Tuesday Weather, May 8th

Intermittent showers.  Really big puffy cumulus clouds.  Even a few nimbostratus observed to the south/southwest of Eau Claire at 3PM.  Cloud cover 70-80%.  Wind conditions out of the W/NW 4-8MPH.  Temperature topped out at 60F both at noon and at the 4 o'clock hour.  Clouds observed were very large, and solid edged.  Some rain was heavy at times but lasted for just minutes til it reduced to a sprinkle. 

Weather Observations Thursday May 10th

After all the rain that pushed through on Tuesday and Wednesday, some high pressure finally came in and dominated the area.  I think I counted three clouds in the sky all day while I was down in Milwaukee.  Cloud cover 0%.  Sunny conditions, with a high of 67F.  Winds light to none at all.  This seems like a typical day after a storm that is associated with higher pressure.  Very clear conditions as we head into the nighttime hours.  Should be a nice cool night with little to no cloud cover.  As we look forward to the weekend....

You can see the low pressure just off to our southwest as well as a cold front approaching too.  The center of the high pressure is now just south of Lake Michigan and depending on where it moves we could either see very clear conditions or some precipitation.  I'm going to bank on the fact that this High pressure system will keep moving to our east slowly.  As this does so, the low pressure is going to be right behind which means that we might be in for more noticable winds tomorrow.  Probably a few more clouds than 3 the whole day too.  You can see small little pockets of moisture showing up as light precipitation.  This is probably caused by the disturbance or difference as the low pressure closes in on the areas that were experiencing alot of daytime heating today. 


Weather observed at McIntyre Library, Eau Claire,WI 54701

Sunday May 6th Weather

Partly cloudy with periods of sun.  High to mid level cirrostratus clouds observed above.  40% Cloud cover.  Wind out of the ENE at 6-10MPH. Gusts up to 15MPH.  Cloud cover building as the day moved on into the night.  Cloud cover increased to about 60% by dinnertime hours.  High of 59F and that was in the early hours of the morning today.  Cloud cover and cool east/northeast winds have kept the temperatures down despite moderately sunny conditions.  This was the second day in a row that the winds had been coming from the East which was kind of funky.  I did not know the particular reasoning for this but I knew that there must not have been some good weather to the west or south of us during these days.  Barometric pressure showed a slight decrease throughout the afternoon but nothing too notable. 

Weather observed 414 Water St. Eau Claire, WI 54703

Tuesday's Weather

East breeze at 5 to 10 MPH as I walked to school at 9:45AM this morning.  Cloudy conditions to the south with clearer conditions to the north of our location.  Cloud cover at 60%.  Little flat blobby cirrus clouds, some with wind shearing evident.  Warm and partly sunny today.  Temperatures expected to be warmer than the past few days.  By 1pm the wind had switched more to the south and was pushing 10 to 15MPH easily. 

Weather Observations Mid-day Sunday, April 29th

Sunday April 29th Weather Obs
Temperature at 11Am was 53.1F at the UWEC Rooftop Weather Station. Wind out of the ESE at 5MPH.  Mostly clear conditions with plenty of sun at the moment.  Thin, wispy looking clouds overhead.  Cloud cover 20%. Overcast cloudiness yesterday gave way to clearer skies today.  Forecasts are calling for a high of 64F which would be about ten degrees warmer than yesterdays temperature. 

As we look to the west of Eau Claire you can see a fairly busy map.  Low pressure sandwiching high pressure in the plains should be creating some interesting weather.  The low pressure in northern Oklahoma has some heavy rain and possible severe weather associated with it right now.  This is the same "Low" that I mentioned in my blog yesterday.  It seems to have developed a bit more from yesterday and be moving on a ENE direction.

Friday, April 27th Obs & Sat, April 28th Obs/Report

Friday April 27th Weather Observations
Observed at Phillips Hall on the UWEC Campus & Walking around Water Street
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Woke up early, wind was out of the East at 10-15MPH.  Sunny conditions at 9AM, cloud cover 0%.  Temperature cool but nice with the sun shining.  Temperatures in the mid 50's (F) for the most part of the day, with a high cloud deck of patchy, scrappy looking cirrus clouds moving in around 2PM.  The breeze out of the east took more of a Southeasterly pattern at this time too while still blowing at 10-15MPH.  At this point I was just wondering when the rain would be coming.  It seems like I've posted this alot but when the wind has been out of the East and the cloud cover has been increasing throughout the day it has been a precursor to bad weather this semester.  The temperature did not drop off very hard during the evening hours as the cloud cover increased to near 80 or 90% by 10PM.  These overcast conditions kept the surface more "insulated" than usual moderating the temperatures somewhat for the first part of the night before the rain came.  I was walking home from a friends' at about 1/130 (somewhere in there), and it began to drizzle and lightly rain on the last two blocks of my walk.  The breeze had calmed down right before the precipitation began, and then once it did begin the wind must have been gusting to 20-25MPH for short periods of time. 

Saturday April 28th Weather Observations
Didn't wake up nearly as early this morning as last haha. Pretty gloomy outside so far today.  Overcast conditions, cloud cover 90%.  Dark grey, mid-level stratus mostly from what I saw.  Light winds at 5MPH out of the E-ESE again...I found the current conditions image to be quite interesting especially for our location here in Eau Claire (see below)

As you can see there is what looks like a small band of precipitation just barely south of Eau Claire at the moment (less than 30 miles).  High pressure to our NE in Ontario represents the sunnier conditions that we saw on Thursday and early Friday.  Now this pressure has moved east and a couple of low pressure systems are found to our South and West.  The system to our south looks as though it could develop some strong storms if the cold front keeps moving east (closer to the high pressure in Florida, and the warm/moist Gulf air).  Getting back to the precipitation band, it stretches all the way from Northern N. Dakota over to the western edge of Pennslyvania. UWEC Rooftop Temperature was 45.5F at 2:20PM CST.  Conditions are supposed to continue to be overcast which judging from the wind direction and my outdoor observations that the cloudiness should continue.  It will be interesting to see whether or not this system strengthens over Eau Claire or if it will just dissapate and fizzle out.  I'm banking on the latter, I think that the low pressure systems will not be close enough or quick enough to strenghten the small bit of precipitation that we might see today. 

Weather Observations April 24th

High to mid-level status and cirrostratus clouds observed on my way to class this morning at 7:30AM.  Some sun peeking through here and there, cloud cover at about 70%.  Slight breeze out of the S-SE (0-3MPH).  Temperature as of 9AM CST was 54.7F.  High of 67F expected today as the barometric pressure continues to slowly drop off.  A chance of rain is observed in the forecast later for tonight, so I will be keeping an eye on the sky and cloud type/cover as it comes in today.  A stationary low is located just to our west in Minnesota currently.  This low is drawing up a lot of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the state of Texas.  Here is a snapshot of the current conditions showing the development to our west.

As this low pressure develops or fades, we will know because it is headed west in our direction.  Winds should continue to be out of the South or East as this pressure moves.  Look for increasing winds and some developing clouds today in order to see if this small mid-latitude cyclone becomes larger.

Weather observed Phillips Hall, UW-Eau Claire, 54701

Weather Observations 4/23

Afternoon observations - 30% Cloud Cover, Puffy Cumulus clouds, mid-level all around. Winds out of the North for the greater part of the day at 10MPH gusting to 15MPH at times.  Sunny/Partly cloudy conditions observed for the whole afternoon into the evening.  Temperatures were moderate, highs in the low 60's.  Current temperature reading at 10:30PM is 53.2F at Weather Underground.  Barometric pressure has been steadily dropping throughout the day, indicating windier conditions.

I would not be surprised if some type of precipitation pushes through within the next two days if not sooner. A huge storm is currently out east in the New England Region even dumping snow on some parts Western New York and into the Montreal (CA) area. 

There is a cold air mass located directly north of Wisconsin as well as a warmer air mass associated with low pressure to the Northwest in the Dakotas.  If these two happen to start mixing or approach one another some type of precipitation would be possible.  It looks as though most of the inland states are seeing some stable conditions at during this snapshot taken from the National Weather Service on April, 23rd.

Eau Claire, WI 54703

Saturday, April 21st Weather Observations

This morning I observed fairly clear skies over Eau Claire at 9AM.  Small cold puffy little cumulus clouds observed to the S-SW. Winds out of the South at 7-10MPH.  Sunny conditions, temperature must have been in the low to mid 40s (F).  Clouds moved in over the course of the early afternoon hours.  A low to mid level cloud deck pushed in, consisting of mainly stratus and cumulus clouds.  Winds picked up to 10-15 out of the S-SE by 2 or 3 pm and I knew the weather would be changing soon at this point. 

A cool breeze pushed through around 4PM, and brang with it much cooler and overcast conditions.  Very cool compared to what it had been just two to three hours ago. 
2PM Temp = 57F , 5PM Temp = 51.5F

Overcast conditions in all directions of Eau Claire with the darkest clouds to our NW and N. 

Looks like the South winds are easily explained as seen in this image from Weather Underground at 5PM today. High pressure in N. Missouri is pushing the wind into the weak Low pressure "funnel" found in Central Minnesota in this image.  This difference in pressure results in the more moderate to heavy winds that have been increasing during the afternoon today.  It looks as though this system is dropping some moisture too with the leading warm front mixing with the cold front behind it.

Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations April 17th & 18th

Tuesday's Weather (April17) - Clear in the morning, cloudy by evening would characterize this day.  Morning into the early afternoon hours were fairly clear with cloud cover being 20% or less.  Thin stratus and cumulus clouds moved in by mid afternoon.  Cloud cover was 80% by 7pm with the wind picking up out of the southeast.  Winds in the morning were light at 0-5MPH out of the S-SW.  By afternoon they were blowing at a steady 10MPH from the S-SE.  This led me to believe that theyre might some activity up in those clouds.  I was a little worried with the SE wind because that is typically seen a few hours before weather turns worse. 
Temperatures topped out shy of 60F in the afternoon, with a recorded temperature of 56F at 7pm.  Slightly declining pressure throughout the day too (see image below)

Wednesday's Weather (April18) - Eventually we did see some precipitation in the night but it came through very early in the morning as I saw puddles early today when walking to school.  Nice breeze for the greater part of today out of the SW-W at 10-15MPH. These winds tapered off as of 6 or 7 pm to about 5mph or less. Cloud cover between 50-60% during the noon and afternoon hours.  Mostly puffy cumulus clouds in the day, some of which were rising higher into the sky.  They almost looked as though they were on a 45 degree angle rising upwards as they moved east over Eau Claire's Water Street area.  Later on in the evening higher level cirrus clouds were seen in the west as the sun set.  Temperature at 9PM was 54F.

Here is a look at the current fronts around the US

There is an occluded front to our NE located right on the eastern portion of Lake Superior.  Heavy rain is probably associated with this Low pressure occlusion.  Winds at our location in Eau Claire seem to be funneling towards the center of that Low.  This makes sense as most of the wind today was out of the S or SW.  The rain from this morning was associated with a cold front which you can see is now making its way through Chicago and Des Moines.  Another potential for some inclement weather is seen in the Low pressure systems located along the Rocky Mountain Range.  Sporadic moisture is also seen in the South with plenty of low intensity showers in the states like Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas

Observed at Phillips Hall Eau Claire, WI 54701
   

Weather Observations 4/16

Woke up at 8AM to see thick flakes of snow.  This lasted for nearly an hour until it mixed into graupel and freezing rain.  Precipitation ended by noon, winds still strong out of the W.  Wind blowing at nearly 20MPH during the morning snow/rain mix and slowing to about 10MPH out of the NW by the 6PM hour.  Overcast skies all day, 100% cloud cover this morning.  Stratus undulatus clouds observed this afternoon just after 5PM.  Temperature was recorded at 35F at 11AM, high temperatures expected to reach 45F when I checked the forecast for the day at that time.  6PM temperature reading was 39F. 

The storms that reached us late last night (Apr 15) also moved through with a cold front.  Low pressure created a serious mid-latitude cyclone to be dealt with.  Temperatures went from mid 60's (F) to mid 30's (F) overnight!  Wish I would have been better able observe the event.

As of 6PM on Monday, Skew-T readings were showing an inversion at the 825mb level.  Stable conditions observed with considerable cloudiness overhead at my Eau Claire location. 
Here is a picture of graph...

Observed at Eau Claire, WI 54701

Observations Friday April 13th

Kinda spooky looking weather on a day known for having eerie things occur on it.  Windy, 12-16MPH SE-E. Low pressure located to our east as seen in the picture below from the NOAA

As you can see from the map an occluded front is just to our west as of 5PM CST.  This leads me to believe there there is probably some heavy precipitation associated with this front.  Some of the heaviest storms are located between the wishbone looking gap of warm and cold front seen in the Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.  This is where the mixing of cold and warm air masses can create intense weather conditions especially if one of these air masses is carrying considerable moisture. 

I know I mentioned wind earlier but it has been increasing throughout the day.  When I walked to class this morning the winds must have been less than 10MPH or so, and now at 5PM they're blowing a consistent 15MPH and gusting over 20MPH.  Cloud cover also increased from this time period from 60% to 100%.  High level stratocumulus observed overhead.  Stratus clouds in the distance with kinda puffy gnarls and curls in them which was somewhat odd.  They definitely looked scary and with the wind blowing the way it is I would not be surprised if the worst is brewing just to our southwest. 

Temperature at 5:10pm was 56F, with lows expected to drop to 50F or just below.  Temperatures are expected to be near 70F tomorrow so this could potentially bring some thunderstorms into the area if conditions are right.  We shall see...

Observed Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations Wednesday, April 11th

Sunny and clear conditions all day as of 7:09PM.  These conditions are mostly because of a strong High pressure to the west, overhead states like Iowa and Minnesota.  Winds light today 0-5 MPH fluctuating between north and west.  Temperatures were nice, topping out in the mid-50s (F).  Temperature as of 7:15P was 53.5 deg F. 

Barometric pressure throughout the day has remained steady (2nd Graph from Top).  As this large High pressure system hangs about, look for conditions be mostly the same tomorrow.  Expect little cloud cover, light winds and probably a good measure of sun.

As you can see from the Current Fronts map (Wunderground.com) the high pressure has created a large ridge in the middle of the country.  Off to the west though a funky low pressure system associated with some cooler weather is brewing.  The isobars that are so closely packed together in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Montana show that there is a large differential in pressure here which usually results in higher winds.
Here is a map from Intellicast showing the current winds.

Weather observed at 7:05PM Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations April 8th (Sun) & April 9th

Sunday April 8th
Windy and Cool today.  Partly cloudy conditions in the afternoon with cloud cover 75% or greater.  Really puffy cumulus clouds breaking apart into what looked like a rows in the sky.  Winds N at 7-15 MPH with gusts near 20 in the late afternoon hours.  Even though the clouds were observed to be in fractal patterns they still are associated with changing weather so I was not surprised when I woke up this morning (Apr 9) to a completely clear sky and even windier conditions than Sunday (Apr 8).  Temperatures on Sunday peaked out at 61F around 4 this afternoon. 

Monday April 9th
Crazy windy today.  Wind gusts close to 30MPH, blowing between 10-15 N-NW regularly.  Clear skies were observed this morning at 10AM with some clouds off to the South and West of my location but too far off to see what type definitively.  At 3PM the cloud cover  had increased to near 70% with winds still blowing moderately throughout the day.  Large puffy cumulus clouds observed, probably cold clouds as they looked wispy and were at mid to high level in the sky.  Temperature at 5PM recorded at 43F.  The wind out of the north has kept these past two days deceivingly cool despite the sunshine.  Tomorrow's forecast looks even colder with a high temperature of 45F and a freeze warning has even been issued for our general area. 

Observed 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, WI 54703

Midwest Regional Roundup

Heres a look ahead into our week and what we can expect for temperatures and precipitation.

Weather Observations - Morning of Thursday, April 5th

Woke up this morning to a mainly clear sky.  Some cirrus clouds exhibiting wind shear in them were observed to the south of Eau Claire as I walked to school this morning.  Wind is cool and fluctuating out of the East and North.  Temperature is 42.3F as of 10:34AM, with a high expected near 60. 
Current conditions around the nation are....

As you can see there is a large low pressure system to our south.  This would explain the north winds we have been experience over the past few days.  This low pressure was probably sucking in the air from areas in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin yesterday.  I am guessing that the cooler air located here in our area mixed with some of the air from the Gulf Coast states is creating the precipitation that you see in Mississippi, Alabama, and elsewhere in the southeast. 

Looking to the west one will see a large cold front associated with some low pressure.  Right now that system is currently over the Rocky Mountains.  The high pressure seen down near Colorado that is so close to the Low Pressure at the southern tip of Nevada should create higher winds than average because of the sharper pressure gradient change from one location to the other. 

Here is  map of the Jet Stream illustrating the Upper Air movements in our atmosphere on this day.

When comparing the current conditions map and the jet stream a couple of things become very evident.  The portion of the Jet in the Northwest United States moves north right alongside where the cold front is located in the current conditions map.  Also the Jet in the southern US has a very distinct shape like the stationary low located there. 

Weather Observed on the way to UW-Eau Claire's campus and at McIntyre Library

Wedsnesday April 4th Weather Brief

Very clear conditions pushed through in the later part of yesterday (Tuesday, April 3rd).  These conditions continued throughout the night and into today.  Clear conditions right now in Eau Claire, Sky cover about 5%, consisting of high level cirrus clouds in the distance to the east.  Winds out of the North at 5-10MPH has kept a cool breeze to go with the sunny conditions.  Temperature reading of 57F at four minutes before the noontime hour.  The temp should increase into the sixties before the day is done as the sky looks cloudless to our West and North.  High pressure has moved in over the last two days since our hail storm early Tuesday morning at 2AM.  Since then the clouds have changed from a homogenous stratus layer to cirrostratus, and now just a few cirrus clouds.  Given this high pressure we should have sunny conditions for at least another day or so, hopefully with the winds dying down tomorrow.

Observation taken at McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire 11:59AM 

April 3rd Weather Observations / Assignment 5 JPEGS

Not a bad morning considering the area got pelted with hail last night for about 5 minutes before turning into a downpour.  Total precipitation came out to be around .2 of an inch.  Winds from the East during the day began to come from the S-SE around 7pm last night as well as the cloud deck becoming thicker throughout the day.  Clouds variated through the day from mostly clear conditions in the morning, to partly cloudy in the afternoon, to 100% cloud cover by 8pm. 

Overcast this morning, wind out of the N-NE at 10mph.  This change in wind direction from the E to the N-NE shows that there may be a shift in cloud cover throughout the day.  Other notable things with this wind direction notes that the front from last night has pushed through as well.  Temperature of 50F at 9:04AM today, with a high expected to be around 61F.  Winds are expected to stay moderate at 10 to 15MPH.  Barometric pressure is on the rise in the last 5 hours as illustrated by the weather briefing this morning given in class.

Today we also worked on Assignment 5 in ArcMap 10 today.  We created a number of rasterized images and maps with the weather data that we collected on 3/27/2012.  Here's what they look like...

Weather observed at Phillips Hall, UW-Eau Claire 54701

Sunday April 1st - Night Obs & Monday April 2nd - Morning/Midday Obs.

Last night temperatures remained cool with a light breeze that picked up in intensity around 8/9 o'clock CST.  Winds gradually built to about 15 mph in gusts, and about a steady 7 or 8 mph otherwise.  Temperatures remained cool, wind out of the E/NE which was kind of weird to say the least.  High level stratus clouds in the distance to the Southwest, West, and North.

Woke up this morning to a windy breeze.  At least 10 to 15mph consistently, cloud cover at 20%.  High level cirrus, cirrostratus clouds seen.  Wind still blowing hard out of the E/SE.  Sunny/Partly cloudy conditions, with a temperature reading of 55F as of 12:54PM. High expected to reach 68 today but I expect it to feel much cooler with all the wind that is present today.  These windy conditions frighten me somewhat as conditions have become cloudier throughout the day and the wind from the east.  There is some sunshine but with the wind from the east there must be high pressure there and lower pressures to our west.  I do not know if this will cause any major storms or precipitation but there is a good chance if some of these cirrus clouds begin to change shape or type as we move later in the day.

Observed at Phillips Hall UW-Eau Claire, 54701

Thursday, March 29th Weather Brief

Woke up this morning to a fairly clear sky.  Some high level cirrus, and cirrostratus clouds observed to the North and West of Eau Claire and my location.  Cloud cover 20% at best.  Sunny yet cool as the "edge" of the jetstream is located just south of our us today as seen in the weather brief and told by Professor Hupy in class.  Temperatures are expected to reach 60F today, current temp at 10:30A is 44F.  The sunny conditions have kept yesterday and today really tolerable, and the cool breeze that has stuck around has been nice too. 

Thunderstorms and potential tornadoes could be seen today in areas of Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Here is a little story talking about the possibilities for severe weather in these areas today.  I plan to keep an eye on this over the next few days to see if it affects us.
The Weather Channel


^^Here is the weather brief for the Midwest region of the United States today

Observed: UW-Eau Claire, Phillips Hall, 54701

Wednesday March 28th

Cool, breezy day with lots of sunshine this afternoon.  Cloud cover 30%, small puffy cumulus/cirrocumulus clouds observed.  Mid to high level clouds.  Temperature reaching 57F this afternoon at 3:30PM.  Low of 33 tonight predicted by The Weather Channel (TWC).  With that nasty front and wind that pushed through yesterday I think that conditions should stay mostly stable in the area.  Winds today were somewhat mild being 5 to 10 MPH out of the north.  I am somewhat worried though because of these winds out of the north now though.  I would not also be surprised if these cooler winds mix with warmer weather from the south. 

Here is a picture of the current conditions today at 4:30PM

Observations taken at Phillips Hall, UW-Eau Claire 54701 Eau Claire, WI

Monday, March 26th

Real crappy day here, 41F temperature reading at 3:25PM.  Winds out of the SE-E at 14-18MPH with gusts over 20MPH.  Temperatures are expected to drop to the mid 30's tonight as some rain and heavy winds push through.  Be sure you get your exercise or errands done before the late evening because I got a feeling its going to be surprising cool with the wind and rain that is forecasted.  Overcast, thick low/mid level stratus clouds obscuring 90% of the sky.

Source: Wunderground.com
Observed: 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, WI 54703

Saturday March 10th Obs.

Extremely warm day for this early in March today.  Really nice warm winds comin from the S-SW at a steady 10mph.  Temps reached 63F as a high today, and the most weather sites online are predicting lows in the upper 30's tonight. Pressure dropping fast as we approach the evening hours.  Clear conditions with no clouds observed throughout the day but some stratocumulus can be seen to the West and South of my location at school here.

Observed Phillips Hall- UWEC

March 15th Weather Observations / Todays Forecast for March 16th

High level cirrus clouds this afternoon with plentiful sunshine.  High pressure still in the area as it has been the past two days.  Ridiculously warm weather, record breaking stuff.  Temperature topped out at 67F at 2pm today, holding steady right now at 65F (4pm recorded).  Light winds out of the north (4-6MPH) keeping a nice cool feel to the day even though the sun is out.  Pressure remaining steady through the whole day, no sharp drops or increases. 

Source: Wunderground

Forecast for Today, March 16th:
Clear skies again today.  Temperatures predicted to reach the low 70's.  Not quite the norm in Wisconsin during March but I'm not here to complain.  Wind out of the NE-E this morning, light, probably only 5MPH if that.  Temperature reaching 45 at 8AM, going to be a good day.  Barometric pressure still holding steady as it was yesterday. 

Here is a map of the current conditions in the United States.  A stationary low can be seen to our south right now which is keeping the conditions fairly stable in our area.  The multiple low pressure systems seen tell me that conditions may get windier if they move northward.  The warm and hot conditions coupled with the moisture from the south is creating a wide chain of thunderstorms that can be seen in parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky.  I'm not sure but I think that the stationary fronts to our south and north will allow for these great conditions to continue into the weekend. 

Observations taken at 926 Menomonie Street & Phillips Hall - UWEC

Thursday - March 8th Observations

Predicted high of 41F today.  I think thats a fair assessment.  Clear skies with some remnants of cirrus clouds seen in the east as I walked to school.  High Pressure to our NW should keep the skies clearer in the next few days to come. Winds are strong out of the West at 10mph, possibly 15mph, with gusts over 20mph. The cold front that pushed through in the last day should keep temperatures cooler for us today and tomorrow.

Observed: Phillips Hall, Eau Claire, WI 54701

Tuesday/Wednesday - March 6/7

Tuesday's Observations - Quite possibly the best day of the year yet so far.  Temperatures soared and reached up to about 53F today in the mid-afternoon.  High level wispy clouds that I could be sure were Cirrus clouds. Cloud cover 10%.  Slight winds out of the South have brought warmer air to region.  Steadily dropping pressure throughout the day.  Wunderground March 6th Daily Report

Low pressure and a cold front is making its way East/Northeast into our location through the overnight hours.  I would expect small precipitation in the next day because of this warmer air currently in our area mixing with the incoming cold front. 

Wednesday Observations - The cold front pushed through today in the afternoon hours.  Moderate precipitation was observed, with about two-tenths of an inch total precipitation observed (Wunderground).

Winds this morning began out of the South at 10mph and slowly switched their direction to West this afternoon increasing in intensity to about 15mph.  Temperature dropped in this period from about 51F at 1pm to 36F at 6pm.  The significance of this temperature drop is associated with the air masses that were battling over the area.  Clearly, the cold front moving in from the West overtook the warmer/moister air mass to the south that was influencing Wisconsin early this morning.

This map illustrates what I was trying to mention earlier.  The stronger cold air mass and the multiple "Lows" in the Quebec Region of Canada have been responsible for winds moving from the South and West and they circulate into that area.

 Here are some of the winds associated with that low.  One can also see some strong winds in the Southwestern United States in New Mexico and the Panhandle of Texas.


Observations taken at 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations 3/1-3/2

Snow late last night around midnight for just an hour.  Cloudy skies with a high ceiling, some type of stratocumulus.  Temps are mild, a high of 37 today (Friday Mar 2nd) so some melting of snow and slush should occur.  Still overcast this morning with light winds out of the West (5-10MPH). 

Current surface conditions seen here show the Colorado low that developed a week ago now moving into the eastern portion of the United States.  The low is pretty much centered right over Illinois at the moment and all that precipitation is working in a counter clockwise manner around the center of that low.  Meanwhile, a stationary low is making its way south out of Canada which is affecting some of the weather right now.  This air mass from Canada is moderating conditions and keeping things generally mild.

Observations taken at 911 Lakeside Avenue EC, WI 54703
Sources: http://www.wunderground.com/

Weather Observations 2/28

High level clouds this morning (stratocumulus).  Winds out of the East this morning, at about 10AM.  Shifting from to the South at midday into the afternoon hours.  Satellite images show cloud cover and high reflectivity in the clouds to the south and west of Eau Claire in states like the Dakotas, Iowa, and parts of Minnesota.  Here is a current conditions map from wunderground.com that I was able to capture using Hypersnap6.8. Temperature 33F at 1PM.

Serious low pressure is hovering over Colorado and Nebraska currently.  The warm front that can be seen moving northward through Oklahoma and Kansas is bring warmer, moister air from the Gulf and it is being sucked into this big low pressure system.  When this warm moist air and the cold air mix, precipitation generally occurs and at times it can be heavy if the right conditions exist. 

Also here is a upper air sounding from the Chanhassen Weather Station near Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN at 6am this morning.  This reading shows a fairly stable atmosphere with a surface temperature inversion.

Observed at 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, 54703
Sources : Wunderground , Unisys Weather

Weekend Weather 2/24-2/25

Weekend Weather Report

Friday - Really overcast today; stratus clouds observed.  Some small snowflakes falling this afternoon.  Temperature only reached 30F in the morning and stayed steady throughout the day.  Moderate winds W-NW 10 to 12MPH (winds shifted from north to west at around midday).  Cool winds from the west and north are being drawn towards the low pressure systems moving over the Great Lakes right now.

Saturday -  Cold this morning. Must have been 15F or lower, but temperatures rose over the course of the day.  Winds from the NW-W at about 5 to 10 at midday.  Really windy and while I was the bars I noticed the wind completely shift and became an East wind.  I thought that was kind of weird but being that I was intoxicated and going to the bar I had no clue what was going on.

Observed 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, Wi 54703

Surface Weather 2/20

Looks like a mid-latitude cyclone is making its way towards our location in the next day.  You can see its development in the image below.

Parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas are experiencing moderate snow right now.  We should expect to have these conditions here and with us by tonight depending on how quickly this system is moving. 

I saw this image on the "Current Conditions" maps that Wunderground.com offers.

Today's weather has been great so far but a lower level cloud deck has moved in.  The sun is still shining through which tells me that it cannot be too thick yet.

I expect windy conditions and some snow by the evening hours later today.

2/21 Weather Observations

The snow finally came overnight.  Started snowing around 7:30/8PM CST.  Winds really picked up this afternoon out of the S-SE at 10-15MPH.  Just about 2 inches on the ground right now at this early hour in the morning.  Really good packing snow which makes sense because the air is fairly warm and moist.  Temperature is supposed to reach 36F as a high today with continued winds as the center of the low pressure begins to pass through the area.  Cloud cover is 100% right now and the light snow continues to fall.   The current conditions map I have included above came from the NOAA's website (NWS & NOAA).  Here it shows an occluded front in the mid-west dropping off some precipitation in the form of snow and rain.  Most of this precipation has come as snow overnight but as we move into the daytime hours I would not be surprised if it changes to a rain/snow mix.  Expect it to be mighty windy today as two low pressure systems are bordering Eau Claire, WI just to the south and west.

Observed at 926 Menomonie Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Sources: NWS

Weather Observations for 2/18 -2/19

High pressure dominated the area for most of this weekend.  Clear skies on Saturday and Sunday allowed for plentiful sunshine and most of the snow to melt off the roads and sidewalks.  Temperatures were very mild and warm during these two days too.  Saturday's high temp reached 40 degrees, and winds were light and variable throughout the day.  Winds shifted from N to S at mid day and remained at 5mph more or less for the rest of the evening.  Wisphy cirrus clouds were the only thing I could identify off in the distance to the west as the sun was setting today. 

Sunday was almost an exact replication of Saturday's weather.  Same clear skies and sunny weather.  Mid 30's (F) by afternoon.  South winds were light and variable (between 0 and 5 mph).  0% Cloud Cover. 

Observations taken at 911 Lakeside Avenue & 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, WI 54703
Sources: WeatherUnderground

Weather Observation 2/17

9AM - Walking to school this morning I saw mostly cumulus clouds.  Must have been around mid-level or so.  Partly cloudy conditions, sun shining in and out.  Cloud cover 60%. Winds 0 to 5 mph out of the East.  Temperature near 31F. 

2PM - After class much cloudier conditions were observed.  Most of the clouds were altostratus with an undulating and puffy rowed effect.  It was much more overcast and temperature at 36F!  Barometric pressure is steady although it did drop in the early morning hours (from 31.5 to 31.0 inches in Hg; Weather Underground ).  Surface maps show a cold front pushing through in the next 24 hours accompanied with some rain/snow.

 


So enjoy the good weather while it lasts.  At least all the jumbo half-block long puddles on the sidewalks off-campus might finally disappear haha. Normal February Weather looks to be coming back by late Saturday and Sunday.

Cloud conditions observed to and from class today.
Other weather conditions and data gathered at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, Wi 54703
Weather Sources : www.wunderground.com

Weather Observations 2/15

Overcast conditions yesterday improved somewhat today.  Large stratocumulus clouds observed at 6PM; Cloud cover at 50 to 60% this afternoon on the UWEC campus.  Very mild weather, some people even walking around in just sweatshirts and no jackets today.  Temperature as of 6PM is 38.5F. 

Here is a current surface weather map showing the continental United States.  As you can see there are quite a few disturbances in the southern states and alot of precipitation to the north and east of these fronts.  Barometric pressure has remained steady during the day (29.94 inches in Hg). 

Here is the current Infrared Satellite view from about 5:40 CST on the Weather Channel's website.  It shows there is slight cloud cover in Eau Claire.  Cloudier conditions are found nearer to Chicago and southern Great Lakes states.   

Observed 5:30pm TO 6pm, Phillips Hall - UWEC

Weather Observations 2/14

Overcast conditions tonight, 100% cloud cover. Very calm winds (4MPH out of the S).  Temperature at 28F as of 8:06 (Accuweather.com).  Temperatures are expected to remain mild and in the mid to upper 20's overnight.  Cloud cover is also expected to remain overnight and possible reduction to 70% cloud cover by the early morning hours.  Here are a few weather surface maps http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/national/weather-surface-maps that I have been looking at.  They show a mid-latitude cyclone to our north and a stationary front in the southern United States that seems to be mixing warm and colder airs.  Prediction models show precipitation near this stationary front in the next 24 hours pushing northward. 

Observed - 926 Menomonie Street Eau Claire, WI 54703

2/12 and 2/13 Weather Observations

2/12 - Clear skies as we move into the overnight hours.  Thin stratus clouds seen to the North but a great night for stargazing overall.  Cloud cover 0%.  Light winds out of the West at 5 mph or less.  Barometric pressure dropping as we head into the late evening here.  Temperature at 21 F (8PM).


2/13 - Light snow.  Cloud cover 100%.  Temperature of 28.1 F as of 8:02 pm (Wunderground).  South wind at 2 to 5 MPH.  Forecasts for the area have been predicting about an inch of snow accumulation overnight with light snow and freezing drizzle (overnight forecast from WeatherUnderground.com) .  90% Precipitation coming in a Wintry mix (info from weather.gov) through the overnight hours and less than a half inch of snow accumulation predicted.

Here is a good article I read about the current conditions facing the Midwest that came from Weather.com

Observations for both 2/12 - 2/13 were taken at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54703
8PM

Weather Observations 2/10/2012

The arctic air mass discusses in class yesterday seems to have made its way down through Wisconsin and Minnesota today resulting in much windier and colder conditions.  Winds out of the North at 10 to 20 mph have continued to keep the weather cold throughout today.  Small puffy cumulus clouds directly overhead my location and larger stratocumulus clouds can be seen far to the South.  Cloud cover 20%.  Sun has been consistently in view for most of the day with a few breaks here and there.  Current temperature is 16 F and that is expected to drop to -1F tonight.  Sunny conditions are expected to continue which makes sense because the cold front that pushed through is also associated with higher pressure.

Observed at 3:48pm, 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations 2/9/2012

Clear skies this morning as I walked to school kept the temperatures a bit chilly if you were outside this morning.  S-SW Winds observed as I walked east past the Holiday on Water St.  Wind blowing at 5 - 10mph.  Cloud cover 0%.  Temperature as of 7:15AM was 19.6 F.  Barometric pressure declined overnight from 30.5 inches to 30.2 inches in Hg.  A lower pressure system was observed on a couple different weather websites.

As you can see from this current fronts map that I used from Weather Underground there is also a high pressure system to our south.  I would expect winds to stay coming out of the S/SW if these conditions remain the same.  I would also expect the intensity of winds to increase if the stationary Low seen to the north starts moving south.

Assignment 1 Pictures/Images

Water Vapor Satellite Image

Bright and colored areas indicate high water vapor (moisture) content (colored and white areas indicate the presence of both high moisture content and/or ice crystals). Black and brown areas indicate little or no moisture present. WV imagery is useful for both determining locations of moisture and atmospheric circulations.

Source : NOAA

Surface Data Maps

This legend explains what the numbers and symbols on the white map above.  Surface data maps are a great way to read what is going on in a particular region without having to look elsewhere.  They give a variety of statistics such as wind direction and strength, temperature, dew point, etc.

Jetstream Map

Illustrates the pattern of upper air movements and the jetstream as well as measuring their strength.  Important in determining where winds will be strongest and where vorticity might be present.

Barometric Pressure Chart

Important in identifying changing weather patterns over the course of the day or week.  Generally an indicator of whether or not good or bad weather lay ahead.

Weather Observations 2/7/2012

Weather remained much the same today as it was yesterday.  Mild temperatures today rose to about a high of 29deg F.  Yesterday was much warmer where it actually topped out just above 40deg F.  Barometric pressure today steadily rose throughout the morning and daytime hours.  Pressure is staying constant as of 5pm this evening.  High level undualting Stratus clouds to the North forming into thin Stratus clouds directly above my location.  Cloud cover 70%.  Winds light and out of the N at 3-7MPH. 

Source : WeatherUnderground

Observed at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations 2/3 , 2/4 , 2/5

2/3 Observations - Very nice day for early February in Wisconsin.  Temperature at 45 deg (F) at mid-day with winds very light out of the SW.  Cloud cover is about 60% consisting of mostly of puffy cumulus clouds.  A high level stratus cloud can be seen off to the West of my location otherwise conditions are partly cloudy. 

Recorded at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, 54703 (2:30 pm)

2/4 - Not a single cloud in the sky today.  High pressure at the start of the day has left the sky clear and the sun shining so far.  Temperatures just shy of 30 deg F at 3pm in Minneapolis, MN.  Winds out of the NW blowing at 6-10 mph.  Barometric pressure declining this since the noon-hour indicates maybe there could be increased clouds or windier conditions in the next couple days.

Recorded at 3637 S. 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN ( 3 pm)

2/5 - Gloomy overcast day as I woke up today in Minneapolis.  Cooler and windier conditions have definitely arrived overnight.  Temperature at 11AM was measured at 29 deg (F) on Wunderground.com.  Barometric pressure holding steady over the past few hours, and winds picking up to 8mph out of the NW.  Large systems of High pressure are lining the Rockies moving eastward to our location.  I suspect that the weather should stay acceptable for the next few days maybe even pleasant if the air from the NW is not too cold.

Observed at 3637 S. 4th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN (11:07AM)

2/1/2012 Weather Observations

Mild, Overcast day especially this afternoon.  Very damp and moist air feeling when walking about outside.  Current temperature of 35.4 deg F according to Weather Underground at 4:15pm.  Winds are very light out of the SW, not more than 5mph or so.  Cloud cover is 100%, light gray clouds, mid to low level formation.  I believe the clouds are thick Altostratus because the Sun or any wind sheers cannot be seen.  Foggy conditions are expected to linger into tonight's forecast with temperatures just dipping the below freezing mark.

Observed at Phillips Hall - UW-Eau Claire, 54701

1/31/2012 Weather Observations

Very mild and warm day as the month of January wraps up.  S-SW Wind at 5 to 10 mph and a temperature recording of 40.6 F (Phillips Hall Rooftop, Wunderground at 11:14AM).  In class today we observed Cumulostratus clouds from our classroom and discussed a little about what they meant and the conditions associated with them.  Looking to the North and West a mid-level cloud deck can be seen in the distance.  Cloud cover in my current location is 70% and 100% to the far North and West.  Barometric pressure readings indicated a pressure of 29.65 holding steady.  Pressure dropped overnight but has been consistently increasing in small measurements up until this point in the day.  Winds are expected to increase through the afternoon as temperatures continue to rise.  High Temperatures are expected to stay right around the 40 F mark with winds remaining light.  I include this future forecast not only as an indicator to what may lay ahead but also the changing weather conditions and forecast that might occur differently than anticipated.

Observed at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54703

1/30/2012 Weather Observations

Yesterday's Weather (Sunday - 1/29/2012) - Winds light and out of the West.  Cloud cover minimal, Sunshine abundant during the midday hours leading into the afternoon.  Temperatures just below freezing but overall a very mild day with the sun so active. 

Today's Weather (Monday - 1/30/2012) -  Mild weather today with high temperatures reaching the mid 30's (F) today.  Winds predominantly came from the S-SE today at my location.  Clear visibility in the afternoon hours, little cloud cover to speak of.

Observed at 911 Lakeside Avenue, Eau Claire, WI, 54703 

Saturday Evening Observations/ Weather News

I've been looking through some weather data and a couple articles at Accuweather.com.  I recently learned that we experienced a "weak clipper" yesterday which resulted in the weather becoming very windy with precipitation and dropping temperatures.  Here is a link to the related story and more info about another system moving into the Great Lakes region (Accuweather).

5:35 PM / 1/28/2012 Observations - 23F, Winds light and variable (not stronger than 5mph).  Earlier there was much more wind coming from the NW-W but it seems to have settled with night approaching.  Partly Cloudy conditions observed.  Large overhanging Stratus cloud observed West of my location. Stratocumulus and Cumulus clouds seen at mid-day are now absent.

NOAA's National Weather Service is predicting a low of 11 tonight with wind chills in the single digits near 0.  The also indicated a 30% of snow tonight between 9pm and Midnight

Observed at 926 Menomonie Street, Eau Claire, WI 54703

Weather Observations Sat - 1/28/2012

Yesterday's Conditions ( 1/27/2012,  Recorded at 11am) - Overcast cloud cover with the sun peeking intermittently.  Slight winds out of the S-SW at 5-10 mph. Temperature nearing 30F. 
(Recorded at 7pm) - Much stronger winds blowing at a consistent 10mph gusting to 25mph.  Light snow showers with small traces of accumulation.  Cloud cover 100%.  Temperature just below freezing (32F) and continuing to drop steadily.

Today's Condition (1/28/2012, Recorded at 12:23 PM) - Partly Cloudy and Windy (15mph, gusting to 25mph).  Cloud cover 50%.  More cloud cover and large cloud masses observed to the South and West of my location. Temperature 26F (Source : Wunderground).

Observed at 926 Menomonie Street, Eau Claire, WI 54703