After unseasonably warm temperatures, cooler weather and rain returns this week
After a long stretch of above-normal temperatures for this time in September, the week ahead looks more seasonal with some much-needed rain showers.
Sunday is bringing heavy rain to Milwaukee, with chances for thunderstorms through most of the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
The system has been moving slowly, NWS meteorologist Marcia Cronce explained, and areas near Madison recorded between two and four inches of rain. The Madison airport measured over three inches of rain last night, much higher than what was forecasted.
"It took a really long time to get to Milwaukee, but now we're seeing all that steady rain," Cronce said. "We did increase our expected rainfall totals for this event based on what was going on overnight."
The cold front is also bringing gusty north winds around 20 to 30 miles per hour, which could cause waves of up to four to six feet along Lake Michigan.
That means there's a high swim risk this afternoon into Monday, so the NWS advises staying out of the water.
How much rain has Milwaukee gotten this month?
There will be a few more chances for rain throughout the week, starting Monday night into Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be dry, followed by slight chances for rain on Friday and Saturday.
"For Monday and Tuesday, there's a weak system that's going through Illinois, and a little bit of that could clip southern Wisconsin," Cronce said. One model predicts steadier rain, but it's not expected to be a major weather event.
Milwaukee has not seen significant rainfall for almost a month. There were some light showers in the past two days, and a little bit of rain on September 5 and August 30, but conditions have otherwise been dry.
"Today will be the first significant rain in just over 20 days," Cronce said. Lawns and grass typically become dormant in fall, but that dryness "definitely was accelerated by this lack of rain over the past month."
Temperatures will also be much milder than last week, when temperatures hovered in the 80s. The cold front that's moving through the area will bring cooler conditions.
Monday and Tuesday will have a high around 70 degrees, and the rest of the week will have highs around 74 or 75 degrees.
That's right on par with the typical highs for the last week of September, which are right around 70 degrees.
