Summer’s Arrival? Wisconsin Is In For Hot, Muggy Weekend

Weather forecasters warn that it will be a hot, muggy weekend in Wisconsin, with the heat index climbing into the lower 100s in some areas, making for potentially dangerous conditions.

Actual temperatures are forecast in the low 90s in parts of the state, but humidity following Friday’s rain, will mean humid conditions. Scattered thunderstorms are expected on both Saturday and Sunday throughout the state.

Timm Uhlmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, said that besides the heat, some rain is likely throughout the weekend.

“There is going to be off and on thunderstorm chances through Monday afternoon,” he said. “It is not going to rain the entire time.”

Uhlmann said the heat index, or “apparent temperature,” will reach into the lower 100-degree range in some areas.

“It will get pretty warm, then pretty muggy at the same time,” he said.

Uhlmann said he expects the warmest temperatures in southwestern and southeastern Wisconsin. He added that central Wisconsin is in for a heatwave as well and that the heat will stretch all the way north to Vilas County, on the shores of Lake Superior.

When NWS officials issue a heat advisory, they recommend that people stay out of the sun, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity and keep hydrated.

With temperatures on the rise, public health departments around the state are reminding residents of the dangers of heat. Two heatwaves in 1995 killed 154 people in Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Emergency Management. Agency officials also reported deaths in subsequent years, although not to the extent of what happened more than 20 years ago.

Anna Destree, Brown County’s public health officer based in Green Bay, urged people to check in on the vulnerable as the heat picks up. Destree said those who can be especially sensitive to high temperatures include “people who are 65 years of age or older, children, people with chronic medical conditions … people who work outside and people who live alone.”

Destree also suggested it’s important people don’t leave pets in parked cars during such weather.

She said anyone is susceptible to heat-related illnesses. The symptoms of heat exhaustion include confusion, headaches and dark urine, which is a sign of dehydration. The more serious, potentially fatal heat stroke includes the same symptoms, along with vomiting, lack of sweat and seizures. People with those symptoms should call 911, officials said.