UP WITH THE 50TH PERCENTILE OF MODEL SOLUTIONS.  
 
CRONCE  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
 
ISSUED 325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2026  
 
THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY:  
 
THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO WED ON THURSDAY.  
THE MID LEVEL CLOUDS MAY BE EVEN THICKER. A STEADY EASTERLY  
BREEZE WILL KEEP LAKESHORE TEMPS COOLER THAN INLAND (SIMILAR  
TEMPS AS WED). THURSDAY NIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID  
40S. THE SURFACE EAST WINDS WILL REMAIN STEADY THROUGH FRIDAY,  
AND THIS MAY HELP TO HOLD OFF THE RAIN. MODELS ARE TRENDING  
LATER WITH THE ARRIVAL OF OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR PRECIP.  
 
AN UPPER TROUGH PROGRESSING THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS THURSDAY  
NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WILL SWING INTO MN FRI EVENING. MEANWHILE, A  
WEAK LOW CROSSING MO AND IL WILL SLIDE INTO LOWER MICHIGAN.  
SOUTHERN WI WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE FEATURES, BUT WEAK  
WARM AIR ADVECTION AND THE SYNOPTIC FORCING COULD BE ENOUGH FOR  
SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS. THE THUNDER THREAT IS LOOKING LOWER  
NOW DUE TO THE PROBABLE TIMING INTO THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT. THERE  
IS NO SEVERE THREAT. THE ECMWF HAS A WETTER LOOK TO THE FRI  
NT/SAT PERIOD THAN THE GFS AT THIS TIME. WE WILL KEEP A CLOSE  
EYE ON THIS FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.  
 
THE UPPER TROUGH WILL BE CROSSING WI ON SUNDAY AND THIS WILL  
BRING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OF THE SCATTERED, POP-UP VARIETY. IF  
THE LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE STEEP ENOUGH, A FEW RUMBLES OF  
THUNDER LOOK POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WOULD NOT BE AN  
ALL-DAY WASH-OUT. MONDAY WEATHER LOOKS QUIET RIGHT NOW, AS WE  
WILL BE BETWEEN SYSTEMS.  
 
THERE WILL BE A WARMING TREND WITH THE TEMPS THROUGH THE  
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, WITH HIGHS AROUND 70 SAT, 75 SUN, AND 80  
MON.  
 
CRONCE  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
ISSUED 325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2026  
 
EXPECT MVFR CEILINGS AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND A COLD  
FRONT THAT IS CURRENTLY CROSSING SOUTHEAST WI (NOW NEAR  
MILWAUKEE). CEILINGS SHOULD LIFT TO VFR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
THEN DISPERSE TONIGHT AS SKIES GRADUALLY CLEAR AS HIGH PRESSURE  
WORKS INTO THE REGION.  
 
CLOUDS BELOW 5000 FT SHOULD BE PRESENT ON WEDNESDAY, ESPECIALLY  
CLOSER TO LAKE MICHIGAN WHERE A PERIOD OF MVFR CEILINGS ARE  
EXPECTED AS THE NORTHEAST WINDS DEVELOP IN THE MORNING. THE  
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL EXPAND INLAND THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON.  
 
CRONCE  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ISSUED 325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2026  
 
GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS ARE DEVELOPING IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT  
THIS AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 KT WILL BE POSSIBLE RIGHT BEHIND  
THE FRONT AND THEN WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH OVERNIGHT. HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL THEN MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES ON  
WEDNESDAY. MODEST NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY, ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTH HALF.  
WINDS WILL REMAIN EASTERLY THROUGH SATURDAY AS STRONG HIGH  
PRESSURE TRACKS ACROSS ONTARIO AND QUEBEC AND A WEAK LOW  
PRESSURE TROUGH SETS UP IN THE PLAINS.  
 
THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE NEARSHORE WAS EXTENDED UNTIL 7  
PM CDT THIS EVENING DUE TO GUSTY WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS. NORTHEAST  
WINDS WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY MORNING AND PERSIST THROUGH  
SATURDAY. THIS WILL BUILD HIGH WAVES IN THE NEARSHORE AREAS BY  
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER SMALL CRAFT ADVY WILL BE NEEDED.  
 
CRONCE  
 
 
   
MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WI...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...LMZ643-LMZ644-LMZ645-LMZ646 UNTIL 7  
PM TUESDAY.  
 
 
 
 
 
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