The weather forecast for Milwaukee this week is cold temperatures, sub-zero temperatures and light snow

Cold temperatures are expected to continue in Milwaukee this week with temperatures in the negative single digits, with Thursday and Friday being the coldest.

The maximum temperature is from 20 to 30 degrees in the forecast throughout the week, with midweek lows in the teens. According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature in Milwaukee in early December is around 40 degrees.

“The main reason it’s been so cold … is that we’ve had a series of high pressures that have been able to move into our area from central Canada,” which has allowed northwesterly winds to establish themselves in the region and colder air to filter in from the north, said Milwaukee-Sullivan NWS Meteorologist Andrew Quigley.

He explained that they are called “Arctic high pressure centers” and are expected to affect southern Wisconsin all this week into the weekend, keeping temperatures below normal.

Temperatures should be milder early in the week before a cold front moves into the region Wednesday night. Daytime highs of around 31 degrees are expected on Monday and Tuesday, and the wind could make it feel like it will be in the upper 20s.

Wednesday afternoon is expected to be the darkest weather of the week, the daytime temperature will be around 36 degrees, it feels like above 20 degrees. A “very, very cold air mass” will move across the cold front from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, reducing early morning wind chills to negative single digits in southern Wisconsin, Quigley said. Wind gusts could reach 30-40 mph Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday, the maximum temperature during the day is forecast to be around 25 degrees, feeling – about 10 degrees. It will be a little warmer on Friday, with a maximum temperature of 28, feeling like a teenager. By Sunday, things could warm back up to 40 degrees, Quigley said.

Will it snow in Milwaukee this week?

Flurries and light snow are possible in the Milwaukee area this week.

Quigley said “persistent light flurries” are expected across the region throughout the day on Monday. Snow accumulation is not expected, squalls should stop at night.

There is a chance of light snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, possibly lingering into Wednesday evening. Snow chances will be highest in the Milwaukee area Wednesday night along a cold front, Quigley said. No more than half an inch of snow is expected.

Finally, there’s another system that could potentially track the area late Friday night into Saturday afternoon,” he said. “That could bring some additional light snow, but at this point it doesn’t look too threatening as far as accumulation”.

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This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cold temperatures are forecast for Milwaukee this week, well below freezing