What is a 'pneumonia front' and when will it hit Milwaukee Tuesday?

The Pneumonia front has entered the northeast corner of the viewing area as of 2pm! Sheboygan went from 76 to 65 in a short amount of time. And it's evident the front has entered the scene by our current wind and direction.

  A cold front coming at us from the northeast is an usual direction for fronts to travel across the region, and so it has a special name - a pneumonia front. More on that later in the blog but let's inspect the area and find out just where it's at as of 2pm Tuesday afternoon. And when you'll feel the chill in your hometown! Let's set the stage with a wider view, this is a good visual to show the leading edge of colder air. That's right where the front is now. Looking locally most of us are still sitting pretty.  It's the first 80 of the month for Milwaukee. Too bad the warmth won't last long. Our in house model drops temps from the 80s to the 60s in Milwaukee during the 3 o' clock hour. 

 Eventually the entire area will cool down by 6pm.

 

Most weather features move from a west to east fashion across the United States. But this front is moving back west, not unheard of but definitely rare.  

If temperatures drop sixteen degrees in an hour as this passes it would be termed a Pneumonia front. This was first coined by the National Weather Service, right here in Milwaukee in the 1960's. It generally happens during the Spring when the lake and air just above the water is chilly. Just like light wind days when the colder more dense air above the lake rushes in giving us those "cooler by the lake days" this front will give that process a little extra kick, sending temps plummeting and reaching a little farther inland as well. The last memorable time this happened was June 17th last year. Milwaukee went from 82 at 5:55pm to 66 by 6:50pm.

Even if we don't drop 16 degrees in an hour, we will drop substantially and in a hurry. Brace for that quick change by mid to late afternoon.