The Storm.

Current Conditions:

Temperatures: 36º F
Wind Chill: 29º F
Wind: 10 MPH E
Dew Point: 32º F
Precipitation: It's coming down hard as we speak!

The storm has begun! The snow is falling like crazy currently. I tried to get a good picture, but it didn't turn out the best. Expect a picture of the snow fall as the night goes on. There are several mighty factors that are fueling this massive snow storm. They include a powerful low pressure system, vast amounts of water vapor, and the polar jet stream. There are several other factors fueling this process that I will talk about as we progress further into today's post. The temperature is still very high for the time being as the low pressure system pulls air from the south and west into our region. We are projected to get around 12 inches of snow over the next day which is truly incredible. The University has already closed night classes and depending on how long the snow lasts it could potentially close tomorrow as well. Below is an image of the current temperatures in the Midwest.

Image 1: The image above shows the temperature in the Midwest. 

The two images below show what is currently happening in the Wisconsin skies. Image 2 shows the water vapor index and its current conditions in the eastern United States. There is a massive amount of vapor sitting over Wisconsin and Minnesota currently. It's somewhat difficult to see in the image but the vapor is moving with the low pressure system and rotating counterclockwise over the two states. Image 3 below is an image showing the currently wind direction and strength over the Midwest. The image shows the distinct pattern that is associated with a low pressure system. Between the low pressure, winds and vapor the snow storm is going crazy right now.

Image 2: The image above is provided by the GOES satellite and shows the amount of water vapor in the clouds.

Image 3: The above image shows wind direction and speed in the Midwest. There are very high winds across the Dakotas and Nebraska.

The image below shows the radar conditions of the Midwest weather at its current state. The image shows where the areas of difference in precipitation has occurred. Eau Claire is currently somewhere in the snow to ice range, however in the last few minutes the snow has become much larger. We have near white out conditions.

Image 4: The image above is provided by noaa.com and shows the different types of precipitation in the Midwest. 

Image 5: This image was provided by The Weather Channel and shows radar data, pressure systems, front and isobar lines. There is a massive low pressure system over the Midwest which is wreaking a snowy havoc. 

While today is snowy and wet I think that tomorrow we will start to experience cold weathers. As the low pressure moves out of our region and as the jet stream dips back down over the Midwest the temperatures should drop which will create an icy landscape. The weather over the weekend should be near to miserable as the temperatures dip back into the negatives and the winds increase in speed as high pressure systems develop in our region. Good luck driving tonight and look for an update tomorrow!