Next 12 Hours
Southern Wisconsin will see a blustery Wednesday before much colder weather moves in, with frost and freezing temperatures expected Thursday night and Friday night, and a hard freeze possible, according to forecasters.
Southerly winds will gust to 40 to 45 miles per hour at times from late morning through the afternoon on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
In the cold air behind the low pressure bringing the strong winds to Wisconsin on Wednesday, northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota could see snow, AccuWeather said.
As the low pressure moves past, a southward dip in the jet stream will allow the cold air to expand on Wednesday night and Thursday, including into Wisconsin.
In Madison on Wednesday, there’s a 20% chance for showers after 4 p.m., with mostly cloudy skies, a high near 68 and south winds increasing to 15 to 25 mph and gusting as high as 45 mph, the Weather Service said.
After an overnight low around 41, Thursday should be sunny, with a high near 50 and northwest winds around 15 mph, gusting to 30 mph.
Look for widespread frost Friday morning as the low falls around 31, while Friday’s forecast features mostly sunny skies, a high near 51 and west winds at 5 to 15 mph.
The Weather Service said chances for showers are 20% Saturday and Saturday night, 30% Sunday through Monday, and 20% Monday night and Tuesday.
Skies over Madison should be mostly cloudy Saturday, partly sunny Sunday, and mostly sunny Monday and Tuesday, with highs near 55, 47, 45 and 47, and lows Friday night through Monday night around 32, 37, 32 and 31.
Tuesday’s high in Madison was 66 at 1:25 p.m., 6 degrees above the normal high and 24 degrees below the record high of 90 for Oct. 13, set in 1975.
Tuesday’s low in Madison was 41 at 1 a.m., 1 degree above the normal low and 21 degrees above the record low of 20 for Oct. 13, set in 1988.
Officially, a trace of precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Tuesday, leaving Madison’s October precipitation total (rain plus snow converted to liquid) at 0.31 inches, 0.69 inches below normal. The meteorological fall (September through November) precipitation total stayed at 3.72 inches, 0.41 inches below normal. The 2020 total stayed at 32.87 inches, 3.92 inches above normal.
Madison’s record precipitation for Oct. 13 is 1.41 inches in 1883.
Photos: A look back at the frigid 'polar vortex' of 2014
2014 polar vortex
Kristy Gruley of Madison is bundled against the cold weather while making her way along East Johnson Street on Jan. 3, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Horses and other livestock need to keep warm, too. This group of coat-clad horses forage in a field at Sunrise Stables on Highway 138 outside of Oregon on Jan. 3, 2014. Experts say nutrition requirements for all livestock increase as the temperatures decrease.Â
2014 polar vortex
Madison resident John Morgan contends with the cold weather in Downtown Madison on Jan. 3, 2014.Â
2014 polar vortex
2014 polar vortex
Braving frigid temperatures, a man runs through a crosswalk at East Washington Avenue and Pinckney Street in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Troy Coogan, left, and Dave Laux, employees of Madison's water utility, shut off a water on the Far East Side on Jan. 6, 2014, after a main break. The utility kept busy, as its five crews dealt with nine water main breaks amid frigid temperatures.
2014 polar vortex
Steam rises from broken ground as Madison Water Utility crews dig around a water main break on Atlas Avenue in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Water gushes up from a water main break on Atlas Avenue in Madison on Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
With temperatures well below zero, Wisconsin & Southern Railway workers Stacey Hurda, left, and Brady Whipple work with bare hands to thaw a frozen power switch near John Nolen Drive in Downtown Madison on Jan. 6, 2014. A "polar vortex" of bitterly cold air closed schools and businesses in Madison and elsewhere Monday, and forced another day of closures Tuesday.
2014 polar vortex
Cindy Lundey walks to her job at UW-Madison's Memorial Library on Jan. 6, 2014, braving subzero temperatures and using two cups in an effort to insulate her coffee from the cold. Madison saw a low temperature of 18 degrees below zero on Monday and only managed a high of minus 11.
2014 polar vortex
Anyone who was out and about on Jan. 6, 2014, like this man delivering packages on State Street, had to contend with subzero temperatures and wind chills as low as 43 degrees below zero.
2014 polar vortex
Basketball fans make their way to entrances at the Kohl Center for a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center on Jan. 5, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Contending with bitterly cold temperatures, Dan Wepking of Alliant Energy works to restore power to a transmission pole near the intersection of County Highways N and T near Sun Prairie after a guide wire gave way Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
A wrapped-up pedestrian walks past Walgreens on the Capitol Square on Jan. 6, 2014. Temperatures in the Madison area dipped to nearly 20 below as a blast of Arctic air moved into the area early Monday.
2014 polar vortex
A pedestrian moving up Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Capitol Square. Temperatures in the Madison area dipped to nearly 20 below zero as a blast of Arctic air moved into the area early Monday, Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Nancy Dvorak of Madison contends with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills while making her way through Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus Jan. 6, 2014.
2014 polar vortex
Wisconsin and Southern Railway worker Brady Whipple shovels snow from between the rails of tracks along John Nolen Drive in Madison. Residents of the Upper Midwest are contending with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills Jan. 6, 2014. Workers from the company were on the scene to thaw a frozen power switch, which is used to operate apparatus.
Jeff Richgels
Online Reporter/Producer for Wisconsin State Journal
