GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - It will be cooler Wednesday in most of Wisconsin, after a cold front broke the state’s latest heat wave.

Milwaukee and Madison each had 100 degrees Tuesday, breaking record highs for the date of 98 set as far back as 1936.

The front also brought high winds and heavy thunderstorms, mainly in the eastern part of the state. Darboy reported a 2.3 inch downpour and an inch of hail Tuesday afternoon.

Wind gusts hit 70 miles an hour at Appleton and 62 at Fond du Lac, and both cities had trees and power lines down.

In Randolph, a tree branch fell onto a power line and started a transformer on fire.

We Energies said 12,000 customers were without power late Tuesday in southeast Wisconsin – and most were expected to be restored Tuesday night.

More scattered rains are expected in parts of Wisconsin Wednesday. But highs will drop to the 70’s in northern Wisconsin, while the far southwest will still see 90. 

The National Weather Service says it won’t be enough to end the drought in the southern half of the Badger State – but it could give firefighters a much-needed break Wednesday.

The state DNR says it’s been responding to up to 15 wildfires a day – and they’ve put out 275 such fires since June 1st.

On Monday, part of Interstate 90-94 was closed in Juneau County after 40 acres had burned close by. The DNR’s Trent Marty says farm equipment and hot vehicle exhausts are triggered many of the most recent fires.

Tuesday, officials said the southern third of Wisconsin was at an “extreme” risk for wildfires – while the state’s mid-section had a high to very high fire danger.

Morgan Brooks of the National Weather Service says the passage of a cold front could bring significant rains to parts of the state today. But more dry weather is expected until about the middle of next week. And Brooks says it will take a few days of soaking rains to get Wisconsin fields back to normal.

As of Tuesday, Madison’s rainfall for the year was 7.33 inches below the norm.