Southern Wisconsin’s warm October days are numbered

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – If you’ve been enjoying this unusually warm October weather, there’s still time to take advantage of it. Sunshine continues across southern Wisconsin Sunday afternoon, with temperatures climbing to around 80 degrees in Madison and even warmer readings farther west. It’s another day that feels more like late summer than the middle of October.

The pleasant weather continues into Sunday evening, with a few more clouds arriving overnight. Temperatures will remain unusually mild, with lows generally in the lower 60s.

Monday brings one more round of summerlike warmth, with highs returning to the lower 80s. You’ll also notice a little more humidity as moisture increases ahead of an approaching cold front. While much of the day should remain dry, clouds will gradually increase, with showers and a few thunderstorms becoming possible Monday evening and overnight.

The greatest rain chances will be across our northern communities, particularly north of Interstate 94. Farther south, including Madison and Janesville, some neighborhoods may see very little rain. An isolated stronger thunderstorm could produce hail, although widespread severe weather isn’t expected.

By Tuesday, the cold front will be moving through southern Wisconsin, bringing an end to our unusually warm stretch. Northwest winds will usher in cooler, drier air, with afternoon temperatures settling into the 60s. That’s quite a change from the weekend, but much closer to what we’d normally expect in October.

Wednesday looks relatively quiet, with seasonable temperatures and only a small chance of showers. Our next opportunity for more widespread rain arrives Thursday into Friday as another weather system approaches the Great Lakes. The timing and strength of that system remain uncertain, so we’ll be watching how the forecast develops.

What happens behind that system could be even more interesting. Some forecast scenarios suggest a much colder air mass arriving next weekend, potentially bringing frost to parts of southern Wisconsin. It’s too early to know just how cold we’ll get, but the possibility of a significant cooldown is worth keeping an eye on.

For now, enjoy these final days of unusually warm weather. By next weekend, we may be reaching for those heavier jackets that haven’t seen much use lately.