MILWAUKEE - Comfortable dew points remain in the forecast on Monday, Aug. 24, but a big change returns this week as dew points will creep back up into the muggy and oppressive category.
It will start to feel uncomfortable again Tuesday night into Wednesday and heading into the weekend.
Sticky air is located to the west of Wisconsin in the Great Plains, but notice by Tuesday and Wednesday dew point numbers increase into the 60s.
This means that moist and sticky air is on the way back to the Great Lakes region and continues to stretch to the Gulf.
Why are things changing?
What we know:
On a broad view, the reason why dew points go up and down is because of the winds! Winds out of the north versus the south transport a variety of atmospheric parameters, such as moisture.
Notice that Tuesday into Wednesday winds return out of the south, which will transport heavily moist air into Wisconsin again.
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While winds out of the south are just one part of the equation, meteorologists closely have to analyze where the location of high and low pressures are in the United States to determine when the wind will change.
Understanding winds with high and low pressure
Dig deeper:
Winds move clockwise around an area of high pressure. This means that on the right side of the high, winds blow out of the northwest, north, and northeast.
On the left side of the high, winds blow out from the southwest, south, and southeast. So, areas east of the high are typically cooler and less humid, while areas west of the high are typically warmer and more humid.
The low pressure is the opposite, where winds move counterclockwise. This means that on the right side of the low, winds blow out of the southeast, south, and southwest.
On the left side of the low, winds blow out of the northwest, north, and northeast. So, areas east of the low are typically warmer and more humid, while areas west of the low are typically cooler and less humid.
Now that you have a better idea of the differences between wind, temperature, and moisture between high and low pressure systems, let's dig deeper into how it impacts Wisconsin.
Location of high and low pressure matters
Big picture view:
This past weekend, high pressure has been in the upper Midwest, but the location of it is key. Since the high was to our west, this allowed winds to flow out of the north and northwest for several days.
This drew in cooler and drier Canadian air from the north, giving us a break from the high humidity.
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Low pressure to the east of Wisconsin helps aid in a northerly wind, reinforcing the more comfortable airmass to stick around.
If a low pressure begins to move in from the west, where most of our weather comes from, this brings southerly winds ahead of it, causing temperatures to typically warm and enhance the humid air in Wisconsin.
High pressure to the east of Milwaukee still has a southerly wind which continues to amplify the high humidity across the Great Lakes.
You can see that winds are the primary factor changing the amount of moisture in the air, but it can also influence the temperature. In order to determine a shift in winds, moisture, and temperatures, meteorologists have to monitor when and where high and low pressures move relative to southern Wisconsin, especially in the summertime when dew points are more impactful to how it will feel outside.
The Source: Information in this post is provided by FOX6 Weather Experts.