Above Average? Yes, Please!

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. The observed high temperature was 75 degrees F (10 degrees above average) at 5:05 pm. Even the low temperature was wonderful. The low was 52 degrees F (12 degrees above average), observed a 5:45 am.

regional high temperatures 4/29/13

regional low temperatures 4/29/13

The winds were gusting at 16-22 mph out of the South. The warm winds brought some cloud cover and light drizzle, totaling 2 tenths of an inch of precipitation.

surface map of United States evening of 4/29/13, showing fair weather for Eau Claire, which is between two warm fronts

From the above surface map, you can see that we were in a warm air mass yesterday. The cold front to the west will make its way into our area within the next day, bringing a chance for rain showers but not threatening to cool off the temperatures quite yet.

It's Spring!!

Finally, spring is here! April 26th was finally the day we can all been desperately waiting for. The surface map for the day showed a whole lot of nothing for Wisconsin. It's about time we have a break from all the action we have been seeing in the atmosphere!



The effects of the cold front that passed through have finally gone. Today's weather was mild and the skies were mostly clear.

Some scattered clouds were in the sky throughout the day, not really appearing until afternoon. Since the appearance of the cumulus humilis fair weather clouds in the afternoon did not pose any threat. Had they appeared in the morning, we may have been dealing with atmospheric instability. Fortunately, though, we had a picture perfect spring day in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Cumulus humilis clouds dotting the bright blue sky along Highway 29 East at 5:10 pm

Another image of the 5:10 pm sky

Overnight, the scattered clouds disappeared and the winds died down. A few areas of patchy fog appeared this morning, but that burned off as the sun took to the sky.

Yesterday, the temperatures made a huge jump. We finally saw some above average temperatures throughout the day. The high temperature hit a whopping 72 degrees F at 4:05 pm (9 degrees above average). The low was 38 degrees F (1 degree below average) only 45 minutes past midnight.

Today will be an equally nice spring day. Below is the current jet stream map for the nation.

From this jet stream map, it looks like we will finally be seeing the meridional jet flow that is normal for this time of year. Meridional flow will bring fair weather and warmer temperatures as we start receiving tropical winds instead of continental polar chilly bursts.

Currently, the sky is clear and the temperature is 56 degrees F. By this afternoon, we should see another 70 degree F day. The winds in Eau Claire are blowing at 3.1 mph out of the SSW, gusting at 9.2 mph. The barometric pressure is 30.13 in Hg and holding steady. The dew point is 48 degrees F, and the current relative humidity is 76%. The only downfall to the day will be for allergy sufferers. The current pollen rating is 10.5 out of 12. It looks like it is time to stock up on the allergy meds!

Oh, The Anticipation!

Yesterday wanted to warm up, but the cloud cover and blustery winds prevented the temperatures from breaking into the 50's. The high yesterday was 48 degrees F at 5:05 pm, which is still 15 degrees below average for April 15th. The low hit the freezing mark at 6:05 am. This 32 degrees F temperature was 6 degrees below average for the low.

Winds were gusting at 18 mph yesterday, coming from the west. Early on, we saw two tenths of an inch of precipitation. Overall, though, it was a mild weather day. When the sun had the chance to peak out from behind the clouds, you could feel its warmth. The whole day was one big build of anticipation for today.

Although the majority of the day was mostly cloudy with cumulus humilis clouds, this was a moment of reprieve. The sun was shining warmly on this still-icy pond in Eau Claire near Carson Park.

April 24th, Told Through Pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words. On a precipitating weather day, this is especially true. The following pictures and captions tell April 24th's story.

In the late morning (10:00 am), the clear blue Eau Claire sky started getting dotted with clouds. In this picture, taken from 1st Ave. and Water St., you can see multiple different kinds of clouds in the sky. Higher in the atmosphere, you can see the wispy cirrus fibratus clouds. Being a minimum of 16,500 feet above the surface, these cirrus clouds are made up of ice crystals, giving them an air-brushed quality. Cirrus clouds usually accompany organized storm systems. At this point in the day, the cirrus clouds were not yet covered up by lower-lying clouds. You can also see cumulus humilis clouds in this picture. These puffy clouds are made up of water droplets, in contrast to the icy cirrus clouds higher in the atmosphere. Puffy cumulus clouds like these ones pose no threat but they can be predictors. If this picture would have occurred in the afternoon, no rain would be in the forecast. Since this picture was taken in the morning, though, the atmosphere is showing signs of instability. These clouds will grow throughout the day.

By 6:00 pm, this is what the Eau Claire sky looked like staring downstream from the campus footbridge. The upper atmospheric cirrus clouds have become more wide-spread. The cumulus clouds are becoming more prevalent and some are beginning to show vertical growth and flattening bases, becoming cumulus congestus. The atmosphere is showing instability when these kinds of changes start to happen.

As dusk approached, the sky told us everything we needed to know without turning on the TV. This picture was taken a little before 8:00 pm from the Blugold Marching Band practice field. In this picture, the sky is now covered in cumulonimbus clouds. You can also see virga rain occurring in this picture. Within 5 minutes of this picture's capture, rain began to fall in Eau Claire. The rain precipitation intensified and continued throughout much of the night.

April 24th's high temperature was 52 degrees F at 2:25 pm (10 degrees below average). The low temperature was 25 degrees F (13 degrees below average) at 5:05 am. The wind was blowing at 22-30 mph, coming from the WSW.

A Look Ahead to the Weekend

Are you feeling the full effects of seasonal depression? Well, by this weekend, you should be able to put this dark, dismal period behind you. We are looking at a Saturday in the 60's and a Sunday that may even make its way into the 70's! Get ready to bust out your Hawaiian print, Eau Claire!

But why does it look like warmer temperatures will be approaching this weekend? We will finally be experiencing a few days in a row with high pressure. The high pressure system that will move into our area by the weekend will bring us fair weather and clear skies. (Do you remember what sun looks like? Don't get down on yourself if you don't. I am struggling to bring the image of a sunny sky into my memory as well.) But how do we know we will see more than one brief day of high pressure and fair weather? Well, we will finally be in a high pressure ridge. Most years, we would have been in a high pressure ridge for quite some time by this point in the year. This high pressure ridge will be a huge contrast from the troughs that we have been stuck in. This high pressure ridge will shift our winds to be out of the SW, bringing warmer air. We will now feel tropical air coming up, changing from cP to mT.

For the few lone souls out there mourning winter's demise, wait a few months. It's time for the rest of the seasons to get a shot at Wisconsin.

So This One Time, In Mid-April...

Yesterday's east wind and rapidly falling barometric pressure told us a low pressure system was developing. By yesterday afternoon, the cold front had pushed to the east of our area. Although the cold front had passed, there was still a line of snow, mix, and intense rain to the west of us. This line of weather was due to an upper level front. There was divergence aloft in the upper atmosphere that could not be seen on a surface map. Just north of Eau Claire on the Minnesota side of the border, some places received a foot of snow. By late last night, the low pressure system that was forming throughout the day was fully developed. It developed along that massive line of instability. 

As the low pressure system continued to move to the east of Eau Claire, the barometric pressure began to rise. At 6:17 am, the barometric pressure was 30.04 in Hg and rising slowly. The temperature at that time was 26.4 degrees F. Currently, the barometric pressure has tapered off and is sitting at 30.05 in Hg. The temperature is 42.1 degrees F with a wind chill of 36 degrees F. This is due to the 3.1 mph ENE winds that are gusting at 7.6 mph. The dew point is 29 degrees F and the relative humidity is 55%, indicating that we will not be seeing precipitation today, as the air is not saturated enough for it. We did, however, receive just a touch over a tenth of an inch of precipitation in the form of rain early this morning. Today should be nicer for the us than yesterday was, since high pressure is moving in behind the low today.

The low pressure system and cold front have moved east of our area, being replaced by a high pressure system moving in from the west.

Forecasts are saying there is a 30% chance of snow today. I personally am not expecting that to happen. Northern Wisconsin, however, is getting lake effect snow right now. There is something terribly sad about the crazy amounts of snow we have been receiving in mid-April.

From the current weather maps, we can see a system developing to the south. If we examine an upper atmosphere map, we can see a trough. I am fairly confident, though, that we will have seen the end of winter by this weekend.

This is the current snowcover map of the nation. Have we finally seen the end of winter? Minnesota residents are certainly hoping so after the foot of snow they just received. In the last 24 hours, Eau Claire has received half an inch of snow. By the way, it's April 23rd.

The majority of the moisture in the air has moved east of Wisconsin.

Right now, the sky is mostly cloudy with stratocumulus clouds. The majority of the clouds are around 2600 feet, making them too low to be altocumulus clouds. You can see the variation across the sky, which is a prominent feature of stratocumulus clouds. These clouds form when temperatures fall near freezing (either a little below or a little above). Stratocumulus often accompany larger-scale, traveling weather systems, especially after a cold front. This is exactly what just happened. Below, you can see the current Eau Claire sky.

stratocumulus clouds covering the sky, looking up from 9th Ave. and Water St. at 3:34 pm

And the Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down...

Sunday was yet another below average day. This high temperature was 48 degrees F (13 degrees below average) at 4:45 pm. The low was 30 degrees F (7 degrees below average) at 6:25 pm. The morning brought precipitation in the form of snow and cold winds. The winds were coming from the SSE at 20-25 mph. The snowfall total for Sunday was 0.6 inches. The rain precipitation we received later in the day totaled 0.34 inches.

Right now, just as it has been all day, it is raining, meaning that the relative humidity is 100% and the dew point equals the temperature. Currently, it is 32 degrees F in Eau Claire, WI. The wind chill makes it feel as though it is 23 degrees, though. So far today, we have received about a half inch of rain precipitation. The light to moderate rain we are experiencing now will be shifting into freezing rain and snow mix as the temperature decreases. We will see temperatures hovering around 30 degrees F tonight. The highest temperature of the day was observed at 12:05 pm during a brief reprieve from the rain. The overcast skies still allowed us to absorb enough solar radiation to bring our thermometers to 45 degrees.

Haas parking lot experiencing moderate rain in the early evening

There is a winter storm warning in effect until 7 am Tuesday for areas just to the north and west of Eau Claire. Read the following news bulletin for more information. http://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=64c318e7d2feb6d2&hl=en&gl=US&source=web
Minnesota is already seeing heavy snowfall. They will likely see close to a foot of snow accumulation. In Wisconsin, the areas affected by the winter storm warning could see up to 9 inches of snow accumulation. In Eau Claire, we will likely only see less than an inch of snowfall. I am expecting to see more rain with some flurries throughout the night and early Tuesday morning.

Today Will Be Spring...-ish

Finally, a day that resembles spring!

Yesterday, we saw some sun through the partly cloudy skies by the afternoon, but the happiness that that sunshine may have brought was shadowed by the light snow falling at the same time. Yesterday's snowfall precipitation total in Eau Claire was 1.4 inches, with most of it coming in the early morning hours. Rain precipitation totaled 0.06 inches.

Yesterday's cumulostratus clouds that turned into cumulus humilis clouds foreshadowed what today's weather would be like. This transitioned into clear skies and fair weather today.

4/19/13 Clairmont Ave. 6:00 pm

4/20/13 9th Ave. 1:15 pm

The weather should remain fair today. Some clouds will move into the area by this evening, but the sky should remain clear for at least a few more hours.

Yesterday's high temperature was 36 degrees F (24 degrees below average) at 5:45 pm. The low was 28 degrees F (8 degrees below average) at 10:45 pm. Today, we are already sitting at 42.3 degrees F. This was the anticipated high for today, and we were not expected to reach it until around 5 pm tonight. We may finally see some pseudo-spring-like weather! Keep in mind that the current temperature is still about 20 degrees below average for mid-April. The warmer temperatures today is due in part to the lack of wind. Currently, the wind is blowing at 2.2 mph with gusts of 6.9 mph out of the SW. The NNW winds of 24-34 mph yesterday were not only stronger but also colder due to their northern origin.

You can see, in this image, that the deep trough that extended all the way down through Mexico Thursday has finally flattened out most of the way, restoring a bit more of the natural temperature order to the country.

Although the trough is not as deep as it was a few days ago, the jet stream is still exhibiting a meridional flow pattern uncharacteristic for mid-April. At this time of the year, we should be seeing a zonal flow pattern in the jet stream, in which the jet has exclusively horizontal movement.

The current dew point for Eau Claire is 13 degrees F, and the relative humidity is 27%. The barometric pressure is 30.26 in Hg and rising rapidly. The rapid rise in pressure is due to the high pressure system moving into the Chippewa Valley. You can see the movement from low pressure to high pressure that we experienced from yesterday morning to midday today in the following two surface maps.

early yesterday morning low pressure system over Eau Claire that brought accumulating snow



current surface map that shows a high pressure system moving into WI

How Yesterday Predicted Today

The following surface map is from the evening of April 17. You can see two occluded fronts surrounding Wisconsin. Snow is to the NW and rain is to the WSW. The rain is being pushed northward by the warm front to the south. Even if the map did not show heavy rain coming, the low pressure system to the SW moving NE would be a good indicator that we would see precipitation today.

Watching the speed at which this storm has been developing and traveling, the snow was going to miss us entirely and the rain would bring more flooding. From looking at April 17th's map, it was likely that the rain would hit strong this morning but move past us by the afternoon. This is pretty much how it went today. The rain did intensify and extend later into the afternoon than I had anticipated. Even after the rain departed, gloomy altostratus clouds blanketed the area with gray.

Currently, the temperature is 39 degrees F with a wind chill of 32 degrees F. This is pretty close to what we were experiencing yesterday at this time. Tomorrow will be cooler, because the low pressure system will be right over our area by early morning. The counterclockwise wind rotation of the low pressure system will be bringing us winds from the north.

The morning began with stratus undulates clouds that continued throughout the day.
 

The Calm Before the Storm

The clouds have finally departed and we have a clear Eau Claire sky tonight. The sunshine we saw this afternoon used its power to burn off the gloomy clouds. Unfortunately, that sunshine will be an anomaly this week.

clear skies...for now

low pressure system to the southeast is moving NE; the only current precipitation is happening in the Rockies (occluded front bringing snow) and SE of us (ahead of a cold front)

Currently, conditions in the Chippewa Valley are fair. It is 31 degrees F outside and only feels one degree F colder. The barometric pressure is currently stable at 30.32 in Hg. The dew point is 24 degrees F with a relative humidity of 78%.

The winds are calm at the moment; although, we did see some gusting earlier today. These winds will pick up again as the next big low pressure system moves into our area. As the next big storm brings rain, flooding could happen in Eau Claire. Right now, Eau Claire is in a flood watch from noon Wednesday until Thursday night. Tomorrow's rain will start out light but progressively intensify by evening, which could leave us with over an inch of precipitation.

current moisture in the air (Notice the moisture increasing to the east that will bring us rain tomorrow.)

The snowcover will increase in our area after the next few days.

Eau Claire morning: altostratus clouds creating a dreary sky

Eau Claire early evening: cirrostratus clouds and contrails leave the sky only partly cloudy

We Have Some Active Weather Ahead of Us

After a brief reprieve from the thick cloud cover this morning, the altostratus clouds are back to make for an overcast sky. If the cloud cover didn't get your spirits down today, perhaps the high winds did. Winds out the southwest were blowing at 15-30 mph throughout the day. Currently, we are experiencing SW winds of 4.5 mph, gusting at 12.1 mph.

As the winds and cloud cover lessen tonight, temperatures are expected to dip down to below freezing. This may leave your melt-water-covered driveways slick in the morning.

Currently, the dew point is 27 degrees F and the barometric pressure is 29.87 in Hg and rising. The rising barometric pressure is due to the low pressure system moving out of our area. The relative humidity is 60%. The current temperature is 39 degrees F with a wind chill of 31 degrees F.

We can look forward to a day break from the sloppy weather. Enjoy the break, because Wednesday will bring us some April showers and possibly some thunderstorms. This will be due to a low pressure air mass moving into the area. Colder air will filter in as the system continues, bringing a wintery mix of rain, sleet, and snow precipitation Thursday and the potential for snow accumulation on Friday. The moist air will move out of the area by Saturday, but it is looking like an active next week as well as another low pressure air mass enters the area. It's too early to tell the kind of precipitation we will see next week, but know that we are still receiving cold Canadian air, meaning that snow could be in the cards.

It's Spring?

Today's wintery mix of precipitation is finally dying down. Tonight, we will still see rain, giving us the likelihood of receiving 1"-2" of liquid precipitation yet.

Currently, the temperature is 35 degrees F with a wind chill of 28 degrees F. At the warmest point of the day, temperatures reached 41 degrees F. The precipitation and 15-25 mph ESE winds kept it feeling cooler. On the positive side of things, that ESE wind means the weather should look nicer soon. The precipitation should move out of our area by around midnight.

The crazy April wintery mix today has been brought to you by the intersection of a warm front, cold front, and occluded front. The word of the day: SAD.



wet, sloppy, dreary conditions in Eau Claire, WI

Remaining Chilly

Yesterday was another well-below-average day. The morning started off with light snow precipitation.

Saturday's high temperature was 36 degrees F, recorded at 12:25 pm (21 degrees below average). The low temperature was 25 degrees F at 7:05 am (8 degrees below average).

The wind yesterday was coming out of the WNW at 16 mph. Gusts reached 19 mph.

The Picture Perfect Mid-Latitude Cyclone

Ok, Eau Claire residents, who out there is confused about this weather? What it is that we are experiencing right now is a mid-latitude cyclone. If you noticed yesterday, we were feeling winds from the east. As the saying goes, "When the wind comes from the east, tis not fit for man nor beast." The truth to this piece of folklore is that east winds are associated with mid-latitude cyclones. This winter storm is caused by an inverted trough. On radar maps, you can see a comma-shaped storm. This comma shape is indicative of a mid-latitude cyclone.

This image shows Winter Storm Walda in motion.

current area radar

This low pressure system swept a cold front across the country, dropping temperatures well below normal.

We are receiving a snow mix, but the southern United States is seeing some pretty wicked storms. This map shows the current lightning strikes.

The following water vapor map helps you to see how much moisture is in our area. The heaviest moisture areas depict the mid-latitude cyclone. You can also make out the inverted trough.

The wind shows you the shape and movement of this storm. The counterclockwise circling indicates low pressure, an indicator of bad weather.

The temperature has been dropping since this morning. The barometric pressure has been dropping as well, showing us that the low pressure air mass was afoot. Today's high temperature occurred early this morning, unfortunately.

In the following images, you can see how far today's temperatures are away from normal.

The danger with the precipitation we are receiving is the flooding threat. Since the trees are still leaf-less and not taking in excess water, there is far too much moisture on the ground. The water table is full, causing the various streams and rivers in our area to rise. We are looking at the potential for the river to flood worse than it did September 25, 2010. The water far surpassed the footpath a couple days ago already. On top of the precipitation we are receiving, upstream of us also got a lot of heavy snow. Flooding is coming.

Flooding will follow as this snow cover melts.