273  
FXUS63 KMKX 241002  
AFDMKX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI  
502 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- THERE IS A MODERATE SWIM RISK THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR  
THE LAKE MICHIGAN BREACHES IN SHEBOYGAN AND OZAUKEE COUNTIES.  
BREAKING WAVES AND CURRENTS ARE EXPECTED. STAY AWAY FROM  
DANGEROUS AREAS LIKE PIERS, BREAKWALLS, AND RIVER OUTLETS.  
 
- WARMER AND MORE HUMID CONDITIONS WILL BRING CHANCES FOR  
THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 
- THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS AT TIMES LATE  
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED 505 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK THIS MORNING. MID-LEVEL CLOUDS HAVE  
REMAINED A TOUCH THICKER THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD, RESULTING  
IN SLIGHTLY MILDER TEMPERATURES IN SPOTS THAT HAVE STAYED  
MOSTLY CLOUDY. HAVE TWEAKED NEAR-TERM TEMPERATURE FORECASTS TO  
FIT THESE TRENDS. EXPECTING THE AFOREMENTIONED CLOUDS TO CLEAR  
BY THIS AFTERNOON, WITH SOME FAIR WEATHER CLOUD DEVELOPMENT  
TAKING THEIR PLACE. STILL EXPECTING A LAKE BREEZE TO FORM DURING  
THE AFTERNOON HOURS CLOSER TO LAKE MICHIGAN.  
 
QUIGLEY  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
 
ISSUED 1255 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT:  
 
WEST NORTHWEST FLOW AT 500 MB WILL LINGER INTO TONIGHT, WITH  
HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE LINGERING TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE  
AREA. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO BRING DRY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA  
DURING THIS PERIOD.  
 
SOME BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS MAY LINGER INTO EARLY THIS  
MORNING, AS MORE HIGH CLOUDS MOVE EASTWARD INTO THE AREA. SOME  
PARTIAL CLEARING MAY OCCUR IN THE MORNING, BEFORE MORE SCATTERED  
TO BROKEN DIURNAL STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS DEVELOP WITH DAYTIME  
HEATING. THESE SHOULD LINGER THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY  
EVENING.  
 
LIGHT WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTH SOUTHWEST LATER THIS MORNING INTO  
THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER GUSTY SOUTHEAST LAKE BREEZE IS EXPECTED  
THIS AFTERNOON NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN.  
 
LOWS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOULD DROP INTO THE MIDDLE 50S INLAND,  
WITH UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S LAKESIDE. HIGHS TODAY SHOULD REACH  
THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S, TURNING COOLER NEAR THE LAKE IN THE  
AFTERNOON.  
 
THERE IS A MODERATE SWIM RISK THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR  
THE LAKE MICHIGAN BEACHES IN SHEBOYGAN AND OZAUKEE COUNTIES.  
GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS SHOULD BRING WAVES OF 3 TO 4 FEET IN THESE  
AREAS DURING THIS PERIOD. AT THIS TIME, NOT EXPECTING A HIGH  
SWIM RISK, BUT WILL MONITOR TRENDS IN LATER FORECASTS.  
 
MODEST WARM AIR ADVECTION DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA SATURDAY INTO  
SATURDAY NIGHT, WITH MODEST SOUTHWEST WINDS DEVELOPING AT THE  
SURFACE. THIS SHOULD BRING WARMER AND MORE HUMID CONDITIONS INTO  
THE AREA, WITH HIGHS INTO THE MIDDLE 80S OVER MOST OF THE AREA  
SATURDAY. DEW POINTS WILL RISE WELL INTO THE 60S AS WELL.  
 
THE WARM AIR ADVECTION/POSSIBLE WARM FRONTAL PASSAGE MAY TRY TO  
HELP GENERATE SOME SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SATURDAY  
INTO SATURDAY NIGHT, AS THE LOW LEVEL JET TRIES TO POINT  
EASTWARD TOWARD THE AREA FROM THE WEST. HOWEVER, AREA FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS ARE QUITE CAPPED EVEN AT 850 MB, SO NOT VERY  
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ELEVATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA.  
 
PERHAPS SOMETHING MAY DEVELOP TO THE WEST AND SLIDE SOUTHEAST  
AND CLIP THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT, BUT THIS MAY BE TOUGH GIVEN  
THE CAPPING IN PLACE. FOR NOW, LEFT SMALL CHANCES (AROUND 20  
PERCENT) IN THE WESTERN AREAS FOR LATER SATURDAY NIGHT INTO  
SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
WOOD  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
 
ISSUED 1255 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY:  
 
THERE ARE BETTER CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES  
(30 TO 40 PERCENT) SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY EVENING, AS  
WEAK WARM AIR ADVECTION LINGERS WITH POSSIBLE 500 MB VORTICITY  
MAXIMA SHIFTING THROUGH THE AREA AT TIMES. IN ADDITION, THE LOW  
LEVEL JET NOSE MAY DEVELOP ROUNDS OF CONVECTION OVER SOUTHERN  
MINNESOTA AND NORTHERN IOWA AND SHIFT IT SOUTHEASTWARD INTO OR  
CLIPPING PARTS OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.  
 
SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT MAY BE TOUGHER TO GET STORMS TO DEVELOP OR  
MAINTAIN THEMSELVES THAN MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT, AS THE CAPPING  
WILL REMAIN FAIRLY STRONG PER AREA FORECAST SOUNDINGS. AGAIN, IT  
MAY BE MORE LIKELY THAT SOMETHING MOVES SOUTHEAST INTO THE  
AREA, THOUGH IT WILL BE BATTLING A MORE CAPPED ENVIRONMENT.  
 
THE CAPPING ON MONDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT IS FAR LOWER, WHICH  
WOULD HELP CONVECTION DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN STRENGTH AS IT SHIFTS  
SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. MODELS ARE ALSO HINTING AT A LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM SHIFTING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE WESTERN GREAT  
LAKES REGION EITHER LATER MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT, WHICH MAY DRAG  
A COLD FRONT THROUGH AND HELP WITH UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION.  
 
FOR THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY EVENING PERIOD, THERE WILL  
BE A LOT OF MEAN LAYER CAPE (OVER 3000 J/KG) WITH INCREASING  
DEEP LAYER BULK SHEAR (25 KNOTS SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT AND 25 TO 30  
KNOTS OR MORE MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT). SO, SEVERE STORMS ARE  
POSSIBLE IF SOMETHING CAN GET GOING. THE UNCERTAINTY LIES WITH  
TIMING AND WHERE STORMS MAY TRACK, AND IF THERE WILL BE SEVERAL  
ROUNDS. KEEP UP WITH THE FORECAST FOR THIS PERIOD.  
 
IN ADDITION, HIGHS SHOULD REACH INTO THE LOWER 90S SUNDAY AND  
MONDAY, WITH DEW POINTS INTO THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S. THIS MAY  
BRING HEAT INDEX VALUES TO AROUND OR A LITTLE ABOVE 100 DEGREES,  
SO HEAT HEADLINES MAY EVENTUALLY BE NEEDED IF THIS COMES TO  
FRUITION. WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO LINGER THROUGH  
NEXT WEEK PER ENSEMBLE TRENDS AND THE LOW TEMPERATURE SPREADS  
ON THE NBM.  
 
THERE MAY BE A LULL IN THE ACTIVE WEATHER TUESDAY INTO  
WEDNESDAY, AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES THROUGH IN CONTINUED NORTHWEST  
FLOW ALOFT. THERE MAY BE MORE ACTIVE WEATHER AGAIN LATER IN THE  
WEEK, AS MORE SYSTEMS START TO SHIFT SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE  
REGION AT TIMES PER ENSEMBLE MEMBER TRENDS.  
 
WOOD  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
ISSUED 505 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
VFR FLIGHT CATEGORIES PREVAIL THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE PERIOD  
ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. CURRENT BKN DECK BASED NEAR FL070  
WILL CONTINUE TO LINGER ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THIS MORNING,  
GRADUALLY THINNING BY EARLY AFTERNOON. AS SUNSHINE EMERGES THIS  
AFTERNOON, ANTICIPATING SOME FAIR WEATHER CLOUD DEVELOPMENT NEAR  
FL060. LAKE BREEZE WILL RESULT IN SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AT THE  
LAKE MICHIGAN TERMINALS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. LARGE SCALE  
WINDS WILL SHIFT SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT, DRAWING  
A MORE HUMID AIR MASS INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. WILL BE  
MONITORING FOR POSSIBLE LOW CIG AND VIS READINGS ALONG THE  
LEADING EDGE OF THE RETURNING MOISTURE, WITH SOME CATEGORICAL  
REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE NEAR WESTERN TERMINALS TOWARD THE END OF THE  
PERIOD. HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR THIS POTENTIAL AT JVL AND MSN, WITH  
MENTIONS POSSIBLE AT EASTERN TERMINALS IN LATER UPDATES.  
 
QUIGLEY  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
ISSUED 1255 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE LAKE TODAY, AS HIGH  
PRESSURE MOVES FURTHER TO THE EAST. LOW PRESSURE AROUND 29.5  
INCHES WILL MOVE QUICKLY EAST FROM THE CANADIAN GREAT PLAINS  
TOWARD QUEBEC TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY, MAINTAINING GUSTY SOUTH TO  
SOUTHWEST WINDS. SOUTHERLY GUSTS UP TO 30 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED  
OVER THE NORTH HALF OF THE LAKE.  
 
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS  
NORTH OF PORT WASHINGTON FOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS  
EVENING, FOR GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AND BUILDING WAVES.  
 
THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL PULL A COLD FRONT INTO THE WESTERN  
GREAT LAKES ON SATURDAY, WITH THE BOUNDARY SLOWLY ADVANCING  
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN  
INCREASING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ACROSS THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS  
OF THE LAKE. THE FRONT THEN BECOMES STATIONARY THROUGH THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, WITH SWITCHES BETWEEN NORTHERLY AND  
SOUTHERLY WINDS POSSIBLE AT TIMES. ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF STORMS  
ARE POSSIBLE, AND SOME MAY BECOME SEVERE.  
 
WOOD  
 

 
   
MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WI...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...LMZ643...4 PM FRIDAY TO 10 PM FRIDAY.  
 

 
 

 
 
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