Tuesday, March 31st, 2015, 6 pm
Temperature: 63 F
Feels like: 63 F
Wind: WNW 16 mph
Humidity: 23%
Pressure: 29.89 in

Today I woke up to the campus covered in a dense layer of advection fog. This fog is formed when warm air blows over a cool wet surface. Since we had precipitation yesterday and a clear sky last night, it was prime for this to happen this morning when the warmer air came into the area. Later in the afternoon when the sun was able to burn up the fog, we had a nice day on the Eau Claire campus. We had some altostratus clouds in the sky with the sun beaming through and western winds around 10 mph. We saw temperatures reach the low 60's which was nice in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be a different story as you will see further in this blog.

This map is a picture of the current surface data for the midwest. You can see a warm front moving through Wisconsin currently that is in a low pressure system. This is being pushed from the northwest and will be out of the area tomorrow. There is another warm front coming in from the Dakota's for tomorrow and we can expect the temperature tomorrow to be right around 70 degrees. With this warm temperature however we will see precipitation form into thunderstorms. We can also expect to see a low pressure system associated with those storms. 

This is the current winds for the United States.  you can see that Wisconsin is experiencing a northwestern wind right now. One area to look at is the great plains. You can see how there is a cool area between Wisconsin and the great plains. This will hit overnight and expect temperatures to cool down. Behind that ridge you can see southern winds. This is pushing that warm front towards Wisconsin. This is what will cause the spike in temperature tomorrow into the 70's.

Monday, March 30th, 2015, 8:15 pm
Temperature: 44 F
Feels like: 41 F
Wind: NE 6 mph
Humidity: 81%
Pressure: 29.83 in

Today was a full day in the Chippewa Valley. We saw overcast early in the morning, dark nimbostratus clouds into the afternoon then finished the night with partly cloudy skies. We experienced precipitation in the afternoon as we had a drizzle for about three hours. As we transition into tomorrow and the remaining week, we will see rain one day, possible thunderstorms the next, then nice clear skies with warm weather into the weekend. This is rein in the saying of April showers, hopefully will bring may flowers.

This is the current weather radar for Wisconsin. You can see the precipitation as it has made its way east of Eau Claire and is now over the western side of the state. This system is being pushed east by a warm front that is making its way up from the southwest. 

Right now you can see a lot going on over the midwest. There is a warm front working its way from the southwest part of Wisconsin. To the north of the warm front is a stationary front extending through Minnesota into Canada. You can also see the precipitation over Wisconsin that has hit Eau Claire earlier in the day. You can see a high pressure system and low pressure system over Colorado currently. This may cause some precipitation as these two fronts carry wind in different direction. Thats also what causes a trough over that area. 

Friday, March 27th, 2015, 7:15 pm
Temperature: 35 F
Feels like: 35 F
Wind: SSE 4 mph
Humidity: 28%
Pressure: 30.19 in

Today was a chilly day for me in Eau Claire. I just got back from spring break were I spent 5 days down in Manhattan Beach California. I experienced no rain, little amount of clouds, and temperatures in the high 70's. I did not want to come back to this. However, for a late march day in Wisconsin it wasn't that terrible. With temperatures in the high 30's and little cloud cover, it was an overall nice day. There was little wind but when there was it was coming from the south southeast. The pressure has been fairly stable most of the day, and we did experience some high altocumulus clouds later in the afternoon. We can expect the temperature to remain in the high 30's these next couple of days over the weekend with the potential of some precipitation following.

You can see a high pressure system that is currently over Iowa. This system will continue to be pushed to the east as it is followed by a warm front that is over the western side of the Dakota's. That warm front will reach use in the early part of next week. There is also some precipitation on the western side of Minnesota as it will continue on its eastern path as we can expect it to reach us sunday and monday. 

You can see a cool spot over Wisconsin and Minnesota as they sit in that high pressure system. On the eastern side of that pressure system there is a stiff northern wind while the middle and western part have a southern wind.  As that warm front moves towards Eau Claire it will bring a northern wind but we will see the temperatures rise. 

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015, 7:25 pm
Temperature: 43 F
Feels like: 40 F
Wind: SW 4 mph
Humidity: 30%
Pressure: 30.27 in

It was an average March day in Eau Claire today. The temperatures were in the mid 40's and we experienced a southwest wind. The wind wasn't much of a factor today as throughout the day we had relatively calm winds that peaked around six mph. It would have felt a lot nicer today, but we had overcast all day. From the moment I woke up till dark, we had overcast skies which set the tone for a gloomy kind of day.

Pictured above is the current radar for the midwest area. You can see currently there is no precipitation over Eau Claire, but we may see some rain and possibly even a light snowfall as to our east they have precipitation. With the southwestern winds we currently have we may be lucky and have those cells get pushed to the north of us however. 

This is the the current surface radar but in a bigger perspective. You can see those precipitation clouds over Minnesota are just on the western side of a large stationary front stretching from Canada over to Ohio. With the swirling clouds along that line, it is perfect for precipitation clouds. You can see a trough over Montana with a low front on the southern end. We will experience this trough in a couple days as it will move its way east. 

Tuesday, March 17th, 2015, 6:10 pm
Temperature: 42.1 F
Feels like: 41 F
Wind: Calm out of the north
Humidity: 23%
Pressure: 30.37 in

It was a gorgeous day on the Eau Claire campus. The sun was out with no clouds in the sky and with breeze coming out of the north. The wind did pick up in the afternoon as we saw wind speeds of up to 13 mph but again subsiding to calm in the evening hours. It was completely sunny for most of the day as we saw a few high altitude cirrus clouds.

As you can see from the surface data, you can see how the winds are rotating to the west of iowa. This is sucking cold air down from canada and the jet stream. That cool air is being sucked right over us and that is why we are experiencing this colder temperatures. 

This is a picture of the jet stream moving from west to east. The jet stream has shifted and dropped lower so with that it has brought the cool air. It is safe to say that we are out of that omega high that we were experiencing. With the jet stream dropping, much of the west is now experiencing that warmer weather and the east is in their usual crummy weather right now. 

Monday, March 16th, 2015, 1:45 pm
Temperature: 60 F
Feels like: 60 F
Wind: E 5 mph
Humidity: 50%
Pressure: 29.79 in

Today is a relatively nice day outside although there is cloud cover. Currently there is stratocumulus clouds in the sky with potentially them turning into nimbostratus clouds since it looks like there is precipitation on the horizon. The wind is currently coming form the east, and you will see that Eau Claire seems to be at the center of the winds as all of them are rotating over the Chippewa Valley area. We won't experience this rain for a few hours still if we do at all, seeing that the rain is still to the north, but is being pushed this direction as northern Wisconsin is experiencing northwest winds.

This is the radar of the current surface data for the midwest. You can see a large stationary front stretching from Idaho into Wisconsin, with a cold front coming down from the north into Michigan. Behind that cold front you can see the precipitation that I was talking about being pushed down from Canada by that northwestern wind. You can see a low front just on the western edge of Wisconsin, this is what is causing for the rotating winds over the Eau Claire area.

This surface data map shows a better example of the rotating winds over the area. You can also see the cloud cover is at max from the little bubbles being filled in completely. You can also see that temperatures are dropping a lot in the North Dakota area as we are coming out of the omega high that has been giving us such warm weather. You can expect these changes to hit our area as temperatures will drop all week back to the normal average for this time of year. 

This final picture is of the ballon sounding from the Minneapolis station. Judging from the LI and KI index, the area is very stable and did not experience the precipitation and rain clouds that it looks like we are going to get this afternoon. Both the LI and KI indexes are stable and from the probes on the right side you can see that the wind direction is mostly from the west. This would help to push those rain clouds into Wisconsin seeing how the clouds are coming down directly from Canada. 

Friday, March 13th, 2015, 7:15 pm
Temperature: 57 F
Feels like: 57 F
Wind: WNW 13 mph
Humidity: 49%
Pressure: 30.02 in

It was a gorgeous friday the 13th here in the Chippewa Valley. The sun was out and the birds were chirping. It was a mostly sunny day with high with altostratus clouds. These clouds didn't block out the sun very often. We dealt with a stiff wind out of the northwest most of the day as we saw it reach gusts of close to 20 mph. If you weren't in the sun it was probably a little chilly with that wind.

You can see that Wisconsin has a cold front moving from the northwest over it currently. Behind that cold front you can see two high pressure systems. This cold front is pushing the warm front in front of it to the north. 

From this surface data map you can see how the winds have changed over much of wisconsin as they are now coming from the north west. These winds is what pushing that cold front to the east. You can see were these winds collide with south winds over Indiana. That southern wind is what is pushing that warm front north. 

This picture shows you the wind direction that I explained in the above picture. You can see how that warm front is an average 5 degrees while we are experiencing the little bit cooler weather due to that cold front moving through the area. You can expect that cold front to be pushed through tomorrow and we will see the temperatures into the low 60's by the weekend. 

Thursday, March 12th, 2015, 5 pm
Temperature: 58 F
Feels like: 58 F
Wind: S 14 mph
Humidity: 25%
Pressure: 30.21 in

Today started off as another warm day in the Chippewa Valley area. Although it may have been nine outside, it was however mostly cloudy most of the day. There were brief stints when the clouds cleared and we were able to catch some rays, but it has been mostly cloudy all day. The wind today also played a factor as we experienced gusts close to 30 mph coming form the south. Although it was a southern wind, the gusts were so strong that it didn't feel very warm. We are still sitting in the omega high but with temperatures dropping some this weekend, we will see the end of it. That doesn't mean were going to drop back into the 20's but we will see temperatures more in the average for this time of year.

You can see that Wisconsin is in a warm front right now with a stationary front building over the Dakota's. You can also see a trough coming up from the great plains. All these fronts are in a low pressure system, but expect that to turn into a high pressure system as we see precipitation at the start of next week. 

This is the surface data for the midwest currently. Although it has been mostly cloudy today in the area, it says that there are no clouds right now. This is a good reading showing that the wind direction is coming mostly from the south/ southwest. You can see where the trough is located on this map as well because over the Dakota's the wind is coming from the northwest. When these two different wind directions collide it causes for that trough to form. 

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015, 8:45 pm
Temperature: 44 F
Feels like: 41 F
Wind: ESE 4 mph
Humidity: 52%
Pressure: 30.25 in

It was another absolutely beautiful day in the Chippewa Valley area. It was completely sunny all day and we saw temperatures reach into the 50's again. The wind shifted from the west to the south then to the east southeast as the evening continued on.

This is the radar of the current surface readings. You can see a stationary front making its way down from Canada with a warm front and low pressure system to the west along with a cold front low pressure system to the east of Wisconsin. This system shouldn't make its way down into Wisconsin if the winds continue from a southward direction. Wisconsin is also in a high pressure system currently and that could potentially remain the same for tomorrow. 

This is a satellite picture of the water vapor in the atmosphere. You can see water vapor building right now over the Dakota's and could potentially bring rain to the area. Otherwise, we can see that to continue to get pushed north into Canada were the cold and warm fronts meet. 

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015, 6:45 pm
Temperature: 59 F
Feels like: 59 F
Wind: W 10 mph
Humidity: 41%
Pressure: 29.88 in

Today was an awesome day in the Chippewa Valley area as we saw temperatures reach into the low 60's and it was sunny all day. The morning started off in the 40's and saw that reach into the 60's by late afternoon. The wind came out of the west most of the day and was only blowing around 10 mph most of the day. We are still in the omega high and can expect that to last at least into the week and potentially early next week. With the winds continuing to come out of the west and south, the temperatures will remain warm.

This is the radar of the surface analysis of the U.S. You can see high pressure systems over the midwest with cold fronts and low pressure system north in Canada. This systems will continue to stay in Canada as the omega front won't allow for them to travel south. There is precipitation from Louisiana eastward to the Ohio valley. This is from the stationary fronts that that area is experiencing. As one front is rotating clock wise with warm air and the other rotating counter clockwise with cold air, this causes that precipitation that they are experiencing. 

This last picture is of the jet stream that the U.S. is currently experiencing. you can see that the jet stream dips far into the south then again back up into the Ohio valley. This causes the eastern side of the U.S to have wet cold weather and the midwest with warm weather. This is a direct effect from the omega high. 

Monday, March 9th, 2015, 2:45 pm
Temperature: 52 F
Feels like: 52 F
Wind: SW 19 mph
Humidity: 41%
Pressure: 30.00 in

It continues to be a major warmup in the midwest as we are currently experiencing an omega high. An omega high is where the high pressure over the midwest brings warm air from the south. The high pressure air covers such a large area that the west to east air flow has troubles going around the area. The area that is in the omega high experience dry warm weather while the low pressure areas to the east and west experience wet and cloudy weather. We are currently in an omega high in the midwest and this caused the warmup we are experiencing. Today has been mostly cloudy but the temperatures have reached the low 50's. The clouds have been hazy all day and we have had a brisk southern wind.

This is the radar of the current radar for the midwest. You can see that a high pressure system stretches from Montana all the way east into Ohio. This is the omega high that I talked about. To the south you can see a warm from moving north through Missouri currently and it is surrounded on either side by stationary fronts. In Canada there is a cold front that is being pushed south but with the winds, that will be pushed to the east. 

This is a map of the surface direction of the winds. You can see that warm air is being brought up from Oklahoma and into Canada. There is also a western wind pushing the high pressure systems from Montana. This omega high will last all week. 

Friday, March 6th, 2015, 5:30 pm
Temperature: 32 F
Feels like: 25 F
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Humidity: 45%
Pressure: 30.07

Today was the first day that it finally felt like spring was in reach. The temperatures reached into the mid 30's by early afternoon and the sun was out most of the day. The morning had some low lingering clouds but those cleared out once the sun was able to burn them up. The wind today was out of the west and south which brought warm weather from the gulf.

The above radar shows the current surface map. You can currently see that there is a warm front over North Dakota with a cold front to the north. This warm front will continue to move west and have a positive warm effect on the Chippewa Valley area. 

This satellite image continues to show water vapor that is being carried to the east coast from the Gulf of Mexico. This will continue to fuel the storms that the east coast has been experiencing. You can also see cloud cover over the Dakota's and Montana. These clouds will move into our area but the warm weather will stay from the warm front in the first radar picture. The temperatures will continue to stay into the 30's especially when the winds are being brought up from the south.

Thursday March 5th, 2015, 4:30pm

Temperature: 11 F

Feels like: 3 F

Wind: WSW 10 mph

Humidity: 37%

Pressure: 30.51 in

Today started off as mostly sunny, with temperatures this morning being in the single digits. The wind started out of the northwest while we saw a shift in the afternoon hours to the south southwest. As the day continued on we saw more high atmosphere clouds roll into the area, but it remained mostly sunny out still. We can expect a major warm up over the weekend and into next week due to the warm air coming from the southwest. 

This is an image of the current surface area right now. As you can see there is a major warm front moving to the east that is currently over the Dakota's. With the winds coming from the southwest we can expect this warm up by tomorrow. 

This map shows the current wind speed and direction throughout the U.S. You can see stretching from Texas up to Minnesota that air is following this route. This will bring that warm air that we are expecting. To the west of Wisconsin you can see that the winds are traveling in an eastward direction, pulling along with it lots of water vapor that is fueling the snow in the east. 

This is a picture of the water vapor in the atmosphere. Stretching from Mexico, you can see all the water vapor that is being sucked to the east coast from the winds. This will fuel the snow storms on the east coast and cause for lots of precipitation.

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015, 4:30 pm
Temperature: 10 F
Feels like: - 9 F
Wind: NW 15 mph
Humidity: 33%
Pressure: 30.26 in

It was an extremely cold day today in the Chippewa Valley area. Although the actual temperature was mostly in the teens throughout the day, the wind chill blowing out of the north and northwest played a major factor with the windchill. Most of the day it was blowing in the high teens and this caused for negative wind chill temperatures. Throughout the day we saw some high clouds in the atmosphere, but it was mostly sunny. With the winds blowing so hard we can expect it to blow these frigid temperature system out of the area and are looking at a major warm up these next few days. Hopefully by the weekend we see 40 degree weather.

Currently you can see that Iowa has a low pressure system over it while it is sandwiched between two high pressure systems. One to the north and one to the south. We are experiencing that cold temperatures that go with the high pressure system to the north. You can see way to the west side of the screen over Montana that there is a warm front moving in. With the continually northwest wind blowing, that warm front will be blown right over Wisconsin. 

This is a satellite image of the moisture in the air. There is much moisture in the air south of Wisconsin while average over the state. Without any large quants being blown down from Canada and the jet stream, we won't be experiencing any snow fall today or tomorrow. Hopefully that moisture stays to the south so we don't get anymore snow this winter. 

Monday, March 2nd, 2015, 6:15 pm
Temperature: 22 F
Feels like: 13 F
Wind: S 8 mph
Humidity: 39%
Pressure: 30.31 in

Today was the first day that it felt like spring out. Although it may have not reached record temperatures, with a south wind and the sun out it was a gorgeous day and I even was able to roll my windows down in my car today. The wind was brisk coming form the south but it was a warm wind. Clouds rolled into the area in the afternoon hours but left again before the evening. This week we will experience a major warm up for the Chippewa Valley area and maybe even 40 degrees as the weekend sets in.

This is the current radar for the Chippewa Valley area. Currently there is nothing over the area, but you can see a small storm cell moving in from the west. It's currently just outside of town and can expect it in the area in the next hour. This is a small cell so it will likely move through the area very fast and won't have much of an impact. 

Currently there is a high pressure system over Wisconsin. You can see a cold front moving in from the northwest as it is pushed down from Canada. This cold front will bring single digit temperatures for one day and after that front we can expect for temperatures to constantly to warm up. There is also a crazy stationary front over Colorado. I can't tell yet if this front will have an impact on the area, but should know more in the next day.