Wisconsin extreme cold warning Friday, advisory to follow

MILWAUKEE - The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold warning for all of southeast Wisconsin that takes effect at midnight and continues into Friday afternoon, followed by a cold weather advisory that stretches into Saturday.

Local perspective:

The warning and advisory cover all southeast Wisconsin counties: Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha.

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The extreme cold warning runs from midnight to 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23. The cold weather advisory then runs from 1 p.m. on Friday to noon on Saturday, Jan. 22.

Thursday updates

Why you should care:

Wind chills will drop to -20 to -30 degrees starting Thursday night. They drop even more by Friday morning, into the -40s. This is very dangerous and can cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes. Daytime wind chills on Friday will stay in the -20s, then drop as low as -30 degrees Saturday morning.

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Over the past five years, the coldest wind chill was -37 degrees in December 2022. Most years, Milwaukee experiences wind chills in the -20 to -30 degree range during the months of January or February.

Extreme cold

Continued coverage:

FOX6 News has you covered through this bitter-cold stretch. Here's a look at some stories you may find helpful.

FOX6 Weather Extras

Local perspective:

Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:

FOX6 Storm Center app

FOX LOCAL Mobile app

FOX Weather app

What is the FOX Model?

FOX Weather Expert Tom Wachs explains the value of the FOX Model for our team -- and our viewers.

FOX Weather

Maps and radar

We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.

School and business closings

When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.