Spring! Just Kidding, Spring Will Return Next Week

At precisely 6:50 am, my alarm summoned me to rise and shine and great the beautiful spring May 2nd day! And then...I saw...this...

Don't be confused about the apparent brightness that is occurring outside. This is actually a sky covered in thick, white altostratus clouds. Is that snow you are seeing? Why, yes. Yes it is...and a lot of it.

The temperature at this time was 32 degrees F with a wind chill of 24 degrees F. The barometric pressure was rather high but slowly falling. The reason for the higher-than-would-be-expected pressure reading was the drastic rising of barometric pressure we saw yesterday with the passing of a cold front. As one could surmise, the dew point equaled the temperature and the relative humidity was most definitely 100%.

Ok, so the trace to an inch of snowfall I had predicted had made its way to Eau Claire. Grin and bare it, I suppose. I grabbed a jacket and headed outside to the bus stop.

...And then I stopped...I stopped as soon as I stepped outside my apartment. As it turns out, there was definitely more than an inch on the ground by 7:30 am, and it wasn't letting up anytime soon. In fact, the outside world looked like this:

By 7:30 am at the corner of 7th Ave. and Water St., there was a solid two inches of snow accumulation. With the winds coming out of the North, you can see the northern side of telephone poles, signs, and houses covered in the fresh, snowman-kind-of-packy snow. This sticky snow caused a vehicle to careen sideways into an accident on State St., making the street impassible for part of the day.

Don't worry, everyone, I didn't miss out too much whilst in class. It was still snowing at 9:17 am when the following picture was taken.

snow-covered trees outside of Brewer Hall at 9:17 am 5/2/13

To spare you from entering into an even more depressed state, I stopped taking pictures of the snowfall after three inches had accumulated. In case you have locked yourself away in a windowless room to spare yourself the pain of the day, I am here to tell you that it is, in fact, still snowing outside.

The following text in parenthesis comes from a public alert system involving Eau Claire, WI:

"Accumulating snow continues over West Central Wisconsin.
Moderate snow will continue through much of afternoon across West Central Wisconsin. Snowfall totals of 10 to 16 inches can be expected by this evening across a 40 mile wide band from near Rice Lake to Durand. Lesser totals will be found east and west of this area. Roadways will be snow covered and slippery where the heaviest snow fell, and power outages are likely where power lines and tree branches are weighed down by the heavy snow. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 7 pm, for the area west of a line from Cumberland, to Durand.
The snow will taper off during the afternoon, but additional Snow, possible mixed with sleet and freezing rain may develop again overnight. Stay tuned for later updates concerning this weather event.
Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 7 pm CDT This Evening.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 7 pm CDT This Evening.

• Timing: moderate snow tapering off this afternoon.
• Snow accumulation: additional accumulation this afternoon of 1 to 3 inches. Storm totals from 10 to 16 inches in the heavy snow Band, and from 5 to 9 inches in far eastern portions of Rusk, Chippewa and Eau Claire County.
• Main impact: rapid snow accumulation may quickly make travel hazardous.
• Other impacts: The Heavy wet snow will weigh down tree limbs and power lines, causing isolated power outages."

The following link contains more information on Winter Storm Achilles (Yes, it IS being called a "winter" storm. I know, I know, it's May 2nd. I thought it was spring too.):

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/winter-storm-achilles-20130430

surface map of the United States from midday today when snowfall was at its heaviest

current surface map of the United States with light snow still falling in Eau Claire, WI

Silver lining? We've had a record-breaking day, Eau Claire! Our city's previous snowfall record for May 2nd was set in 1935 with 3 inches of snow accumulation. We surpassed that number before lunch time. While the accumulation total was much higher than normal, the temperatures outside have been well below normal. The normal high temperature for May 2nd in Eau Claire is 66 degrees F. Our brief tryst with the mid-30's today puts us over 30 degrees below average. Currently, the temperature is 32 degrees F. The winds have subsided but light snow is still falling, giving us a dew point of 32 degrees F and a relative humidity of 100%. The barometric pressure is 30.41 in Hg and still falling.

current radar for the United States for 5/2/13 showing a distinct weather band of snow, rain, and mixed precipitation extending across the center of the nation due to a dip in the jet stream uncharacteristic for this time of year

Expect more snow to continue falling tomorrow, adding to this map:



This image shows the current snowcover of the United States. Yesterday, this map was much freer of snow.



An additional 1-3 inches of snowfall is expected throughout the night in Eau Claire.