Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Athens, WI

DISCUSSION
Issued at 119 AM CDT Wed Jul 22 2026

The latest RAP analysis and satellite/radar imagery show a cold front stretching from southern Minnesota into northern Illinois early this morning. A lingering 5000 ft cloud deck over northeast Wisconsin has mostly dissipated, leaving mostly clear skies across north-central and northeast Wisconsin. Upper-level troughing remains anchored over the Great Lakes, while a broad high-pressure system over the northern Plains is gradually dropping southeast toward the northern Mississippi Valley.

As the surface high pushes closer to the region, winds and waves will gradually subside early this morning. There is still a few gusts to 25 kts over the tip of the Door Peninsula. Will let the small craft advisory continue to expiration to ensure winds have comfortably diminished.

For today through Friday, the high-pressure system will drift across the northern Mississippi Valley into the southern Great Lakes, bringing quiet and pleasant weather to north-central and northeast Wisconsin. The western Great Lakes will sit downstream of a strong upper ridge over the Intermountain West, placing the area within dry northwest flow aloft. This persistent flow will keep the deeper instability suppressed well to the south through Friday. Expect high temperatures near or slightly below normal in the mid-70s to lower 80s, along with cool overnight lows falling into the 40s and 50s. Diurnal fair-weather cumulus clouds with bases around 4000 to 6000 feet will develop each late morning and dissipate near sunset.

For the extended period from Saturday through Tuesday, the upper- level ridge over the western states will expand eastward toward the Plains and Great Lakes. Return southerly flow around the departing surface high will draw a hot and humid airmass northward into Wisconsin. High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will climb into the upper 80s to near 90 degrees in central Wisconsin, with dewpoints surging into the lower 70s. This combination will yield afternoon heat indices approaching the mid 90s across central and east-central Wisconsin. Positioned on the northeast fringe of the mid-level heat dome, northeast Wisconsin will be in a favorable corridor for periodic thunderstorm chances (20 to 50 percent) from Saturday through late Sunday. Confidence regarding the timing, tracks, and organization of potential convective complexes remains low at this time range. Machine learning guidance indicates low overall probabilities for organized severe weather, but thunderstorm trends will continue to be monitored in future forecast updates.

AVIATION
for 12Z TAF Issuance Issued at 603 AM CDT Wed Jul 22 2026

High pressure building into the region today will bring quiet aviation weather and prevailing VFR conditions across all terminals. Clear skies early this morning will yield to scattered fair weather cumulus around 4 to 5 kft developing between 15z and 16z. Cloud bases are expected to lift to 6 to 7 kft this afternoon before dissipating early this evening, leaving mostly clear skies for the remainder of the forecast period. Northwest winds will remain light overall around 5 to 10 kts with occasional gusts to 15 kts during the afternoon, though slightly stronger gusts up to 20 kts remain possible near Door County. High confidence in VFR conditions continuing through Thursday morning.

Outlook...VFR conditions will persist through Friday under dry high pressure. Thunderstorm potential returns over the weekend.

KOSH
Clear skies will start out the taf period, but expect fair weather clouds to build with daytime heating between 15-16z. Cloud bases will initially be around 5 kft before lifting to 6-7 kft this afternoon. Kept a tempo group for a period of broken ceilings from 16-19Z. These clouds are forecast to dissipate early this evening, leaving mostly clear skies for the remainder of the forecast period.

Northwest or north winds will mostly be 5-10 kts. Occasional gusts to 15 kts are possible, most likely late in the morning.

GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
None.