Milwaukee weather: severe storms, outages after tornado alerts
Milwaukee weather turned severe Tuesday evening, Aug. 18, 2026, as the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Milwaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Dodge counties, then canceled them by 7:15 p.m. A severe thunderstorm watch remained until 10 p.m. across much of southeast Wisconsin, with more than 18,000 Milwaukee County power outages reported.
Key Takeaways
- Tornado warnings for Milwaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Dodge counties were all canceled by 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to WISN.
- A severe thunderstorm watch stayed in effect until 10 p.m. for much of southeast Wisconsin, including Milwaukee and Racine after a 6:16 p.m. expansion.
- WISN reported 18,220 power outages in Milwaukee County, 9,542 in Waukesha County and 2,474 in Washington County by early evening.
- WISN said the overall severe weather risk remained low at Level 1 of 5; FOX6 cited a National Weather Service marginal risk, with damaging winds, hail and heavy rain as the main threats.
- Dry, pleasant weather was expected Wednesday and Thursday before rain chances return Friday.
Which southeast Wisconsin counties were under severe thunderstorm warnings?
The National Weather Service stacked multiple severe thunderstorm warnings across southeast Wisconsin through Tuesday afternoon and evening, WISN reported.
Warnings at various times covered Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Dodge, Jefferson, Washington, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties. FOX6 also listed a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. that included Kenosha and Walworth counties.
Earlier cells carried threats of 60 mph wind gusts, heavy rain and hail from penny-size to quarter-size. WISN said the overall severe weather risk remained low at Level 1 out of 5, though a few storms could still become strong.
FOX6 said storms developed ahead of a cold front. Rain and storms were likely between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., then were expected to progress south toward the Wisconsin-Illinois border between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., with isolated lingering rain possible until 10 p.m.
A 6:55 p.m. severe thunderstorm warning covered Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties until 7:45 p.m. An earlier 6:24 p.m. warning included Dodge, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties until 7:30 p.m.
Were tornado warnings issued for Milwaukee County?
Yes. WISN said a tornado warning was issued for Milwaukee County at 6:51 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Washington and Waukesha counties were under a tornado warning from 6:34 p.m. until 7:15 p.m.
Southwestern Dodge County had a tornado warning from 5:45 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. That storm was located 7 miles south of Rio and 10 miles west of Columbus, Wisconsin, moving east at 40 mph. WMTV 15 NEWS also flagged a tornado warning for Dane, Dodge and Columbia counties.
FOX6 had said the tornado threat was not expected to be the main risk, but that it is never zero. WISN reported all tornado warnings were canceled by 7:15 p.m.
If evening walks, outdoor training or sleep routines were disrupted by sirens and outages, our Longevity & Biohacking coverage tracks how to stay consistent when weather forces plans indoors.
Will storms affect the Brewers game and the rest of the week?
FOX6 said the Mariners were scheduled to play the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday at American Family Field. Scattered storms were possible during tailgate hours and more favored during the game itself, but the stadium roof meant the game would not be impacted by rain.
WMTV said a weak surface cold front swept across south-central Wisconsin, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 70s and overnight lows in the upper 50s. Wednesday and Thursday were forecast to be sunny and pleasant, with highs again in the upper 70s and lower humidity Thursday.
Rain chances return Friday ahead of a weekend of abundant sunshine, with afternoon highs in the middle 70s and overnight lows in the middle 50s, according to WMTV. FOX6 said dry weather returns to the forecast on Wednesday.