Are you looking for a reason to smile today? Look up! The sky is as clear and as blue as can be. The sun is working its magic to melt off some of our icy sidewalks and roadways this afternoon. The wind has also backed off dramatically today. The current 1 mph NE wind with gusts up to 6 mph is a huge improvement from the 20-30 mph gusts we were experiencing yesterday.

Right now, we are experiencing 17 degree F temperatures with a wind chill of 8 degrees F. By the middle of the night, though, expect below zero temperatures to come nipping at your nose.

As a fun fact for the day, "snow," "cold," and "wind" are all trending words on Twitter in the Eau Claire area today. I was personally surprised that "ice" did not take today's top spot.

For an information update on Winter Storm Q, which will be moving through our area this week, check out this link: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-q-california-plains-midwest-20130218