Cold Again!

Current Conditions:

Temperature: 12º F
Wind Chill: -5º F
Wind: 16 MPH SW
Dew Point: 2º F
Precipitation: None

Greetings and welcome back to the tundra! The temperatures have dropped ferociously over the past few days and the wind chill today is no different. The snow has been blowing all day long with the strong winds and the skies have become overcast. The snow on the roads and sidewalks has been melting slightly during the day, but becoming ice at night. It is treacherous just to walk outside of your front door. The hope for spring coming soon has been diminished by the polar jet stream, but there is still a chance that it could begin to warm up by the end of March.

Image 1: Above is a UNISYS wind map of the Midwest. Wisconsin is experiencing strong winds out of the south west. The trend of winds in the image appears to be moving in a counterclockwise rotation which indicates that a low pressure system is present.

If the low pressure system from image 1 above stays in its current space now and further develops then there is a slight chance that it may snow in the next few days. The winds have been so high that our wind chill temperatures have been dipping quite low. The winds may be coming out of the SW but they are chilling in our cold air mass. The Image below shows the jet stream at its current state which also shows why the temperatures have been so cold lately.

Image 2: The above UNISYS image shows the current polar jet streams path of travel. The jet stream is still dipping down across the Midwest which is keeping chilly air over our region.

Image 3: The NOAA image above shows the temperature gradient across the Midwest. Parts of Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota are experiencing polar temperatures.

I predict that the weather tomorrow will be cold once again and if the low pressure system to our north dissipates then the skies should be once again clear. The temperature should be very low with wind chills in the negative 20's. Image 4 below shows the incoming high pressure which should clear the skies again and drop the temperatures even more. It should once again be very windy tomorrow with winds traveling in the teens (miles per hour). There is snow to the north of us currently, but there shouldn't be any in Eau Claire tonight or tomorrow.

Image 4: The above image shows radar data and pressure systems across the continental United States. There is currently a low front over the Midwest with a high front moving in behind it.