2/29/2012

Happy Leap Day! Well the storm finally went past us this morning and we were left with an aftermath of heavy wet sloppy snow. The worst kind to shovel. We still have mostly cloudy skies as the low pressure system still lingers a bit. It is currently 41°F so most of the snow is melting making everything into one big lake.
The system has now turned into an occluded front(purple line) which means that it is losing steam and is dying out over Michigan. The barometric pressure is rising back up steadily. There was quite a dramatic drop yesterday. We should not expect to see anymore snow this week.

2/28/2012

I will try to update this post frequently throughout the day tracking the "ominous" storm that should arrive this evening. I will basically be noting the cloud types and also the wind direction and barometric pressure throughout the day.
10:00 a.m. - The wind is out of the SE at 7 mph and the barometric pressure is at 29.20 in. Temperature is 30°F and cloud cover is 100% with what looks like stratocumulus clouds. Notice the large area of low pressure forming in Colorado often referred to as a Colorado low. This pressure system will make its way over the High Plains and Midwest before moving into the NE. If the front slides to the north of our area, we will be getting mostly precipitation in the form of rain. If it goes to the south, we will be in a colder air mass which means that we will be getting precipitation in the form of snow. *New video posted in the Weather Videos link.*


5:00 p.m - It has just begun to snow about an hour ago and it is a very wet and heavy snow as temperatures are just below the freezing mark. The wind is still out of the SE @ 10mph and bringing moisture with it and will override and mix with the cold air pocket that we are sitting in right now. These are the main ingredients for precipitation to form and that is what is happening right now and will continue to happen as the big low pressure system moves up through Nebraska.


7:00 p.m. - The precipitation has changed from heavy wet snow to a freezing rain that is coming down pretty heavily right now. Temperature is sitting at 31°F right now as the winds are bringing in warmer moist air from the SE. Here is an Infrared photo which shows cloud temperatures and heavy precipitation will show up in a dark cyan.

10:00 p.m. - Take a look at how fast the barometric pressure dropped in a 24 hour period. It's pretty cool to see it take a sudden drop right about the time the system moved into the area. The low pressure system is right underneath us and pushing north. Remember that with a low pressure system, the winds blow inwards in a counter clockwise fashion. Note the isolines on the map and notice the winds are strongest around this front.

2/27/2012

We are on the eve of what could be the biggest storm of the season(wouldn't take much) as a major low pressure system is forming in Colorado and will makes its way northeast bringing precipitation from the Gulf of Mexico. Early predictions are saying anywhere from 3"-12"+ either starting as rain and turning to snow or if it will be in snow form when it hits our area. Expect winds to pick up as well as big clouds forming in the sky. The barometric pressure will drop as well. It is currently 19°F with a barometric reading of 29.35 in. Tomorrow's high is expected to be around 36°. We have now been put into a winter storm warning. At least mild temperatures will prevail. 

 

2/26/2012

Holy wind!! We are in the middle of a strong low pressure system right now. The winds are from the WSW at 20 mph and gusts up to 26! This system did not bring the expected precipitation with it though. We are getting a few flurries but nothing significant. The temperature is 30.7°F but feels like it's in the teens. There is talk that another strong low pressure system will make its way from the southern plains into our area Tuesday and Wednesday. We are actually in a winter storm watch for those days as some moist Gulf air is heading this way. 

The tight white lines of pressure around MN and WI indicate strong winds. The wind map below shows the winds are blowing inwards and in a counter clockwise fashion in this area which is an obvious indicator of a low pressure system. 

2/24/2012

It is currently 13.9°F with pressure at 29.03 in., partly cloudy skies, and no wind. It has been a pretty uneventful day of weather with the normal precipitation in the NW and also the NE. We had a cold front drop down from Canada which is producing these cooler temperatures. I don't expect a high above 30° tomorrow, however, the temperatures will rise Sunday and there is still talk of a snow storm for Sunday so we shall see what happens.

2/23/2012

The current temperature is 31.8°F with pressure at 28.61 in., and a dew point of 15°. This is a surface data
map which shows wind direction, strength, cloud cover, and precipitation. It looks like there is a light wind from the north with no cloud cover in the Eau Claire area. There looks to be a low pressure system centralized in Illinois. I can determine this because the winds spin in a counter clockwise direction in this area. I can also tell there is precipitation in Southern WI, Northern Il, and Southern MI indicated by the yellow dots. Take a look at the current conditions map and this will show exactly what the surface data map shows but in an easier to understand form. The rest of the week will be cloudy but nice and could reach close to 50° on Sunday.

3/22/2012

Today was just a sweatshirt day. We reached a high of 39°F and with sparse cloud cover, we got mostly direct sunlight all day. It is currently 28.6°, pressure has dropped to 28.44 in., dew point is at 20°, and no wind.
The map shows current conditions around the country. There are quite a few warm and cold fronts colliding and creating precipitation along these lines. The warm air is coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and the cold air coming down from Canada. Still no major snowfall is expected in our area until Sunday.

2/21/2012

We did end up getting some snow accumulation overnight and it was wet and heavy because of the relatively warm weather. Most of it seemed to melt off right away early in the day. Towards the afternoon, I noticed that it cooled off significantly but it didn't snow anymore. It is currently 31.1°F with a dew point of 15 so we shouldn't expect to get anymore precipitation. The wind is WSW at 14 mph. Nothing much going on anywhere in the country right now. We should expect to see temperatures remain in the mid 30's the next few days and possibly a big snow storm this weekend.

2/20/2012

Today started off really nice and sunny but as the day drug on, the skies started to cloud up and it the temperatures dropped as well. The high we reached today was 42°F and right now it is 35.1° with winds starting to pick up out of the SW at 9 mph. It is starting to rain right now as it is a bit warm for snow to form. The map clearly depicts that a warm front from the south is colliding with a cold front from the west creating precipitation. I believe the forecast is for 1"-3" overnight then tapering off tomorrow and back to warm weather on Wednesday!

2/19/2012

The current weather in Eau Claire, WI is 26.1°F with partly cloudy skies and no wind. Pressure is at 29.06 inches and a dew point of 11°. Tomorrow we can expect a big change in the weather as a storm cell is expected  to move through. I think during the day it should be nice but overnight will get some freezing rain/snow mix. This is suppose to continue through Wednesday. This is a weather prediction map for tomorrow and it's pretty easy to see that the big system in the middle of the U.S. will be hitting our area by Monday night. Can't wait!!

2/18/2012

Today gave way to mostly sunny skies all day which led to a high of 35°F. Even at sunset there were few clouds in the sky which will mean it will feel colder tonight. Right now it is 21° outside, now wind, and a dew point of 7°.Tonight is forecasted a low of 18 and tomorrow should warm up to 36°. There is a good chance of snow for much of next week so we will see what happens. The big storm system in the South will move North
and it looks like there is some interesting activity in the West with a large collision of high pressure and low pressure systems.
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2/17/2012

Once again, another boring day of weather has beset us. We have overcast skies with a current temperature of 31.1°F, a barometric reading of 29 inches, and a dew point of 16°. Conditions will be identical tomorrow and the gradually getting warmer over the rest of the weekend into next week.

2/15/2012

Today was another nice day with little cloud (stratus) cover. The sun was out most of the day until the afternoon when it started to cloud up but still remained warm. We hit a high of 45° and a low of 25° early this morning. Right now we are sitting comfortably at 39.7° with no winds and 78% humidity. The forecast for the rest of the week into the weekend looks choice. Temps will remain in the mid to upper 30's with partly cloudy skies but no precipitation. The warm weather is making quick work out of the snow. There is some lake effect
snow/rain around Michigan and a decent looking storm in Mississippi. It looks like more warm air is heading north.

2/14/2012

It was warm today!

2/13/2012

Ugh! I hate looking out the window to see it snow. All this means is i get the wonderful privilege of going outside to shovel the sidewalks(on a corner lot of course *Bonus*). It was a pretty eventful day weather wise because when I went out today around 10 a.m. the sun was out and it looked like it would be a decent warm day. Some stratus clouds started to cover the sky around noon and by 3 p.m. it was 100% cloud cover as the clouds turned into cumulus clouds. I believe it started to snow shortly thereafter and it looks like we got maybe 1/2 inch. It's actually pretty nice out still as the temperature reads 41.5°F and the pressure dropped to 28 inches. It is still overcast with little to no wind. The humidity is 87% and the dew point is 38°. It looks like the mild weather will stick around for the rest of the week with no more precipitation in the forecast.

2/12/2012

Today was cold again as we reached a high of 29° but the real feel was more like in the teens. It is currently 13.3° with a real feel of 3 as the winds are coming out of the SSW at 5 mph. The overnight will remain clear and cold with winds holding steady around 5 mph. Winds are expected to get even stronger tomorrow but the temperature will once again climb back into the 30's. There is a decent chance of snow tomorrow as well in the Midwest. The system in the South will make it's way to the NE and we might get some precipitation out of that.  You can see that cell of low pressure systems in the SW are making these storms and the warm air masses associated with them are hitting cold air and creating these storms.

2/11/2012

2/10/2012

Current conditions: 7°F, Pressure @ 29.38 inches, clear skies, and relative humidity of 35%. It was considerably colder today than it has been all week. It really started last night when the winds picked up and there were a few flurries that occurred through the overnight. Tonight is expected to get below 0 and tomorrow's high is 16. The current station map show a stationary front heading our way which might bring
some warmer weather (fingers crossed).

2/9/2012

It was pretty chilly this morning walking to class at 7:30 a.m., which included a few expletives on the walk due in part because it was so early as well as it being cold. It really warmed up quite nicely by noon but remained fairly windy. We reached a high of 29° and winds have been consistently around 10 mph today as well. The sun was out all day with no clouds in the sky until a few moved in before dark. Temperatures for tomorrow are forecasted around 14° for a high as a cold air mass will be making its way down from Canada. We can expect a rise in the barometric pressure which means calm, cool weather with clear skies. Here is a snapshot of the
current conditions. That long blue line with triangles (cold front) is right above us right now. The isobars in NW Minnesota are fairly close together which means they are probably getting stronger winds. There is a tiny storm cell right next to Lake Superior in northern WI which is most likely caused from lake effect.

2/8/2012

Another day with clear skies and no precipitation. It was a bit colder today; I think the high was 27°F which, I guess, wasn't all that bad. Current conditions state a temperature of 21° with a real feel of 12°. The winds are blowing at 7 mph out of the WSW. The barometric pressure is holding steady at 30.28. High pressure prevails throughout the whole United States and it looks like nothing exciting is going on. More mild days are on their way at least until Friday/Saturday when we expect highs in the teens but then back into the 30's! I guess those two "cold" days will keep us honest. 

/Weather Maps from 2/7/2012

Water Vapor map in which you can make out the jet stream from Washington down through the northern tip of Texas then swinging up. In this upswing, we see a nice area of heavy water vapor which is where a storm cell passed through today. 

This is the jet stream map from today and you can see the area where a cold air mass and warm air mass collided right in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. The white isobar(pressure) lines get really close together and this is typically where you will find a storm cell. 

Here is a zoomed in look at the area affected by this storm cell. I like this figure because it shows the low pressure system coming up from the Gulf of Mexico (mT air mass) and it is colliding with a high pressure system moving southeast. You can see how it starts as rain until it hits the cooler air and then turns to sleet and eventually cools enough to form snow as it moves northwest. 

This current surface map I got at 11 p.m., shows that storm cell moving to the northeast and is not very strong so it won't produce a lot of precipitation. Up to the north it is calm and cooler than the past few days as air from the cP air mass descends down from Canada. 

2/6/2012

Today brought more warm weather and clear skies with basically no cloud cover at all today so it was nice no feel the warmth of direct sun for once. We reached a high of 40 again today and pressure is holding steady as well. The current temperature is 39 and the cloud cover has increased as well. Tomorrow, expect the winds to pick up as well as cooler temperatures are expected to arrive as a continental Polar (cP) air mass will make its way southward from Canada. The cool weather will likely continue until this weekend when temperatures should pick back up. No precipitation is in the forecast so the winter drought will continue for some time. The map below may look very confusing but is full of information. The L shaped staffs indicate where the wind is coming from. We are getting winds from the NE right now. The circles indicate cloud cover, a filled in circle means cloud cover while hollow circles indicate clear skies. 

2/5/12

Today we hit a high of 36°F with patchy clouds most of the day. The wind picked up during the day with WSW winds hitting 10 mph. Humidity is sitting at 97% and pressure is remaining stable. The cloud cover has kept temperatures a bit cooler and we can expect the same tomorrow. We can expect cooler air from the North to descend in the next few days so temperatures are expected to dip but should warm up again as the weekend approaches.

2/4/2012

I just finished work and stepped outside to mostly sunny skies and another unseasonally warm day. It looks like we are around 40°F for a temperature right now. There is a slight wind out of the SW at 5 mph. This morning when I went to work around 6 a.m., there was quite a bit of fog hanging around but that has obviously cleared up. The map shows near perfect conditions in our area.  The white lines(isobars) are spread far apart pretty much everywhere meaning weak winds. The closer the isobars are together, the stronger the wind is. The storm in Iowa looks kind of nasty. Tomorrow should be another nice day for the Superbowl and then the temperature is expected to drop during the week as cold air from Canada will be descending on us. 

2/3/2011

Today was another outstanding weather day in our part of the Midwest. We reached a high of 37 with full cloud cover all day until mid afternoon when the clouds started breaking apart and the sun was able to shine through making it feel even warmer. It stayed relatively warm all the way up till sunset. Once again we have no winds and the barometric pressure is holding steady. Right now we are sitting in a high pressure system which is also preventing the storms and precipitation to the south of the state. We will probably be getting some clouds from the system but that is all and the temperatures should be reaching mid to upper 30's for tomorrow and Super Bowl Sunday.
 

2/2/2012

Today is Groundhog's Day and it turns out that the groundhog did indeed see his shadow which means 6 more weeks of winter. Well, I for one can handle 6 more weeks of the weather we have been having lately. The weak high pressure system has been slowly making its way past us which led to a carbon copy of yesterday. Today was again 100% cloud cover which means there was evaporation happening. Today we reached a high of 35°F and has now dropped to 32°F. The dew point is sitting at 29.3° and relative humidity at 87%.

It looks like we have part of a cold front pushing down from the north in Ontario, Canada. This air mass is most likely continental Polar (cP). There is a storm system developing over parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma right now as a warm front is coming up from the South. This system will not affect us in Eau Claire, WI at all. The forecast for the next few days looks a lot like the weather from the last few days.

2/01/2012

Hello there February! Today brought 100% cloud cover all day. It was pretty gloomy yet relatively warm for this time of year still. The average for February 1st is 25° and we ended up reaching a high of 35° today. It felt colder just because the sun never had a chance to shine. It is currently 30.7° with a real feel of 27.7° with wind from the SW at 1 mph. It is starting to get pretty foggy out which was caused by the snow that melted today and with the dew point being at 29.7°. Relative humidity is at 96%. I wanted to include a map but my internet is terrible and I can't get one loaded up. This mild high pressure system should move past in the next day or so and the temperatures should remain around 30°+.