Frost, 35 mph winds and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Milwaukee this week

If you've lived in Wisconsin for any substantial amount of time, you know the state can experience all four seasons in a week.

This could very well be one of those weeks. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures will range from the high 60s Monday and Tuesday afternoon to near-freezing Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Additionally, windy conditions and low humidity today have prompted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to issue "moderate" to "very high" wildfire danger ratings throughout the state. Later this week, the Milwaukee area is also expected to see morning frost and multiple days of thunderstorms.

Here's a look at the forecast.

Thunderstorms and frost likely Tuesday evening

There is a chance for scattered rain showers Monday night into Tuesday morning in Milwaukee, said NWS meteorologist Taylor Patterson, but rain is more likely Tuesday night. Overall, Milwaukee can expect a "couple tenths of an inch" of rain between tonight and Tuesday night.

Due to a cold front, Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast to see lows near freezing. Frost and freeze conditions are possible Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Patterson recommends people cover and protect frost-sensitive plants.

Wednesday afternoon is expected to be sunny with a high around 45. Temps will return to the 50s by Thursday.

There is also a chance for thunderstorms Tuesday night. "Nothing super concerning, just a few rumbles of thunder," Patterson said.

High wind gusts and increased wildfire risk Monday afternoon

Increased wildfire conditions are present throughout Wisconsin Monday. The DNR says fire danger risk is "high" or "very high" in the northern and central portions of the state and "moderate" in the southern portion, including in Milwaukee County.

Prior to burning anything outdoors or starting fires, you should check the DNR's burn restrictions map and/or with your local fire department.

The majority of Milwaukee's fire weather conditions today are due to light and breezy southwesterly winds that will increase later this afternoon to include 30-to-35 mph gusts, said Patterson.

"Then, while we have those gusty winds, we'll also have our relative humidity values falling ...," she said. "When relative humidities are low and the winds are very high, that's easy fodder for fires to spread and spread quickly."

Fine fuel moisture content ― a measurement of how much moisture is in the fuels people use for burning such as grasses and trees ― is also low, contributing to the elevated fire risk. This is largely due to Milwaukee seeing much less snow than usual this winter.

"We did not have a lot of moisture ... over the winter," Patterson said. "We caught up quite a bit in the month of March, but we're still a little on the low side."

Elevated fire risk conditions are not expected to persist in Milwaukee beyond today, Patterson said. If people want to burn something today, she recommends they do so before winds increase this afternoon.

More storms possible Friday through the weekend

Showers and thunderstorms are also in the forecast for Milwaukee Friday through much of the weekend.

"Right now, our extended forecast looks like we have two low-pressure systems pretty close together that will be moving toward the Great Lake region," Patterson said. "The timing on when exactly the rainfall will come will (become more clear) as we get closer."