Alert archive / Wisconsin / Small Craft Advisories in 2026

Small Craft Advisory 75, NWS Milwaukee, WI

August 3, 2026

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this small craft advisory at Aug 3, 2026, 12:25 PM CDT. It took effect at Aug 4, 2026, 2:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 3, 2026, 12:25 PM CDT (17:25 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 4, 2026, 2:00 PM CDT
Expired
Aug 4, 2026, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this small craft advisory went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this small craft advisory went out at Aug 3, 6:40 AM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Patchy fog ending in low lying areas this morning.
  • Next chances for thunderstorms Tuesday night through Wednesday night. Multiple rounds of storms may lead to local flooding. A few periods of strong storms cannot be ruled out, but timing and impacts are not yet clear.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 6:40 AM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
640 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Patchy fog ending in low lying areas this morning.

- Next chances for thunderstorms Tuesday night through Wednesday
  night. Multiple rounds of storms may lead to local flooding. A
  few periods of strong storms cannot be ruled out, but timing
  and impacts are not yet clear.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued 639 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

Patchy fog in low lying areas ending by 8 or 9 AM. The surface
ridge over WI will slowly shift ewd later today and tnt,
reaching the Lower Great Lakes by 12Z Tue. High temps will range
from the middle 70s near the lake to lower 80s inland.

Gehring

&&

.SHORT TERM...
Issued 107 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

Today through Tuesday night:

Moderate swim risk continues through early this morning for Milwaukee,
Racine, and Kenosha County Lake Michigan beaches. Stay away
from dangerous areas such as piers and breakwalls.

Temperatures falling into the upper 50s and low 60s this morning
with dewpoint temperatures in the low 60s will lead to fog
development in river valleys, as well as patchy fog development in
southwestern Wisconsin under clear skies and calm winds. Fog will
burn off an hour or so after sunrise, with mostly clear skies
(diurnal cumulus) and temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s
expected for the rest of the day.

High pressure lingers overnight tonight, with lows around 60
degrees. Patchy fog is possible, but less likely overnight tonight
as winds will remain light and southerly through the overnight
hours. Cloud cover will also slowly increase through the overnight
hours.

Winds will become steady and southwesterly into Tuesday, bringing
in warmer temperatures ahead of a weak frontal boundary moving
southward through northern Wisconsin during the afternoon hours.
Expect highs in the mid-80s. Isolated to scattered showers and
thunderstorms (20-30% coverage) look to develop as MUCAPE of
1000-1500 J/kg and PWATs of 1.5-1.75 inches build into southern
Wisconsin ahead of the front. The front will gradually sink
southward through the overnight hours, bringing more widespread
rain and storms. MUCAPE around 1000 J/kg lingers through the
overnight hours, with bulk shear building to 40-45 kt. A very
strong stable layer near the ground and shear parallel to the
front will likely keep storms sub-severe. However, widespread
rainfall is expected (60-80% PoPs). With high PWATs, instability
along the front, warm cloud layers up to 14,000 ft, and the
potential for multiple rounds of storms, localized flooding may
become possible.

MH

&&

.LONG TERM...
Issued 107 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

Wednesday through Monday:

Storms linger into Wednesday as low pressure ejects from the
central Plains into the Middle Mississippi Valley. With southern
Wisconsin remaining on the north side of the low and overrunning
precipitation from the night before, expecting benign rainfall
through the morning hours. If clearing develops early enough in
the day, instability may work back into southern Wisconsin for
Wednesday afternoon and evening, setting the stage for potential
severe weather. MUCAPE up to 2000 J/kg is shown on some ensemble
members of GFS and Euro, but will be highly dependent on clearing
after early morning showers and storms. Shear remains favorable
throughout the day (45-50 kt bulk shear values), with afternoon
storms likely forming on the northern edge of upper level ridging
and moving eastward, leading to perpendicular shear vectors and a
ridge-rider setup. Storms finally exit to the east into Thursday
morning, with clearing skies and highs around 80 degrees.

Thursday night, high pressure builds back into the western Great
Lakes, bringing light winds, lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.
High pressure lingers through Friday and Friday night with highs
in the low to mid 80s. Saturday and Sunday, low pressure
developing in the northern Plains will bring strong southwesterly
winds and temperatures in the mid-80s all the way to Lake
Michigan. A return to showers and storms Sunday through Monday as
a frontal boundary from the low moves southward through Wisconsin,
although confidence in timing and impacts remain uncertain at this
time (15-25% PoPs).

MH

&&

.AVIATION...
Issued 639 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

Patchy fog through 8 or 9 AM, then VFR conditions today and tnt.

Gehring

&&

.MARINE...
Issued 107 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

Low pressure around 29.7 inches will continue to lift
northeastward through southeastern Ontario into southern Quebec
today, with high pressure around 30.0 inches building into the
western Great Lakes. Northerly winds this morning will diminish to
light and variable today through tonight. Winds become
southwesterly and increase on Tuesday as low pressure of 29.4
inches develops over the Hudson Bay. A cold front from this low
will progress southward through the Lake Tuesday night through
Wednesday, bringing chances for thunderstorms. Easterly winds are
expected north of the front, with southerly winds south of the
front. The front will stall through Wednesday night, finally
pushing southward into Thursday. Winds will become light and
variable again under high pressure as the front exits, before
shifting to southerly again into Friday.

MH

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...None.
LM...None.
&&

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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 3:48 AM CDT, 8 hours 37 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
348 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-040900-
Marquette-Green Lake-Fond du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge-
Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee-
Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha-
348 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central
Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin and southeast Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Patchy fog is expected in river valleys and low-lying areas this
morning away from Lake Michigan.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday

Thunderstorm chances return Tuesday evening, continuing through
Thursday morning. Multiple rounds of storms may lead to local
flooding. Impacts and timing for severe weather remain uncertain
at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

LMZ643>646-040900-
Sheboygan to Port Washington WI-
Port Washington to North Point Light WI-
North Point Light to Wind Point WI-
Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL-
348 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters from
Sheboygan Wisconsin to Winthrop Harbor Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday

Thunderstorm chances return Tuesday evening, continuing through
Thursday morning. Impacts and timing for severe weather remain
uncertain at this time.

LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868-
870-872-874-876-878-040900-
Lake Michigan Michigan City IN to St. Joseph MI 5 NM offshore to
mid-line of lake.-
Lake Michigan from Seul Choix Point to Rock Island Passage 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan South of a line from Seul Choix Point to the
Mackinac Bridge and North of a line from Charlevoix MI to South
Fox Island 5NM offshore-
Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Point Betsie MI 5NM Offshore to
mid lake-
Lake Michigan from Point Betsie to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to
Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay WI 5NM
offshore to mid lake-
Lake Michigan from Sturgeon Bay to Two Rivers WI 5NM offshore to
Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Sheboygan WI 5NM offshore to Mid
Lake-
Lake Michigan from Sheboygan to Port Washington WI 5NM offshore
to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Port Washington to North Point Light WI 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from North Point Light to Wind Point WI 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City in 5NM
offshore to Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Pentwater to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid
Lake-
Lake Michigan from Whitehall to Pentwater MI 5NM offshore to Mid
Lake-
Lake Michigan from Grand Haven to Whitehall MI 5NM offshore to
Mid Lake-
Lake Michigan from Holland to Grand Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid
Lake-
Lake Michigan from South Haven to Holland MI 5NM offshore to Mid
lake-
Lake Michigan from St Joseph to South Haven MI 5NM offshore to
Mid Lake-
348 AM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the open waters of Lake
Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

No hazardous weather is expected.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday

Thunderstorm chances return Tuesday night, continuing through
Thursday morning.

www.weather.gov/mkx

The office that day

Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 3, 12:24 PM CDTBeach Hazards StatementMKXSheboygan34 hr

Nearby

Small Craft Advisories in Wisconsin, 2026Every small craft advisory in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.