Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Current Conditions:

Temperature: 32° F
Wind Chill: 26° F
Wind: 6 mph E
Dew Point: 27° F
Precipitation: None
Pressure: 1020.4 mb

Yesterday was a very nice, but nothing compared to Monday. The temperature lingered around 50° in the afternoon where it dropped into the 30's as the night came. The day was plagued by strong gusting winds which dropped the temperature down even further. While the skies were mostly clear and the sun was out, the temperature was greatly affected by the gusting winds. With how this week is shaping up it seems that yesterday would be a godsend for the weekend.

Image 1: This accuweather image shows the forecast for next week's conditions based on the movement of the wall of low pressure systems that are making their way eastward. There should be storms all along the east coast and Midwest.

Image 2: The image above shows pressure systems, fronts, radar data, and isobar lines. The string of low pressure systems that is traveling eastward is bringing terrible storms with it. Along the cold front is a warm frontal arm reaching out which, when mixing with the cold fronts air is creating storms. The northern edge of the frontal line is now a occluded front as well which is typical of storm creating weather patterns.

Image 3: The weather sounding shown here was taken from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The sounding shows the temperature and dew point never reaching each other, but the yellow air parcel line touching the temperature in the lower mb's. I expect to see rain later in the day but it should become relatively cooler today before then.

Image 4: This UNISYS image shows wind direction, wind speed and cloud cover in the Midwest. Eau Claire is experiencing little to no wind currently with gusts from the east. The skies are also clear. This will most definitely change as the low pressure systems move into our region and the storms begin. Look for stronger winds in the teens coming out of the south or southwest. The sky will be filled nimbus clouds.

I predict that today will be very cold compared to the past few. The temperature should stay low for most of the day while conditions become worse. As the low pressure systems that are riding the cold front reach our neck of the woods there will be a shift in the winds and a mixing of cold and warm air. This should cause rain in the later hours of the day and also proceeding into tomorrow. Get your ponchos and rain boots ready!