2/13/12

And the grammy goes to....

BON IVER!!!!

before we get into the weather, a congratulations is in order for Eau Claire native Justin Vernon and his band who won the Grammy for best new artist!!  The name Bon Iver is french for "beautiful winter"... something that Eau Claire has seemed to somewhat miss out on this year... until today!

We had our first snowfall in awhile!  Thanks to the moisture in the air, alto stratus clouds were present throughout the day and allowed for conditions to be just right for the perfect snowfall.  The high today was 28 degrees and the winds were coming out of the southwest at around 5 to 10 mph.  The snowfall lasted from about 4-6 p.m. and accumulated just under an inch of snow.  There radar shows a few snow showers to come later in the night, but it should clear up by tomorrow.

The southern wind will continue to bring warm temperatures throughout the week.  Expect highs in the mid thirties tomorrow with partly cloudy skies.

http://youtu.be/0KrmxavLIRM?hd=1

2/12/12

A low pressure system is coming in from the west bringing with it the possibility of snow showers.  Today the high was 28 degrees with clear skies.  Tonight's low should drop down to about 6 degrees.  The wind is calm and the stars are out!

Elsewhere in the nation, snow and ice will be covering the southern part of the country.  States wrapped up in the this high pressure belt include Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas.

2/11/12

Sunny skies for the surrounding Eau Claire area for the entire day today!  The crisp winter winds were blowing at around 8 MPH from the WNW.  The high for today was 19 degrees, although the wind made it feel much chillier!  Tonight expect temperatures to drop back down to single digits, hovering around zero for the rest of the evening.  Tomorrow expect low temperatures and clear skies again!

2/10/12

Brrr! It was a really chilly day outside today.  High were in the high teens, lows tonight will be near zero.  The continental polar air mass from Canada is continuing to move in and will affect weather throughout the weekend.  Slight snowfall this morning but no accumulation.  Expect no more percipitation for tonight but looks like possible snow flurries Saturday afternoon when the westerly winds bring in the high pressure system from the west.

2/9/12

This morning we had clear skies and temperatures were around 18 degrees.  The high today was 33 degrees... better savor it while it last because we are getting hit with a high pressure system throughout the weekend that will bring about frigid temperatures!  Temperatures are expected to be in the teens throughout the weekend dropping into the negatives at night. The clear skies are helping the warm air escape faster making for some chilly nights.  The winds are coming in from the NW at 22 mph, bringing in the continental polar air mass with it.  Bundle up if you are planning on being outside!!

Links Page/Post

http://weather.unisys.com/index.php

I like Unisys general weather map because it is simple and easy to read.  It shows where the high pressure systems are located as well as the low pressure systems.  It also gives the viewer an idea of what is going on throughout the country by adding in some satelite data showing cloud coverage.

http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sfc_map.php?inv=0&t=cur&region=us&expanddiv=hide_bar

This next map is also from Unisys, although this map shows much greater detail because it is a surface map.  Of all the maps I think this one is my favorite if I want to have the most descriptive map.  At times it can get confusing to read, but if you take it section by section, interpretting the data is not as overwhelming.  On this map you can see the high and low pressure systems as well as temperature, barometric pressure readings, wind movement, cloud coverage, and percipitation.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/national/satellite-ir

This map is a satelite image of the United States from Accuweather.  I like this map a lot because it is easy to tell where the fronts are concentrated on the map by the clouds in each area.  I also like this view because it can show a pattern in the weather and therefore can be used to do a quick forecast for a few days.

http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/conus.php?element=T

This map is from weather.gov and is the typical map that you would see in your Sunday paper.  I like it because it gives a quick overlay of what the temperature looks like throughout the entire United States.  If you know the typical patterns of air masses, you can not only look at the current temperature of your region, but you can look at temperatures that could be expected.

12/8/12

Wake up and smell the... SUNSHINE! Today we have clear skies present throughout Eau Claire without a cloud in sight!  Currently the temperature is 24 degrees, although it feels like 16 due to the 10 mph winds coming from the WSW.

           

The continental polar is coming in from Canada and making its way though the northern states.  No precipitation is likely for the next 24 hours.