Wednesday April 29th, 2015, 5:45 pm
Temperature: 66F
Feels like: 66F
Wind: NNW 16 mph
Pressure: 29.96 in
Humidity: 21%

Today was another awesome day on the Eau Claire campus. The sun was out all day and there was a slight breeze coming out of the northwest. We saw some stratus clouds roll into the area in the afternoon. The pressure has dropped a little from yesterday but won't have much of an effect. We can expect temperatures to still remain much of the same the rest of the week and into the weekend. It will even be warmer this weekend as we see temperatures climb into the high 70's.

The current surface reading has changed much since yesterday. The cold front that was above Wisconsin has moved its south as the northwest winds have been pushing it mostly. There is also a stationary front just over northern Minnesota currently. We can expect that to hit us tomorrow if the winds continue out of the north. There is also a cold front making its was through Wyoming with a low pressure system. This system is causing some precipitation for that area. 

This is the model predicted for this summer. You can see that California will continue to have its problems with drought this summer as temperatures will be high and humidity will be dry. The midwest will experience warm weather mostly with strong thunderstorms early throughout the summer. The south will continue to be wet mostly. 

This is the current wind map for the U.S. You can see how the winds for all of Wisconsin are coming out of the north. Where the stationery front is over northern Minnesota, you can see winds moving both from the south on the western side and north on the eastern side. Once the front makes it on the eastern side of Wisconsin we can expect the winds to change and come out of the south, this will bring very warm temperatures for this weekend. 

Tuesday April 28th, 2015, 9:20pm
Temperature: 59F
Feels like: 59F
Wind: NW 7 mph
Humidity: 49%
Pressure: 30.04 in

Overall today was a fairly nice day on the Eau Claire campus. The morning started off very nice, no clouds and a slight breeze coming from the northwest. The sun remained high in the sky for the afternoon and still a gentle breeze coming from the northwest. Around 5:30 in the afternoon cumulus clouds began to roll into the area and the sky looked like it might rain. Although it didn't rain, the sky remained with dark cumulus clouds into the evening hours.

As you can see form the current surface outlook for the midwest you can see that theres not to much activity going on. Theres a cold front that is moving across to the north. There is also a trough going over Montana and Colorado along with three high pressure systems. 

The overall picture for the current surface data looks like this. There is still low pressure systems in the south by Florida which is producing weather for this area. With not much happening over the midwest, we can expect for temperatures to relatively remain the same for this area until next week. There is a low pressure system above California currently which could eventually produce some precipitation for the area if it makes it across the Rocky Mountains and into the midwest next week. 

This is a picture of the wind speeds and wind direction for the U.S. That cold front above Wisconsin is seeing northwest winds which could push it down onto the east coast later this week. You can also see two different wind directions over Florida currently. This is allowing for the precipitation in that area to not move very fast as it is stalling out the precipitation. 

Monday April 27th, 2015, 9:30 pm
Temperature: 58 F
Feels like: 58 F
Wind: NNW 7 mph
Humidity: 34%
Pressure: 30.14

Today was a great day on the Eau Claire campus. We didn't experience any clouds and the sun was shinning all day. The winds were out of the north northwest at 10 mph with the humidity at 34%. One good temperatures are on the horizon for the rest of the week and continuing into the weekend. We are expecting a cold front to move into the area tomorrow, but temperatures will remain in the high 60's and low 70's.

You can see a cold front moving its way into the area overnight. Behind that there is warm temperatures and two high pressure systems moving into the area. You can also see a streak of rain right behind the cold front that could potentially hit us but will most likely miss us to the north. 

The overall picture for the country see much precipitation in the southern half of the U.S. Florida will most likely be seeing severe weather over the next few days as a low pressure system and warm front is in the area. 

This is a picture of precipitation that is currently in the Duluth area. This will not affect the Eau  Claire area as it will remain in the northern portion of Wisconsin. 

Thursday April 23rd, 2015, 7:45 pm
Temperature: 50 F
Feels like: 50 F
Wind: WNW 7 mph
Humidity: 20%
Pressure: 30.02 in

Today was a very nice day on the Eau Claire campus. We saw sunshine all day with few clouds in the sky. The winds were out of the west northwest and were under 10 mph. We saw an increase of pressure as the low pressure system that was over Manitoba moved out of the area and onto the east coast. However, it was nice today, but there will be a change as we shift into the weekend. There is rain in the forecast and and the temperatures will be in the low 50's.

You can see that there is a high pressure system over Wisconsin currently. Although there is a high pressure system, the winds continue out of the west at the surface. This is bring the stationary front and precipitation from the west. There will also be four low pressure systems involved with this stationary front. This will continue to produce precipitation. 

You can see currently that temperatures for the area are about average. You can also see over North Dakota that temperatures dip into the 30's. We don't expect that to hit us but temperatures will defiantly drop going into the weekend. 

This is the weather sounding from the Minneapolis weather station. Judging on the LI and KI index's you can see that the atmosphere is relatively stable. Another note I would like to make is that a volcano in Chile erupted yesterday evening. Although it is in the southern hemisphere, we can expect for the ash cloud and CO2 emissions to effect all weather globally in the coming months. 

Wednesday April 22, 2015, 7:50 pm
Temperature: 43 F
Feels like: 37 F
Wind: WNW 13 mph
Humidity: 27%
Pressure: 29.90 in

Today we saw a few snow flurries in the morning, then they pushed through to partially cloudy skies in the afternoon and evening. We even had the sun come out for a bit today. The wind is still out of the northwest as that low pressure system continues to sit over manitoba. There is a high pressure system to our southeast that will move its way into the area this weekend. With that high pressure system we will see temperatures bounce back to normal for this time of year into the low 60's.

This is the current surface map for the midwest. You can see that large low pressure system sitting over manitoba still. It is slowly working its way to the east coast. You can see a stationary front moving its way from the west. Behind that there is a low pressure system and a cold front. We can expect to experience precipitation when these two fronts are over Wisconsin. 

This is the current outlook for the wind and the direction. You can see that the winds are mostly out of the west northwest for our area. You can see where that stationary front is on the western side of Minnesota as winds change direction and are out of the east. 

Looking ahead, you can see that temperatures are much milder over the Wyoming area. We can expect those temperatures to move into the area this weekend with this low pressure system moving these chilly temperatures out of the area. 

Tuesday April 21, 2015, 8 pm
Temperature: 35 F
Feels like: 24 F
Wind: NNW 16 mph
Humidity: 68%
Pressure: 29.66 in

Today was a blast from the past as we saw snow flurries for most of the day. Although none of it was able to accumulate on the ground, we still saw multiple times that the entire sky was white from snow. The winds today were brisk out of the northwest as we are on the tail end of the low pressure system sitting over Michigan. We can expect much of the same for tomorrow with the temperatures remaining relatively the same and the winds staying out of the northwest as the low pressure system continues on its track towards the east coast.

This is the current radar for the Eau Claire area. You can see that there is spotty flurries all the way across and into the cities. These flurries will continue into the evening as temperatures continue to drop. These flurries are basically using the rest of the water vapor that is in the air currently and since there isn't any steady inflow of water vapor, these flurries will be spotty at most. 

This is the current surface look out for the midwest. You can see the low pressure system that is bringing this weather above Michigan currently. That is the center of the low pressure system as two others string there way towards the east coast. You can see a large stationary front making its way from the west into the area. Temperatures behind this stationary front will begin to warm up as we see it move through this weekend. 

This is the current wind direction and speeds. You can see how the winds over Wisconsin are swirling in a counter clockwise direction as it moves towards that low pressure system. These winds are moving fairly fast. There is also short waves moving through the Ohio area as these area also producing precipitation for that area. 

This is a picture showing how the picture above wind speeds are playing a factor for the wind chill for our area. With the precipitation and these strong winds we can expect temperatures to get pretty chilly tonight and potential for frost in the morning which wouldn't be good for the farmers as they just got crops onto the fields. 

Monday April 20th, 2015, 5 pm
Temperature: 40 F
Feels like: 32 F
Wind: W 16 mph
Humidity: 62%
Pressure: 29.48 in

Over the weekend we experienced a pretty big cool down for the midwest. We saw temperatures in the 70's and high 60's on friday and saturday, while on sunday we saw temperatures plummet into the mid 40's and its supposed to remain in the 40's for most of the week. We saw one cold front push throughout the area over the weekend and now we have another one coming down from Canada into Wisconsin.

This is a photo of the current surface radar for the midwest. You can see on the east side of Ohio of the first cold front that moved through the area on sunday. Combine that cold front with the low pressure system, we experienced precipitation. We now see another cold front moving into the area from the north. To the west there is a stationary front followed by a high pressure system. 

This photo is of the wind direction and speed for the U.S. You can see over lake Michigan how the wind is swirling in a counter clockwise direction, this is due to the low pressure system that is over that area. You can see over Minnesota and Wisconsin how wind speeds are around 20 mph due to the jet stream dipping into the states in this areas. 

You can see from the upper air sounding from Minneapolis that we do have a chance of rain based off of the LI index. Also to note, the start of the troposphere is relatively low around 10,000 meters. 

This final diagram is of the future forecast for the next few days for the midwest. You can see how the jet stream has dipped relatively low down to the south of Illinois. This allows for the wave of cool air we are experiencing throughout the area from the north. On top of it all there is a low pressure system that is producing precipitation along with the cool temperatures. 

Thursday April 16th, 2015, 7:15 pm
Temperature: 70 F
Feels like: 70 F
Wind: WSW 9 mph
Humidity: 27%
Pressure: 30.01 in

Today was a great day on the Eau Claire campus. We saw sunny skies with temperatures reaching the mid 70's. The wind has remained out of the south since yesterday but has shifted more out of the southwest as the day progressed. We can expect these temperatures to cool down however as we see a cold front move into the area overnight.

As you can see a cold front will be moving into the area overnight. This will bring a low pressure system with counter clockwise swirling winds for the area. You can also see some precipitation to the bottom of the picture as it makes it's way along the stationary front. 

This is the upper air sounding for the minneapolis area. You can see that the winds were out of the west mostly and the LI and KI were both stable. There was a close chance of precipitation as the temperature and dew point line almost crossed paths early in the atmosphere. 

Wednesday April 15th, 2015, 5:15 pm
Temperature: 66 F
Feels like: 66 F
Wind: SSE 14 mph
Humidity: 16%
Pressure: 30.19 in

Today has been another great day on the Eau Claire campus. The sun was out the birds were chirping and the wind was coming from the south. We did see some stratus clouds move into the area later in the afternoon that did block out the sun as the evening progressed. Looking ahead we can expect the temperatures to remain the same and maybe even a little higher the rest of the week while there is a potential of a possible slight cool down into the weekend.

The above image is of the current surface radar. You can see currently to our west that there is a cold front and stationary front that will be moving our way. There is also a ridge in the wind as it moves vertically along the front lines to the east and drops from the north to the south on the western side of the fronts. 

You can see from this image that the fronts run vertically through North and South Dakota. Behind the fronts to the west is a low pressure system that has the potential for storms to move into the area through the weekend. 

This is the upper air sounding from the Minneapolis weather station. Based on the LI and KI index's the air is stable and doesn't have much potential looking at storms currently. Looking on the right side of the Stuve diagram you can see how the wind shifts direction from the south east to the west as the weather balloon climbed higher into the atmosphere. 

This image is from Accuweather. It helps to show the overall outlook of the U.S. currently and shows that the jet stream is sitting relatively high across Canada. We can expect mild temperatures to remain throughout the week while the south is expecting precipitation. 

This image helps to show the ridge I was talking about across the Dakota's. You can see to the eastern part of the fronts how the winds are being swept from the south and east northward, while the winds to the western side of the front are being pushed down from the north. With the winds coming from the north on the western side, we can expect temperatures to drop some moving into the weekend with the potential of precipitation. 

Friday April 10th, 2015, 7:20 pm
Temperature: 55 F
Feels like: 55 F
Wind: WNW 13 mph
Humidity: 40%
Pressure: 30.00 in

Today started off with overcast skies. We saw some precipitation scattered throughout the area. As those clouds cleared out we saw temperatures raise into the 50's for most of the day. Some cumulous clouds rolled into the area as the afternoon progressed and again pushed out as the sun burned them up right before night.

You can see that the midwest is in a high pressure system. It is also carrying a cold front along with it. The high pressure system is carrying wind in a clockwise direction with the center of it on the southern part of Minnesota. We can expect these winds to remain the same as this high pressure system moves to the west. 

This is a picture of the current wind direction. You can see the stationary front pictured above that is over the Dakota's. You can leo see that much of the wind coming into Wisconsin is coming from the west northwest. 

Wednesday April 8th, 2015, 7 pm
Temperature: 45 F
Feels like: 37 F
Wind: E 15 mph
Humidity: 72%
Pressure: 29.95 in

Today again was a gloomy day on the Eau Claire campus. We didn't experience any precipitation but did with the humidity so high everything had a sense of dampness to it. We saw low stratus clouds all day and the wind was coming out of the east most of the day. Although the wind is out of the east there is a storm front to the west that is moving into the area this evening. We can expect it to bring rain and wind, and that will carry into tomorrow.

This radar shows the storm front that I was talking about that is over North Dakota right now. There is also a small rain system that is at the western side of Minnesota. We can expect rain tonight and the bigger brother system over the Dakota's to bring rain and potentially sleet. 

Streaming from yesterday, the stationary front that was from Illinois into the east is still there. We did see some precipitation form to the southern side of that stationary front over Ohio currently. You can see two troughs to the western part of the picture coming off the Rocky Mountains. There is also a cold front that is just below Colorado that is making its way westward. We can expect temperatures to stay relatively the same for the next few days, but a warm up is on the horizon staring next week. 

Tuesday April 7th, 2015, 9:15 pm
Temperature: 39 F
Feels like: 36 F
Wind: NE 7 mph
Humidity:72%
Pressure: 30.10 in

Today was overal a gloomy day on the Eau Claire Campus. The PMA was low today on campus after the badgers lost in the national championship game last night and we experienced rain for a majority of the day. Although it rained most of the day we only received 1 inch of precipitation.  The wind today was out of the northeast for most of the day and really didn't play a factor as it was under 10mph.

This is the current radar for Wisconsin and Minnesota. You can see a large rain system as it is making its way out of the area and into the eastern part of Wisconsin. You can also see that some of northern Wisconsin experienced snow and sleet today. 

Again you can see the rain systems that made their way through Wisconsin and Minnesota in this radar. There is potential for the Eau Claire area to see some more rain in a few hours tonight. There is a large stationary front that is running through Illinois out to the east coast. There is a warm front making its way north as a cold front is dipping into the south by the four corners. 

Thursday, April 2nd, 2015, 4:25 pm
Temperature: 64 F
Feels like: 64 F
Wind: W 21 mph
Pressure: 29.71 in
Humidity: 17%

Today overall has been a nice day in the Chippewa Valley area. The sun has been out and we have experienced temperatures in the mid 60's. The morning started out with altostratus clouds with a breeze of around 10 mph out of the west. As the afternoon continued we saw cumulus humilis clouds roll into the area. The wind picked up to 20 mph and saw gusts close to 30 mph. The wind continued out of the west also. As the afternoon will turn to evening, we can expect much of the same. The wind however will die down some into the night.

As you look at the current radar, you can see the cold front from yesterday has now pushed through the area. Although that cold front has left the area, there is another cold front coming in behind it. There is also a low pressure system that is sitting to the north just into Canada. This cold pressure system will continue to be pushed southward by the wind. Another thing to note is the low pressure system is sitting with some precipitation. We may see this precipitin as the winds will be swirling in a counter clockwise direction, bring the precipitin down into Wisconsin and Minnesota. Over the great plains currently we can see a stationary front that is in a low pressure system. This system also has some precipitation which will hit the area early next week. We should keep an eye on this as it is predicted that we see snow on monday morning. 

This is the stuve diagram from the Minneapolis weather station. You can see that we did almost experience rain as the precipitation almost went into the temperature column. Both the LI and KI index's are sitting at very stable also, so we won't see any precipitation the rest of the evening in Eau Claire. You can see from the flags on the right side that the wind has been consistently coming from the western direction and the start of the troposphere was around 12,000 meters. 

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015, 8:30 pm
Temperature: 72 F
Feels like: 72 F
Wind: SSW 15 mph Gusts 23 mph
Humidity: 22%
Pressure: 29.55 in

The weather today really fit into the whole April fools joke. We experienced a heat wave it felt like in the Chippewa Valley as temperatures went well into the 70's today. Although it was very nice out today, we will now see how mother nature is going to play a very good April fools joke on us as we will see a cool down and potential snow on Monday. We started the morning out with some altostratus clouds in the sky and a light breeze. As the afternoon continued, the clouds dispersed to a clear sky and the winds picked up out of the south. Like I said yesterday, the southern winds have brought the warmer temperatures as is pushed a warm front into the area. As the afternoon turned into evening we saw high cirrus clouds to bring in the evening and gusts of winds into the teens.

As you can see from the current radar above, there will be a rapid change in temperature starting tomorrow as we will experience a cool down again. Currently there is a warm front over Wisconsin, that is being pushed with a southern wind. You can also see precipitation that we will get later tonight that is currently over the cities right now. The reason for the precipitation is a cold front that is following this warm front. There is also a low pressure system sitting above the cold front. This cold front will bring northwestern winds with it. This is interesting compared to the normal radars we have been seeing lately. Although it is fun to write about these crazy changes that are going to occur so vastly, I would take 70 degree weather over this cool down. 

This last picture is off the dew point over the Wisconsin area. You can see were the precipitin is currently at as it is highlighted in the brighter green area. It is currently over the cities right now and will make its way to Eau Claire as the night continues. This weather is being pushed by that cold low pressure system front. Eau Claire is currently at 22% humidity, so you see that we are in the lighter green area. This will change as the night continues. I also think that we may see a dense layer of fog with the precipitation rolling into the area over the night.