With April 1st having the reputation of being a day of jokes and pranks, one would think upon hearing of the 80 degree weather that was observed across southeastern Wisconsin today that the meteorologists were attempting their own form of a joke. No such luck.
Southerly flow continued to inject warm air into the area in the wake of a warm front that moved across the region today. This flow allowed for temperatures to creep into the low 80s across much of the state. Only areas north of Milwaukee right along the Lake Michigan lakeshore were able to avoid record breaking temperatures as the onshore flow persisted through the day, keeping temperatures in the 70s.
Normal temperatures for the beginning of April range in the upper 40s to low 50s, making these high temperatures around 30 degrees above normal.
The graphic below depicts select areas across southeastern Wisconsin that observed record high temperatures for today (Burlington tied with 82).