Strong winds continue Wednesday evening

 

Southwest winds have increased over the last several hours, gusting as high as 45 mph in a few locations. The increase in the wind is in response to a strengthening pressure gradient in the atmosphere ahead of a cold front, now moving into eastern Iowa, as well as increasing winds just a few thousand feet above the surface.

Southwest winds will continue to remain strong - gusting to 45 mph - for the next few hours before

relaxing a bit, but likely not until after 11pm. The cold front will pass through the area after Midnight with a slow downward trend in the gusty winds. Winds will shift to the west during the day Thursday, but gusts will remain around 25-30 mph, slightly higher across southern Wisconsin. Temperatures Thursday will warm into the low 90s.