Heavy rain possible this weekend with the risk for strong storms
We had a few sprinkles out there Friday morning but it was barely enough to get the pavement wet and 80% of southeast Wisconsin stayed dry. The rest of Friday does look dry under a mix of sun and clouds with highs warming back up into the mid 80s and decent humidity. Saturday will be similar with temps and humidity levels before cooler air on Sunday. The rain chance starts to increase after midnight Friday night with a good chance for showers and storms Saturday. Sunday has an even better chance for scattered showers and storms that look likely at this point.
As things look Saturday morning, a round of storms might be possible Friday night going into Saturday morning. Some of these storms may be on the stronger side. A Level 1 Marginal Risk for severe storms has been issued for southeast Wisconsin with a Level 2 Slight Risk just off to our west. Heavy rain and strong wind will be the primary threats for any strong to severe storms Friday night/Saturday morning but flooding rains are not expected.
We should dry out a bit the rest of Saturday morning but then Saturday afternoon and evening the chance for heavy rain and storms starts to increase. Once again a few storms could be strong with all of southeast Wisconsin under a Level 1 Marginal Risk for severe storms on Saturday.
The better risk for heavy rain and the possibility of flooding starts to move in Saturday evening through Sunday morning and again Sunday evening into Monday. The product shown below might be new to many of you, but similar to our outlooks for severe weather it gives us risk levels for the possibility of "excessive rain". The risk for heavy rain in SE Wisconsin is highest Saturday and especially Saturday night when we are under a Level 2 Slight Risk for heavy rain. But Friday, Sunday, Monday and even Tuesday are all under a Level 1 Marginal Risk for heavy rain.
With four days of rain chances and the possibility of heavy rain, flooding will be possible. Most of southeast Wisconsin, even the areas that saw historic flooding last weekend, should be able to handle about an inch or 1.50". But as rain totals approach 2" flooding becomes a possibility again and 3" of rain would likely cause flooding and push rivers to flood levels once again. With any flash flooding, basement/yard flooding, and even river flooding situation, a lot depends on how fast the rain comes down. Picking up 2" of rain over just two hours would cause a lot more damage than 4" of rain over 24 hours.
Download the CBS 58 Weather app to stay tuned to changes in the forecast for strong storms and heavy rain, to track any heavy rain and storms that develop with the interactive radar, and to get alerts if flood watches or flash flood warnings are issued.