Thursday, Feb. 26th, 2015 6:30 pm
Temperature: 8 F
Feels like: 8 F
Wind: NW 4 mph
Humidity: 37%
Pressure: 30.46 in

Today was a bright day around the Chippewa Valley area. The sun was out and shinning bright and there was a gust of wind coming out of the northwest. The sun was out all day here and was only accompanied by some clouds early in the afternoon. These clouds were high in the atmosphere and didn't hinder the brightness of the sun. The wind was steady all day out of the northwest, so wind chill played a factor sweeping along the Chippewa river.

Overall compared to yesterday, you can see that the cold front has continued to move southward. There is a high pressure system over North Dakota right now and we can expect that to move west in the next few days. The isobars on this radar are not very close so the wind should not be to much of a factor tomorrow. There is a stationary front along the Rocky Mountains that could make its way towards Wisconsin. 

This is a surface data map of the midwest. As you can see from the Dakota's all the way to Michigan, the winds are coming out of the northwest between 1 to 5 mph. There is also no clouds over Wisconsin a all. One side not is that to the far west part of this map you can see a shift in the wind direction as it is coming out of the east and there is a complete cloud cover. This could be the start of a storm cell that would be pushed to the lower half of Wisconsin over the next few days. 

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, 6:15 pm
Temperature: 11 F
Feels like: 1 F
Wind: NW 6 mph
Humidity: 47%
Pressure: 30.16 in

This morning started off as a hazy day. The clouds were low and no sunlight was peaking through at all. The wind also was blowing from the northwest, so the windchill played a factor throughout the day.  The clouds remained most of the day until the early evening hours. As the wind continued to blow, the clouds were eventually blown out form the northwest wind. Giving way to sun, we still had high level clouds in the atmosphere.

This radar picture shows the cloud cover, now in northern Illinois, that was covering most of Wisconsin earlier in the day. You can see the isobars showing that the wind isn't blowing to hard from the northwest, but enough to move that cloud system to the south. Right now you can see two large cold fronts with a small warm front moving northward up through Iowa. That warm front is following a low pressure system at this time. 

Like I mentioned yesterday in my blog, we saw a wind chill alert only for northern Minnesota. With the wind continuing out of the northwest, and the low temperatures, we have seen that wind chill alert com down into the northern half of Wisconsin. With the temperatures dropping tonight, that wind chill will have an effect on anyone who is outside. Although the winds may not be being very hard, that cold air will cool much of the northern half of Wisconsin.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, 8 pm
Temperature: 17 F
Feels like: 5 F
Wind: NW 11 mph
Humidity: 32%
Pressure: 29.85 in

This morning started off as a very bright morning with the sun shinning. Out of nowhere we experienced a small storm cell the brought some snow but it only lasted about 20 minutes. After that small cell came through, the wind picked up and blew around 15 mph out of the northwest. The wind continued all day and the sun continued to shine. A few clouds rolled in late in the afternoon to shade the sun, but overall it felt like a heat wave compared to the frigid weather we have been experiencing.

Above you can see a cold front that has worked its way down from Canada. It pushed the warm front from yesterday eastward, and is followed up by a stationary front currently over Montana. There is a low pressure system on the eastern side of the rocky mountains while there is a high pressure system over the mountains currently. 

Right now northern Minnesota has a wind chill alert currently. With that wind continuing to blow, we could possibly see that wind chill alert to creep into northern wisconsin, but the forecast tomorrow does expect a slight decrease in temperature compared to today. After that decrease, we can expect it to continually to warm up into the weekend and hopefully hit temperatures of the low 30's.

Monday, Feb. 23rd, 2015, 4:15 pm
Temperature: 8 F
Feels like: -11 F
Wind: SSW 17 mph
Humidity: 42%
Pressure: 30.38 in

It has been mostly sunny all day today, especially this morning. There were no clouds in the sky at all this morning until the early afternoon hours. However, although it may be sunny, it was again bitterly cold outside and the wind played a major factor. Most of the day the wind chill has been in the negative's and it isn't looking like that will change all day. The early afternoon hours saw some cloud cover, but yet was mostly sunny out. We can expect to see clouds to continue to roll into the area, but it should remain mostly sunny into the evening. The wind will continue to blow, which will keep the wind chill in the negative's.

As you can see there isn't to much activity going on right now over the Wisconsin area, as a high pressure system moves through Illinois. You can see the isobars that show the wind is blowing fairly well out of the northwest. There is a warm front moving down from Canada, followed by a cold front that is moving in behind it. We should expect for temperatures to drop tomorrow then continue to warm up into the weekend. 

This is a radar enhancement of Eau Claire and were the wind is currently coming from. In Eau Claire the wind is coming from the south currently but just north you can see that the wind is changing direction and will eventually blow form the northwest. 

Friday, Feb. 20th, 2015, 7:45 pm
Temperature: 17 F
Feels like: 14 F
Wind: S 7 mph
Humidity: 73%
Pressure: 29.89 in

Today brought an Alberta clipper into the Wisconsin area. The morning brought overcast along with snow flurries for most of the area. Although it was overcast, the sun was able to sneak through for brief periods of time. These clouds cleared up briefly around noon for only about an hour, when another set of clouds came into the area and into the night. Along with the second set of clouds brought more snow flurries but with the wind blowing, not much was able to accumulate.

Pictured above is the current radar for the Chippewa Valley area. Currently there is no snow over Eau Claire, but it looks like we may good the northern part of a few flurries that are still making their way from the Minneapolis area. 

The Eau Claire area is currently in a warm pocket from a small warm front making its way across Wisconsin. This warm front is being pushed by east by a cold front and a low pressure system. That low pressure system will bring cold weather once again to the area and potentially more snow flurries in the next few days. 

Thursday, Feb. 19th, 2015, 1:40pm
Temperature: 1 F
Feels like: -9 F
Wind: W 4 mph
Humidity: 44%
Pressure: 30.43 in

It is a bitterly cold day today in the Chippewa Valley Area. Although the wind might not be blowing extremely hard, it still is playing a factor with a wind chill pushing the temperatures into the negatives. This morning and afternoon so far has not accounted for any clouds in the sky, although it may be very sunny out, the temperatures remain in the single digits. We can expect that the temperatures to hopefully reach the low teens today, but with the wind chill it will remain in the single digits.

Compared to yesterday, the high pressure system is still moving west as it makes it way over Wisconsin. There two stationary fronts, one over the rocky mountains and another just to the north of Wisconsin. Also, there is a small storm cell building over the Dakota's and down to the southwest of Iowa. That should continue to move west and maybe be over western Wisconsin later in the day tomorrow. 

This is a radar picture of that small storm system that is over the Dakota's and just making its way into Iowa. With the west continuing from the west we can expect these two cells to push into Wisconsin in the next few days. However, by the time they get there they may have already dispersed and we won't see anything. Along with these storm cells moving there way west, this will bring warmer weather for the weekend.

Wednesday, Feb. 18th, 2015, 7:20 pm
Temperature: -6 F
Feels like: -21 F
Wind: WNW 9 mph
Humidity: 48%
Pressure: 30.14 in

Total was blistering cold out all day. It was slightly overcast but the sun did peak through the hazy clouds a few times today. The wind played a major factor today as wind chills exceeded into the negative teens. The afternoon brought mostly sun and few clouds in the air with the wind continuing to blow stiffly out of the northwest. I expect these conditions to stay the same over the next few days as there is no warm or cold fronts in the near future for our area.

Currently there is a high pressure system working its way from the west, which we should expect to see late tomorrow. Behind that high pressure system there is a stationary front just before the Rocky Mountains, followed by more high pressure. This high pressure will continue to drop cold air into the atmosphere and the temperatures should stay chilly these next fews days. 

The above map shows that much of the upper midwest is in a wind chill alert, with a lake effect snow alert on the eastern side of Lake Michigan. These wind chill alerts can turn deadly for animals or humans who could be caught outside overnight as the winds will continue to blow. The Jet stream is currently pushing this cold air down from Canada as it cools down everything in its way. 

Monday, Feb. 16th, 2015, 8 pm
Temperature: 14 F
Feels like: 14 F
Wind: Calm
Humidity: 77%
Pressure: 29.93 in

Today was a below average day for this time of year for temperature. The average is right at 30 degrees while we managed to reach low 20's in the Chippewa Valley area. It was an overcast sky all day and even managed to see a few snow flakes early in the afternoon. The clouds were very low and blanketed the sky all day. The wind didn't play much of a factor today as it was mostly calm all day.

Pictured above is the radar showing the midwest with a warm front currently over Wisconsin. That warm front will give way to two cold fronts coming from the Dakota's and one coming down from Canada. These cold front will bring frigid temperatures for most of the week. 

As you can see currently that most of the upper midwest is pretty frigid as of right now. You are able to see the difference in temperature between the cold front and warm front that is over South Dakota. The cold temperatures are isolated to the north while the warmer air is getting pushed south down to southern Illinois. 

Friday, Feb. 13th, 2015, 11:30 pm
Temperature: 16 F
Feels like: 4 F
Wind: NW 15 mph, gusts 23 mph
Humidity: 51%
Pressure: 29.94 in

Today was kind of a blah day. The morning started off as mostly cloudy and that carried all day into the evening. The morning temperatures hit the mid teens and there was a breeze coming out of the northwest. That wind continued into the afternoon and evening hours as it is bring a cold front in from the north. We can expect temperatures to drop into tomorrow as that cold front makes it way over the Chippewa valley area. However, the cold temperatures should only last a day while again getting up to the high 20's on sunday.

Above is the radar of the area with the cold front coming down from Canada while there is a stationary front moving in from the west. That stationary weather front is spinning counter clockwise, so it will eventually push that cold font out early sunday morning.

This is a picture of the Chippewa Valley area showing that it has a wind chill advisory in effect right now and that will continue into tomorrow as that cold font continues to bring a northwest breeze with it. Luckily it will be a saturday, so there won't be and Blugolds with bridge faces!

Thursday, Feb. 12th, 2015, 8:15 pm
Temperature: 1 F
Feels like: 1 F
Wind: Calm
Humidity: 57%
Pressure: 30.39 in

It was a blistering cold day today in the Chippewa Valley area. The morning hours started off with negative temperatures and a wind chill effect too. One bright point of the day was the sun. There were very few clouds all day so the sun was able to warm some areas up were there wasn't any wind. As the evening hours started in there were still few clouds in the sky which allowed for a nice sunset.

Above is the radar for the Chippewa Valley area. As you can see there is a warm front coming from the south west working its way towards Wisconsin. There is also high pressure in Iowa right now with a storm between the high pressure and the warm front. 

This is a picture of the storm cell that is between the warm front and the high pressure over Iowa.

As you can see this storm is working its way from the south west and if the winds keep blowing in that direction the lower portion of the state may experience this storm cell. 

Wednesday, Feb. 11th, 2015, 6:30pm
Temperature: 14 F
Feels like: 1 F
Wind: W 10 mph
Humidity: 49%
Pressure: 30.16in

This morning started out with a lot of cloud cover and light snow blowing in the wind. It snowed most of the early morning hours, then there was a break right before noon. As the afternoon continued on, the Chippewa Valley saw more snow and wind. Overall it was a chilly day with the wind chill playing a major role. In all, we only saw a little over an inch of snow compared to the three inches that was predicted. As the night continues on temperatures will continue to fall and there is potential for more snow late tonight.

The radar shows that the low systems that were previously above Wisconsin have now moved out of the area and there are high pressure systems with a cold and warm front moving into the region. Judging by the isobars on this radar, the winds will continue to blow fairly strong but there shouldn't be any more snow coming to the area for a few days. 

Pictured above is the last 24 hours of precipitation. As the low pressure system moved to the east it carried most of the snow to the eastern side of Wisconsin. The Chippewa Valley only experienced a dusting based off this radar, but after the winds stopped blowing there were some snow drifts and we experienced around a inch of snow. 

Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 2015, 7:15 pm
Temperature: 23 F
Feels like: 13 F
Wind: SE 7 mph
Humidity: 82%
Pressure: 29.94 in

The early morning hours seemed very promising this morning by starting off with mostly sunny skies and few hazy clouds on the horizon. With the morning looking promising I thought today had the potential to reach the high 30's but I was completely wrong. As the early morning moved into the afternoon hours, the skies filled completely with clouds and visibility was reduced from the haze. We experienced some snow flurries a little after the noon hour which subsided until dark. As the even progressed we again experienced snow flurries, with a mix of freezing sleet.

Pictured above is the current radar of the time of this blog post. As you can see much of the snow and sleet have already passed through earlier in the day. There is still a few slivers of snow that will pass through the area as the evening pushes on, and there is potential to see more snow late this evening as a small snow cloud is hovering over the cities right now. 

Above is a picture of the front systems that are over the midwest area right now. There is a cold front over South Dakota that is pushing warm air to the south, there is also a warm front directly over Wisconsin that is pushing north. This will cause the low system air mass to lose power for the snow as it pushes east. I predict that tomorrow will bring cool temperatures and as the low system front keeps pushing east, that we may experience more snow later on in the day tomorrow. 

Monday, Feb. 9th, 10 pm
Temperature: 15 F
Feels like: 15 F
Wind: E 1 mph
Humidity: 73%
Pressure: 30.25 in

It was a very nice day today in the Chippewa valley. The early morning temperatures were already double digits which is nice. It was a mostly sunny day with a few clouds rolling in in the afternoon, and left the area for a nice sunset this evening. The highs reached into the 30's, which helped in melting much of the snow off the roads. Tomorrow should bring similar weather.

Pictured above is the current radar at the time. Theres not much action taking place, and there shouldn't be any fronts moving in for tomorrow either. 

Right now there is a high pressure system sitting over Wisconsin, with a low pressure system creeping in from the west. With that low pressure system will come snow and cooler weather for the weekend. If these storms pick up any power over the dakotas, northwestern Wisconsin could potentially see a lot of snow fall for this weekend. 

Friday, Feb. 6th, 2015, 1115am
Temperature: 19 F
Feels like: 12 F
Wind: E 5 mph
Humidity: 62%
Pressure: 30.05 in

These morning hours started off around 10 F and a little breeze, but not the usual bridge face temps we have been facing. As the morning pushed onto early afternoon, we saw lots of sun and a few scattered clouds, which almost seemed to cause a haze at times. As the afternoon will progress, we can expect to see more sun and the temperatures should reach into the 20's.

The featured map above is the radar of the 24 hour precipitation. Right now the Chippewa Valley is in-between two small patches of precipitation that could potentially bring snow to the area. These precipitation clouds are very small and would only bring a dusting. 

Yesterday I talked about the high pressure system that sat over iowa and many other mid-west states. You can see from this radar that two low pressure systems are moving into the midwest and chasing the cold temperatures out along with the high pressure system. With these two low systems moving into the area we can expect for temperatures to rise and have a mild temperature for the weekend. 

Thursday, Feb. 5th, 2015, 845 pm
Temperature: 11 F
Feels like: -1
Wind: SW 9 mph
Humidity: 61%
Pressure: 30.17 in ^

The morning started off with no clouds and lots of sun. The wind was blowing and did send a bit of a chill in the air. As the afternoon progressed it still remained mostly sunny with clouds scattered throughout the sky. The sun did bring a welcome presence. Overall it was a chilly day due to the wind factor, but the day and afternoons hours remained mostly sunny.

There is a high pressure system sitting over much of the midwest, and this caused the cool temperatures that we have been experiencing. There is a low pressure system coming in from the north west and this will eventually bring warmer temperatures to the region.

As you can see from the graphic the wind has been blowing all day from the southwest. That is what is sustaining that high pressure system over the iowa region. I expect tomorrow that the winds will shift to the northwest allowing the low system and warmer temperatures into the area.  

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, 6 pm
Temperature: 9 F
Feels like: -6 F
Wind: NW 11 mph
Humidity: 40%
Pressure: 30.29 in ^

This morning started off like yesterday, mostly sunny in the morning again and blistering cold out. The walk to campus was a struggle to say the least. With no clouds and the wind blowing from the north, the temperatures had a hard time reaching double digits before the afternoon. There is supposed to be warmer weather moving into the area the next few days, and along with that warmer weather there will be snow moving through the Chippewa Valley area.

Pictured above is the wind radar and its speeds as it ravels across the Chippewa Valley area. Wind speeds are not much more then 10 mph thats why most of the map is in light blue. As you can see, the wind will remain at this speed for most of the night if it continues on this eastern path. 

This radar is of the 24 hour precipitation that is occurring at the time of this post. There is not much precipitation around the Chippewa Valley, besides a small sliver to the south. However, there is a decent size set of precipitation over the cities and typically this will hit the Chippewa Valley area within 3 hours. If this does occur, expect to see some snow later on as the night pushes on.

Tuesday, Feb 3, 2015, 6:15 pm
Temperature: 14 F
Feels like: 14 F
Wind: Calm
Humidity: 78%
Pressure: 30.02 in >

Woke up this morning again to clear skies with very little wind. This left the morning with negative temperatures and mostly single digits most of the morning hours. As the day progressed a low pressure system moved in from the north and brought clouds. As the afternoon pushed on we started to see snow flurries and temperatures around 10 F. This small weather system will remain through most of the night and potentially into early morning hours. Tomorrow we will see low temperatures again but the snow will subdue.

Pictured above is the current radar for the Chippewa Valley area. As you can see there is not much for snow over the Eau Claire area, but can see how large of a snow cell there was earlier in the day. There is potential for more snow as the evening progresses due to the small patch that is covering the Minneapolis area, but that could move either north or south of us. 

This is a picture of the low front that moved through our area throughout the day. You can see now that there is a high pressure system moving into the area which will cause for a high ceiling and for temperatures to remain chilly until the high system moves by. You can also see cloud cover that is covering some of the southern half of Wisconsin. 

Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, 7 pm
Temp: 8 F
Feels like: -5 F
Wind: SSW 8 mph
Humidity: 52%
Pressure: 30.07 in >

Woke up today to no clouds in the sky and the stars still glimmering in the early morning. It was brutally cold this morning but the sunrise did bring some warmer weather to the area. It was also groundhog day, and he predicted only 6 more weeks of winter!! As the day went on a few clouds rolled through but they were very high and didn't have much affect. As the afternoon hours pushed on more clouds came in and the ceiling appeared to lower some but no snow or any precipitation. The wind added some negative wind chills throughout the day especially on the walk across the bridge to get to class.

This is the current radar for the Chippewa Valley and the surrounding area. As you can see there is no storm system rolling in therefore I believe that tomorrow will bring similar temps and precipitation to the area.

This is a picture of the current wind that is occurring around the Chippewa Valley. The wind is below 10 mph in the Chippewa valley with the potential of some stronger winds making their way from the cities later on as the night progresses. Nothing to extreme however, but with the wind will bring more negative wind chills so that means to button up before going out tonight.

This last picture is of precipitation surrounding the Chippewa Valley area. There is a small sliver of precipitation on the south side of Eau Claire and it looks like there is more coming but potentially will miss us. Overall there isn't much precipitation that is going to occur over the night if this stays the same and hopefully it will miss the Chippewa Valley to the south.