Friday brought the third and final round of severe weather across north central Wisconsin, with forecasters warning that the afternoon and evening could turn dangerous fast. A severe thunderstorm watch was in effect until 5 PM, and the area was likely to be upgraded to a tornado watch during the early afternoon as storms built.
The threat was broad. Hail, strong wind gusts and a few tornadoes were all possible, while some counties were also under a Flood Watch because rivers were already running high and the thunderstorms could add heavy rain. Gusts of 25-35 MPH were expected before storms arrived, and some communities could end up with 1-2+ inches of rain by very late Friday.
That mix mattered because the day started mild and could turn on a dime. Temperatures were expected to reach the low to mid-70s across most of the area Friday, with upper-70s possible farther south, before the storms swept in. The severe weather window was centered on Friday afternoon and evening, when the atmosphere was expected to be most favorable for strong storms.
The weather pattern was set to flip sharply after the storms moved out. A cold front was expected to sweep through north central Wisconsin late Friday, sending temperatures close to freezing by Saturday morning. A light wintry mix to snow could not be ruled out in some communities, and highs Saturday were expected to top out in the upper-30s and low-40s under mainly cloudy skies.
Rain behind the front was expected to be mostly done by midday Saturday, but the wind would not calm right away. Gusts could still reach 35-40 MPH, adding a raw feel to the day. By Sunday, winds were expected to ease to around 20-25 MPH, with highs in the low to mid-40s.
The longer-range outlook points back to calmer and warmer weather next week. Skies were trending mainly sunny for most of the week, precipitation was unlikely from Sunday onward through most of next week, and temperatures were expected to climb back into the upper-60s and low-70s by Tuesday.
The flood threat, however, will not end as quickly as the storms. Rivers south of Highway 29 were expected to mainly crest over the next few days before levels drop overall heading into next week, leaving some communities to deal with the runoff after the severe weather moves on.