Heat Wave Includes Wisconsin, Could Confront Record High Temperatures

WISCONSIN — Many in Wisconsin are likely looking forward to the first true respite from winter's cold. That relief could be arriving in full force in the days ahead.

Tuesday was marked by warm temperatures in the Milwaukee area and beyond, and a heatwave that could challenge records in numerous states is expected in a 2,000-mile stretch across the country later this week, according to Accuweather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

States as far north as Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota could be seeing temperatures climbing into the 90s, and it could feel more like 100, forecasters say. Cities in Texas have already felt the heat since last weekend, and the unseasonable warmth is slated to take on the cities from the midwest all the way to Maine, according to Accuweather.

The National Weather Service's short-range forecast agrees that we'll probably be seeing warm weather, although Wisconsin could expect a soggy week ahead. There's a chance of thunderstorms pouring in the Milwaukee area Tuesday night and beyond, according to the NWS.

In the Madison area, high temperatures in the 80s are expected for much of the week alongside the possibility of thunderstorms, similar to the La Crosse area. The NWS charts slightly lower temperatures in the Milwaukee area in the week ahead.

According to the NWS Weather Prediction Center, summer-like heat will move through the central and southern plains Tuesday before expanding northward into the northern Plains and upper Midwest by Thursday.

Behind the possibility of the record-breaking heat is a "traffic jam" in the atmosphere, Accuweather meteorologists say.

"A massive northward buckle in the jet stream has developed in response to stalled storm off the East Coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. "As the jet stream buckle builds, heat will expand northeastward through the Mississippi Valley to parts of the Great Lakes region by midweek and then on to the St. Lawrence Valley in the Northeast later in the week."

Forecasters say the heat could confront records that were set in the 19th and 20th centuries in certain parts of the country.

The combination of heat and dry conditions is expected to heighten the fire risk from northern Arizona to central Oklahoma and Kansas, according to NWS forecasters. Gusty winds that will develop Tuesday will help fuel the fire potential, especially from the Four-Corners region to the central and southern High Plains.

In Wisconsin's far north counties, fire dangers are already at high levels, according to the Department of Natural Resources. WBAY reported more than 70 wildfires burned this past weekend in the state.

Other parts of the state, a majority of counties south of Green Bay, remain at low fire risk as of Tuesday, the DNR reports.