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