Get Ready: Wind, rain and lots of cold arrive after near-record warmth

High temperatures the past 11 days have all been well above-average, but a big shift in the weather pattern is about to end that nice streak of weather. If you're wanting some more wintry weather then you are in luck because wind, rain and lots of cold is on the way. 

The first part of this pattern shift is the chance for rain. Rain showers will be possible starting early Monday morning after 2 a.m. Those on and off rain showers will last through the morning commute and wrap up around 10 or 11 a.m.

Although a few light isolated showers may be possible, a nice lull in rain activity is likely around lunch time that lingers into the afternoon. The break ends by late afternoon with showers and even a few thunderstorms starting to roll through around 4 p.m. and lasting until around 10 or 11 p.m. Rain totals between a few tenths of an inch to a half inch are possible with the bulk coming with any storms that develop in the late afternoon.

The only reason we are talking about the chance for thunderstorms is because it will be so warm Monday. Monday morning starts mild with lows in the middle and upper 40s and by mid-morning it's already in the 50s. Highs everywhere are expected to reach the upper 50s and will stay there until a cold front arrives Monday evening. The current forecast for Milwaukee is 59° and the record set back in 2001 is 60° so it is definitely in jeopardy. 

But, in order for us to get so warm a lot of wind will be present. It becomes breezy Sunday night and by Monday afternoon wind gusts will get close to 45 mph. The wind stays strong through Tuesday evening.

No wind advisory for southeast Wisconsin yet, but there is one for parts of Minnesota and Iowa. Wisconsin stays on the warm side of this storm so we aren't talking about the threat for snow but that's not the case in the upper Plains where blizzard warnings and winter weather advisories are in place across North and South Dakota and Minnesota. 

Temperatures will either stay steady or fall all of Tuesday eventually dropping into the teens by Wednesday morning. If you do the math, that's a 40° drop in temperatures from Monday afternoon to Wednesday morning! And once the cold air arrives, it sticks around. After Wednesday, every high temp on the Ready Weather 10-day forecast is below freezing. Looking at the long term trends it's possible that we don't get back above freezing for the rest of the month. Bundle up!

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