4 PM Update: Strong, isolated storms possible Thursday afternoon and evening; air quality alert extended until noon Friday

Updated: 4:00 p.m., June 29, 2023

A weak cold front continues to move in from the northwest this afternoon.  High heat and humidity have created a favorable atmosphere for pop showers and storms across the area.  

We did have a few strong storms earlier that produced some hail.  Everything has remained below severe limits up until this point.  Storms that perk up could produce quarter hail and some gusty winds.  

Storms are expected to weaken after sundown with the loss of daytime heating.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Updated: 1:45 p.m., June 29, 2023

One initial cell developed over Colgate around 1 p.m. and is now heading to the lakefront on the North Shore.  It came with penny size hail as it passed over Germantown. 

 It's within reason to brace for small hail in Bayside and Fox Point through about 2 p.m. Otherwise let's hope for a good downpour as we desperately need the rain.  Now we are seeing additional development between the Falls and Brookfield.  All this activity is working east and could provide wind gusts in the 30mph range along with lightning and small hail. Stay tuned for further updates from the ReadyWeather Team.

Updated: Noon, June 29, 2023

The forecast remains on par with just isolated storm potential this afternoon and evening. One thing to note is the Air Quality Alert has been reissued until noon Friday.

So while that is an area wide issue, the storm chances by and large appear to be isolated at best. Here's the latest churn of a short term high resolution model which presents the best chance for storms this evening.  They form just south of I-94 so a close call for the city of Miiwaukee, but whatever does form won't last long. We still anticipate dry conditions by the time headliners take stage tonight down on the Summerfest grounds.

Updated: 9:20 a.m. June 29, 2023

The forecast remains on track with the chance for storms Thursday afternoon and evening. Some of those storms could be on the stronger side with some gusty wind and small hail. High humidity Thursday will add fuel to thunderstorms to allow them to possibly become severe. Dew points Thursday will reach the upper 60s and could even get into the tropical level humidity. In fact, the humidity will stay very high over the next week so expect to sweat through Independence Day!

------

Posted: 5:03 a.m. June 29, 2023

Air quality indices have stayed steady overnight and remain in the "unhealthy for all" category. Expect the haze to continue through the rest of Thursday morning but really go down later Thursday afternoon with air quality index values dropping below 100 Thursday evening. There should not be any air quality concerns for Friday.

As our concern with the air quality goes down, we have renewed concerns for thunderstorms. A few showers and storms developed early Thursday morning between 3-5 AM but have since dissipated. The rest of the morning and early afternoon on Thursday looks fairly dry but then we have a better chance for a few showers and storms in the late afternoon and evening. 

Any storms that do form during the day on Thursday could be strong. Temperatures Thursday will be warm in the 80s and humidity really increases with dew points in the upper 60s increasing the fuel for storms. Some gusty wind and small hail will be the main threat with any strong storms that do develop. 

Continued storm chances will continue through the start of the July 4th weekend. There's an isolated storm chance on Friday which could feature the first 90* day of the year. Saturday's storm chance looks best south of I-94 and Sunday's chance still looks relatively low. Download the CBS 58 Ready Weather app to track any strong storms for Thursday and look ahead to other storm chances the rest of the weekend.