Some relief from the dry weather is possible this afternoon.  Thunderstorms with heavy rain have been hitting the Northwestern side of Wisconsin.  The HRRR weather computer model is putting down rain and thunderstorms for the Northwoods between 4 and 5pm (see map at the bottom).  These storms will run into drier air so I would not expect everyone to see rain; and the intensity of the showers will decrease the farther east they go.  A stationary front to our west will keep the chance for rain in the forecast through the weekend.  Forecasting when and where the rain will fall will be extremely hard so check Fox11 radar before you head outside.  You can also get the radar to your smart phone, click here to download them. 

After three days in the 90′s and upper 80′s we’ll see high temperatures in the low 70′s today.  Clear skies and lighter winds tonight will bring temperatures into the upper 30′s in the far North Woods.  A frost advisory is in effect tonight until 7am Wednesday morning for Langlade, Forest, Florence, and Northern Marinette Counties.  Cover sensitive plants with a cloth or put them in the garage to keep them from getting frost bitten. 

We could really use some rain in Wisconsin.  In the past 10 days the National Weather Service Office in Green Bay has had a trace of rain.  In the past 20 days only 0.53” has fallen. 

A few showers or thunderstorms will develop this afternoon.  A cold front is just entering into Wisconsin and humid weather has built across the state with dew points in the low 60s.  An impulse in the jet stream will move overhead this afternoon combined with the front and higher humidity to produce scattered thundershowers.  One or two of these storms could be strong with gusty winds and small hail.

The chance for rain ends late this afternoon and no new rain is forecast for the next 6 day. 

A storm system in lower Michigan will drift west today.  It will drive clouds and a few showers into NE Wisconsin.  If you need sunshine it won’t be far away, Wausau will see partly sunny skies today.  The same storm system will hang around Saturday giving us a chance for afternoon showers and a few thunderstorms.  Sunday should be sunny, warm, and dry! 

Stormy weather is headed for Wisconsin, but first it will hit the central plains, in the heart of tornado alley.  There is a high risk Saturday for severe weather from Nebraska, through Kansas, and into Oklahoma.  Devastating long lived tornadoes are possible in the risk area.  

Wisconsin will see showers and thunderstorms Saturday night, but those should be below severe levels, causing lightning, gusty winds, and pea sized hail.  Heavy downpours will actually help relieve many areas that are very dry.

A low pressure system and warm front will be the focus for more thunderstorm activity Sunday afternoon.  Most of Wisconsin is under a slight risk for severe weather Sunday.  The primary threat from these storms will be damaging winds; however large hail and a few tornadoes are also possible.

The Fox11 weather team will be tracking these storms.  Make sure your weather radio is on and equipped with fresh batteries.  Meteorologist Phil DeCastro will have the latest forecast on Fox11 News @ 9pm.

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Breezy Northeast winds are blowing in from Lake Michigan today.  You can see the difference in temperatures as of 11am when these pictures were captured.  The chilly lake waters will keep lake-shore areas a bit cooler today (50′s), away from the lake highs will get into the mid 60’s. Easterly winds will keep the lake-shore cooler again on Friday. Seventy degree temperatures return for the weekend!

Warmer weather moves in today.  Strong winds combined with sunshine will push high temperatures into the mid fifties today!  Wind gusts will reach as high as forty miles per hour.  Warm weather continues on Sunday with increasing clouds and highs topping out near 62°; that would tie our record high for that date!  Rain showers will move in Sunday night into Monday.  Warm weather will continue through all of next week!

Putting down 6.2 inches of snow in Green Bay, Winter Storm Crystal has been Title Town’s biggest snow this season.  Most areas in the Fox Cities and Lakeshore received between 4 and 6 inches of snow.  Temperatures will stay cold enough for the snow to last through the weekend.  A big thaw will take a bite out of our snow pack as temperatures warm to the forties both Tuesday and Wednesday.

P.S. Snow totals are like rain totals, they can very from block to block.  So if you saw more (or less) snow than is shown on the map, you did get more (or less) snow.

Computer forecast models are getting closer to agreeing on our snow forecast Friday.  While still not in total agreement Model #1 is bullish on snow giving the Fox Cities 5-7” ; while Model #2 out puts 3-4”.

The Fox11 forecast has the heaviest snow in a band from Waushara into the Fox Cities and out to Manitowoc.  Snow amounts of 3-4 inches are possible with isolated areas of 5.  The snow will start tomorrow afternoon and will be heaviest during the commute home (5-6pm).  The Northwoods that saw heavy snow from Winter Storm Bob will only see an inch or two.  Check with severe weather expert Patrick Powell for the latest snow forecast on Fox11 News at 5pm.      

A winter storm will hit Wisconsin Tuesday.  There is a lot of moisture with this storm so heavy snow will fall in parts of  the state.  The big question is where will the heavy snow fall?  Sunday morning computer forecasts show the rain/snow line running from west to east right through the middle of NE Wisconsin.  That would mean the southern half of NE Wisconsin will see rain, while the north would get pounded with heavy wet snow.  A 40 mile shift in this rain/snow line would mean huge changes to your forecast.  The storm is currently off the coast of Northern California.  We’ll have a much better handle on the storms strength and snow amounts on Monday.  OK, so you still want snow numbers hu?  This is just one computer model estimate of snow, and the forecast will most likely change, so take this with a big grain of salt! Marinette 16”, Green Bay 10”, Oshkosh 4”.  Stay tuned to Fox11 News tonight at 9pm for the latest forecast.