Most of the weather talk through late spring, summer and so far this fall has been around warmer than normal temps. As we eye our next weather maker, we'll go from near record highs Thursday, to continued mild, but windy weather with a few showers on Friday, and then turning sharply colder as the hunters take to the woods for the opening of the gun deer hunt season this weekend.

Here's the set up:

An approaching area of low pressure will push a warm front north across the viewing area on Thursday. This will bring breezy conditions but also, near record warmth! The record high for Thursday is 69° set back in 1999. Our forecast calls for a high of 67° so we'll be close and on record high watch. As this system then gets closer to Wisconsin we'll see the chance for a few light rain showers as the cold front swings over our area. But what you're probably noticing in the above picture is all the snow on the back side of that low. And here's where the snow may pile up:

You can see Blizzard watches in the green and a Winter Storm Watch in the blue. That's where the swath of heavy snow will fall. But we will still feel some impacts. In addition to the near record warmth, lots of wind can be expected the next three days. A southerly flow will continue on Friday and provide for another mild, albeit windy day in the lower 60s, along with the chance for a few rain showers.  As this system continues to track northeast we'll begin to feel the temperature plunge heading into the weekend. Temperatures will barely reach the low 40s on Saturday and the wind will turn northwest and stay quite brisk. This could pull down some wind swept flurries for our area and possibly a slushy couple of inches across northwest Wisconsin.

Here's the forecast for Saturday:

Of course the hunters would love a snow pack to help track the deer, but the wind may also play a roll in keeping deer hunkered down. Any way you slice it, it will finally feel like hunting weather! Stay safe and enjoy the woods this weekend!

I'm meteorologist Rebecca Schuld