Overview
- The National Weather Service has an extreme cold warning in effect from midnight Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday, with a follow-on watch from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.
- Wind chills are forecast to drop to about 40 degrees below zero Friday morning, a level that can cause frostbite on exposed skin in roughly 10 minutes.
- Milwaukee Public Schools will announce a decision on Friday classes by 6 a.m., with the option to decide the night before if conditions are clearly severe.
- District policy calls for monitoring NWS alerts and consulting local agencies and bus companies, weighing risks for walkers and bus riders alongside impacts on transportation and access to meals.
- If schools close, all sports, extracurriculars and Milwaukee Recreation programs would be canceled, missed days would be made up later, notifications would go out by phone, website, local media and social platforms, and some staff may still be asked to report; other districts often follow MPS, and some may opt for virtual learning.