Milwaukee is expected to receive between a half-inch and an inch of rain Tuesday evening as a storm system moves across the state, with higher risks of severe weather in central and western parts of the state.
The system is expected to bring storms to the Milwaukee area with strong wind gusts up to 40 to 45 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. In the west of the state, there is a low risk of tornado formation.
“We could expect a few storms, I would say. Most storms will likely be weaker by the time they arrive in Milwaukee,” said Aidan Kuroski, meteorologist with the Milwaukee NWS office. “We could still see lightning and hail.”
In the southwest of the state, the risk of severe weather is higher, according to the NWS. The organization rates this area a two out of five, or slight risk, for severe weather, with conditions including severe thunderstorms, quarter-sized hail in isolated to scattered areas, wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour and a low risk of tornadoes. .
The NWS rates Milwaukee at one in five for severe weather, or marginal risk.
There is still some level of uncertainty about the conditions of the system, which depends on the organization needed, Kuroski said. In the West, if storms develop individually, it could lead to larger hail of up to an inch and a half. If they are linear, meaning storms cluster together, stronger winds and tornadoes are more possible.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty about how the storms will progress,” he said. “We’re almost certain we’ll have storms. These are just some of the conditions surrounding these storms… when they get here they will be quite strong, but how organized will they be?
In Milwaukee, the storm is expected to bring showers between 9 and 10 p.m. Rain is expected to begin mid-afternoon west of Madison around 3-5 p.m., near Madison and the Wisconsin Dells between 5-7 p.m.; and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. west of Milwaukee.
Rain is expected to fall in several rounds through Wednesday. Kuroski said that in Milwaukee, after the evening rains, there will be a dry period before more showers arrive in the morning around dawn Wednesday.
