Observations for Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Thursday was a much cooler day than what we had been experiencing throughout the week, as most of the day was overcast with light rain and cooler temperatures.  At 3 pm, the temperature was 71 degrees, but because of the overcast weather, it felt cooler and damper than that.  Winds at the time were blowing at about 4 mph from the north, which isn't too bad, and pressure was rising steadily, sitting at 1029.72 mb at the time.  Throughout the next few days, I would expect it to warm up a bit, but mostly I would expect it to clear up as a high pressure system looks to be making it's way towards us.

Observations for Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

It cooled down significantly on Wednesday due to the change in fronts that we experienced and the rain that came through, but that doesn't mean that it was not at all warm.  At 3 pm, the temperature was 71 degrees, with a dew point of 57 degrees and winds blowing from the southeast at 5 mph.  Clouds during the day were pretty strange, meaning that it was clear one hour, and then completely cloudy/raining the next.  The warm weather did not last into the next few days, and it would end up getting much cooler.

Observations for Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Tuesday was much warmer than Monday, as well as clearer, but it was beginning to feel quite a bit muggy, something that I envision to continue over the next few days.  At 3 pm, the temperature was 78 degrees, with clear skies and winds blowing from the east/southeast at 11 mph.  Like I stated earlier, it began to get really muggy out Tuesday, a trend that we will most likely see for the next couple of days until a cold front moves in to cool it down.

Observations for Friday, May 6th, 2011

Today was a mix of nice, clear skies and gloomy clouds.  It seemed as though at some points, it would be quite sunny and warm, and then the next minute, it would be cool, breezy and cloudy.  The temperature at the time of my observations was 57 degrees, and the barometric pressure was 1029.78 mb.  Winds were calm, and skies were mostly cloudy.  The clouds throughout the day made it really seem much cooler than what I would have expected.  If we take a look at the current conditions map below, we can see that the United States is pretty much completely littered with low pressure systems and quite a bit of interestingly spotty precipitation "pods."  I think that within the next two days we might experience some significant rainfall, due to the approaching low pressure system and the stationary/cold front that is looming just north of us.

Observations for Thursday, May 5th, 2011

It's been a pretty mild day outside today, it seems.  I haven't really gotten a chance to go outside and check things out on account of the fact that I've been sick with strep throat, but it has seemed to be really nice out for most of the day.  Looking out my window, I could see that there were quite a few cumulus clouds in the sky during the morning hours, but it seemed to clear up here and there to reveal nice and sunny skies.  The temperature at 3 pm was 50 degrees, much cooler than yesterday's temperature, which was around 62 at the same time.  The barometric pressure has also dropped throughout the day, though it is now steadying off at around 1029 mb.  Overall, it's been a pretty cloudy day, and I would expect that to continue.  I would think that we might get some rain tonight and possibly tomorrow.  

Observations for Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

It looks as though the steady (or consistent) warm-up we've been looking forward to is finally taking place.  At 3 pm on Wednesday, the temperature was a delightful 62 degrees, with clear skies and winds blowing from the south at 13 MPH.  At the time, gust speeds were up to 20 MPH, which made it seem a bit cooler out, but it wasn't that bad.  Throughout the day, the barometric pressure dropped ever-so-slightly, which I found interesting.  It never really dropped enough for me to perceive having worse weather on Thursday except for possibly some more clouds.

Observations for Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Well, it looks like my observations from yesterday are somewhat correct, as it looks like it's beginning to warm up a bit outside (though not enough for me...).  Skies are much clearer due to the predicted high pressure system in the area, and temperatures have increased throughout the morning.  As of 1 pm, the temperature outside is 46 degrees, and winds are blowing from the east at 14 MPH.  The pressure has stayed pretty steady at 1030.27 mb.  Due to the fact that a higher pressure system has moved into the area, I would expect it to stay pretty nice out for the next day or so, but due to winds from the east and northeast, we might see some showers in a couple of days.

P.S. - Check the photos section today for some more cool pictures!!!

Observations for Monday, May 2nd, 2011

At this point, I honestly don't blame the budding trees for getting mixed messages.  This spring (if you can even call it that), it's been decent out one day, and really crappy out the next.  It's really getting annoying.  At the time of my observations here on Monday, the temperature was 35 degrees, though it really felt like 30 with the dew point and the wind chill.  Winds are blowing from the north at 5 MPH, and the pressure is 1030.27 mb.  Since this morning, the pressure has been rising steadily, but not by much.  This might be an indication that we could experience nicer weather tomorrow afternoon or so.  As far as clouds in the sky, it has been pretty darn overcast all day long, with cumulostratus clouds looming overhead.  As stated earlier, I would predict clearer skies tomorrow based on the rising pressure, but temperatures will probably remain less than stellar.  If we check out the map below, we can see a strong amount of thunderstorms currently taking place in the lower midwest and into the southern states, and we can see the clear squall line of thunderstorms to the east of Texas and over Louisiana.

P.S. - Make sure to check the pictures and links tab of my blog soon for some more cool updates!!!!  :D

Observations for Friday, April 29th, 2011

As stated on Thursday, Friday was prepped to be a pretty nice day seeing as the barometric pressure had been rising all day on Thursday.  My thoughts seemed to have been correct, as Friday turned out to be one of the most gorgeous days of the spring so far.  At 3 pm, the temperature was 64 degrees, but winds were blowing pretty strongly from the southeast at 13 MPH.  The southern winds helped to bring warmer air to the region, and the lower pressure helped to give us relatively clear, sunny skies.  Even though today was a nicer day, I still feel like temperatures for this time of year are much lower than usual...  The trees haven't even budded yet, and it's frankly starting to get a bit annoying that they haven't.  It still feels like winter!!!

Observations for Thursday, April 28th, 2011

It's been a rough last few days of weather to say the least, and I think that it's safe to say that Thursday was no exception.  Throughout the day, the barometric pressure rose pretty significantly, but for most of the day, it was pretty crappy out.  At 3 pm, the temperature was 44 degrees, and winds were blowing from the northwest at 9 MPH.  We saw a bit of light rain and snow showers throughout the morning and into the afternoon, and then it remained cloudy for most of the day with a mix of different types of clouds in the sky.  The rising barometric pressure would likely lead to nicer weather and clearer skies in the days to come during the weekend.

Observations for Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Today was yet another cold and cloudy spring day in Eau Claire.  In fact, it really didn't seem like spring at all.  The temperature at the time of my observations was 36 degrees, but with northwest winds at 7 MPH made it feel more like 30 degrees.  In the morning when I woke up, it was drizzling outside, and it really stayed that way for most of the day.  In fact, at one point, I believe it even snowed a bit.  If we take a look at the map below, we can see that the storm that is currently out east is on it's last leg, based on the fact that we can see an occluded front right above Michigan.  Within the next few days, I would expect a high pressure system to move closer to our area, but then I would suspect a low pressure system from the northwest to move in bringing more crappy weather on possibly Sunday or Monday.

Observations for Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Today has been quite dreary to say the least.  The temperature at the time of my observations was a lowly 38 degrees, with little to no winds.  We're fortunate to have the calm winds, as if they were any stronger, it would have felt much cooler outside.  The current pressure is about 1029.54, which is low, but relatively stable.  We've experienced steady rainfall all day, which is partly the reason why I stated that it has been so dreary.  If we take a look at the map below, we can see the current conditions for the upper Mississippi River Valley, which basically shows that we're having quite irregular and cold temperatures for this time of year.

Picture is courtesy of the NOAA.

Observations for Friday, April 22nd and Monday, April 25th

Temperatures from Friday of last week to Monday of this week dropped drastically over the weekend, and the difference was highly noticeable.  On Friday at 3 pm, the temperature was hardly stellar, at around 43 degrees.  Winds were blowing from the east at 15 MPH, which made it feel like it was more like 35 degrees outside.  At that time, it was overcast, which was pretty much the theme throughout the weekend.  Monday, however, was a stark difference.  The rain over the weekend help to usher in a different front, at at 3 pm on Monday, the temperature was a very comfortable 66 degrees.  Winds at the time were blowing from the northeast at 12 MPH, and skies were gorgeous and clear.  The gorgeous weather from Monday has not lasted, unfortunately, and on Tuesday we've experienced quite a bit of rain and much cooler weather.

Observations for Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Today was a pretty mild day outside, with no real significant weather events to talk about.  It was fairly sunny throughout the morning, but it became overcast around noon and stayed that way for most of the rest of the day. On my way to class today, I noticed that there were cirrostratus clouds in the sky, and you could sort of see the ring around the sun that would likely signal some inclement weather on the way.  As we speak, winds are blowing from the southeast at 10 MPH and the temperature is pretty mild at 46 degrees.  In the next few days, as stated earlier, I would think we might see some rain, followed by nicer, warm weather.  A Colorado low is forming currently, which will probably work it's way towards us.

Observations for Tuesday, April 19th and Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Throughout the course of yesterday and today, we've experienced cooler temperatures, overcast skies, and light snow.  I was predicting quite a bit more of precipitation than what we actually got, but I'm not complaining one bit, as most of the snow melted after a few hours of staying on the ground.  At 3 pm on Tuesday, the temperature was about 41 degrees and winds were blowing from the east at 13 MPH.  The east wind signaled inclement weather to come, and like I said earlier, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  Light snow persisted throughout the night, and collected on the ground through this morning.  Today at 3 pm, the temperature was 42 degrees, with winds blowing from the west at 11 MPH.  Skies again at this time were overcast, but the changed wind direction helped to show that our snowy weather was likely on its way out.  For the next few days, we'll probably see a slow warm-up with a day or two of precipitation.

Observations for Monday, April 18th, 2011

Today was a pretty mild day out, with clear skies for most of the day, but strong winds.  When clouds did loom overhead, they seemed to be various types of cumulus clouds.  At the time of my observations, it was 39 degrees outside, with winds blowing from the east/northeast at about 6 MPH.  At this point, one should already point out that whenever winds are coming from the east, it usually signals inclement weather.  This is exactly what I believe will take place within the next day or so.  We'll probably get some snow, and it could be significant amounts.  This is also due to a Colorado low that's moving into the area.

Observations for Thursday, April 14th, 2011 and Friday, April 15th, 2011

Strong winds have pretty much been the theme of the last four days or so, with some gusts reaching over 30 MPH.  On Thursday, the temperature was 44 degrees at 3 pm with variable winds at about 5 MPH, but that speed was not consistent throughout the day, as speeds were easily over 21 MPH earlier in the day.  It's probably important to note that winds were mostly coming from the north/northwest for most of the day.  With the high winds, it really felt about 10 degrees colder on average than the actual temperatures.  On Friday, it was a bit warmer at 3 pm, with temperatures at about 46 degrees, but even stronger winds blowing from the northeast at a whopping 23 MPH.  These extremely strong winds made it feel even colder than the day before, unfortunately.  There was a mix of clouds throughout both days, and we did experience a bit of light snow on Friday afternoon, though it didn't accumulate to much of anything.  The strong winds seem to have continued through the weekend, though it doesn't seem like it's gotten too much colder out.  I would expect a slow warming trend to start within the next week to quell all of the strong winds.

Observations for Tuesday, April 12th and Wednesday, April 13th

I had predicted that yesterday and today were going to be quite a bit cooler than the weekend, and though they were cooler than Sunday, they were by no means as cool as I thought they would be (no pun intended...).  At 4 pm on Tuesday, the temperature was a comfortable 66 degrees with a fairly strong wind coming from the southwest at 12 MPH.  At that time, there really weren't any clouds outside.  At the same time today, the temperature was cooler at 57 degrees with lighter winds coming from the northwest at 4 MPH.  It was pretty overcast today, with mostly cumulostratus clouds hanging in the sky.  We did also experience a bit of precipitation today, but nothing to really fret about.  In the image below, we can see a few low pressure domes out west, which should move their way towards the midwest in the next few days, possibly bringing showers.

Observations for Monday, April 11th, 2011

Today was the first day of the turnaround of weather from the weekend.  With the huge storms this weekend due to clashing warm and cold fronts, I figured that it would most certainly be cooler today, and I was pretty much right.  It was, however, a bit warmer and nicer than I had initially expected.  At 11:30 pm, the temperature was still 43 degrees, with a dew point of 33 degrees and calm winds.  It is also very clear out at the time.  If we look at the US current conditions map, you can see that it's actually pretty calm all across the country, aside from the leftover of storms towards the east.  In the coming days, I would predict that we will continue to experience mild weather with increasing temperatures.

Observations for Thursday, April 7th and Friday, April 8th (With some observations of Sunday's "mega storm")

The conditions on Thursday and Friday were much of the same, with really fair temperatures prevailing and increasing wind speeds throughout each day.  On Thursday at 3:00 pm, the temperature was a comfortable 62 degrees with a dew point temperature of 25 degrees, giving us a relative humidity of 24%.  Winds were growing to their strongest at that part of the day, with speeds of 10 MPH from the south/southeast.  Skies were very clear and present all day.  Friday, as stated earlier, was much of the same.  Skies were clear for most of the day, and at 3:00 pm, the temperature was 62 degrees with winds coming from the east/southeast at 9 MPH.  These really pleasant temperatures were really only a precurser to what was to come during the weekend.  On Saturday night and throughout the day on Sunday, a massive spring storm developed over the midwest that was to produce large amounts of hail, rain, and pretty much everything else imaginable.  Though the storm passed through Eau Claire with little damaged, the same cannot be said for other cities in eastern Wisconsin.  The supercell storm will continue to get stronger as it heads east.

Observations for Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

In Joe Hupy terms, today met the threshold for "nice," with temperatures at the time of my observations a balmy 52 degrees with calm winds.  It was really gorgeous out all day, and only a few clouds hung in the sky.  The dewpoint was 27 degrees.  It looks like I was right in predicting the increasing temperatures throughout the week, and I would expect it to continue.  A recent development that I've been watching is the water level of the Chippewa river.  It seems to be getting pretty high, and the NOAA does a great job of explaining it on their website (link in links tab).

Observations for Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day out, but a bit windy.  At the time of my observations at 9:00, the temperature was still 46 degrees, and the wind had died down.  The dew point was 26 degrees, giving us a relative humidity of about 46%.  There really weren't too many clouds in the sky today, but when there was, they were mostly cirrus clouds or humulocumulus clouds.  The warmer weather is likely due to the fact that the wind speeds have changed direction and are now coming from the south at 6 MPH.  This warm trend will likely continue throughout the next week or so.

Observations for Monday, April 4th, 2011

It was quite hard to get out of bed this morning, as it was incredibly gloomy outside so the sun could not wake me up like most mornings.  Needless to say, it felt like quite the lazy morning.  At the time of this observation, the actual temperature was about 43 degrees with very strong winds blowing from the NNW at 22 MPH sometimes gusting to 31 MPH.  Due to the strong winds, it really didn't feel like it was 43 degrees outside, and it felt more like 30 degrees.  It's also been drizzling here and there, further adding to the cold feeling outside.  If we take a look at today's weather map, we can see that there is a low pressure system almost directly to our northeast, which is likely leading to our gloomy weather.  There's also an extremely strong cold front crossing over the midwest to the northeastern states, with strong storms right ahead of it.  This is interesting to note, because the jet stream is quite similar to the trend on the current weather map.  I would expect it to get very sunny out within the next few days, and warmer temperatures will follow.

Observations for Friday, April 1st, 2011

Friday was yet another day where we experienced more wet snow falling from the sky, which obviously made things quite sloppy outside.  At 4 pm, the temperature was 37 degrees, with winds blowing from the WNW at 11 MPH.  The northwest winds helped bring in the precipitation, and they also helped to bring in really cold winds for most of the day.  It looks like we might experience some off and on precipitation for the next few days, which is unfortunate.  On a side note, check out some of the new photos I took over spring break that are posted under the photos section!

Observations for Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Today was yet another day of warmer spring-ish weather.  Though it wasn't as warm as I would have liked to see at this time of year, it was better than bitter cold temperatures.  At 6 pm, the temperature was still pretty high at 44 degrees, and wind was blowing from the west at 5 MPH.  I would be remiss not to say that this morning when I got up to go to training for work, it was AMAZINGLY cold out...or at least it felt like it.  Temperatures really increased quickly once the sun was high in the sky, and for most of the day, cumulomediocris clouds loomed overhead.  I think that within the next couple of days, we're going to experience some precipitation.  A low front is approaching the state (see map below), and it will likely bring some rain.  If you look out east, the weather currently looks pretty nasty.

Observations for Tuesday, March 29th and Wednesday, March 30th

The warm-up that I've predicted is fortunately taking place after a long six or seven day stretch of snow and rain.  The temperature at 3:00 on Tuesday was about 37 degrees, and winds were blowing from the north at 4.6 MPH.  Skies were very clear, and only a few cirrus clouds loomed overhead.  Overall, it was quite the enjoyable afternoon.  Today was much of the same, but a bit warmer.  The temperature at 3:00 was about 42 degrees, with no wind and very clear skies.  If we take a look at the weather map for today, we can see that there is quite the dominant high pressure system over the upper-midwest, and little wind in most of the area.  The weather is a bit stormier towards the west, but nothing truly significant exists.  I was checking out some weather maps for the current conditions, and came across a really neat water vapor map that illustrates the extreme difference in water vapor amounts out east.  When comparing this to the US current weather map, the water vapor difference probably has something to do with the fact that there are 2 cold fronts almost adjacent to each other in the southeast.

Observations for Monday, March 28th, 2011

After a spring break full full of almost every kind of weather you can imagine, including strong wind, snow, rain, and sunshine, it's back to the grind of the school semester.  Fortunately, the conditions to start off the week are much more favorable for traveling to class, as it's not intensely hailing or dumping 12 inches of snow outside.  I took some pictures of the snowy events from spring break, and I'll be sure to upload them to the Pictures tab of my blog.  Monday was a really decent day outside, but a bit colder than I would have liked.  At the time of my observations, the temperature was about 29 degrees out, with calm winds.  Skies are currently clear, and it's possible to see many stars in the sky.  It would almost seem as if we're experiencing quite the high pressure system in our area, but what's strange is that map data shows a significant low pressure system to the south of us with several storms.  Over the Rocky Mountains, there is a large, consistent stationary front, which is also quite interesting.  I'd be interested to know why there is such a difference between the split of high and low pressure systems right now in the nation to the north and south.  The map below describes my reactions more clearly.  I would predict warmer weather to start to creep in within the next week or so.

Observations for Friday, March 18th, 2011

Well, it looks like my predictions of the warming trend sticking around were just a little off... At 1 pm, the temperature was 36 degrees, with winds blowing from the west/northwest at about 12 MPH.  At that time of the day, the sky was mostly overcast, with stratocumulus clouds looming.  I honestly thought that it might rain/snow at some point of the day due to the conditions at that time, but it actually cleared up.  Instead of clearing up and getting warmer, however, it seemed to get even more blustery and cold.  I would expect it to get warmer and warmer over the next week, but we'll see if I'm right this time... I only say this because it seems like we're getting a lot of warmer winds from the southern states and southeast.

Observations for Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Today was yet another gorgeous day in our continuing streak of spring weather. The temperature is currently 49 degrees and winds are blowing from the west at 10 MPH. Its fairly wet outside, which is probably my only gripe with today's weather.  I stopped by the Carson Park duck pond with my girlfriend, and snapped a few shots with my Android phone, which I've included in this post.  There seemed to be some pretty dominant cirrostratus clouds in the sky for most of the afternoon. I would expect this warmer weather to continue well into next week, but an approaching low front could cause some precipitation.

"It feels like spring has arrived" : Observations for Tuesday, March 15th and Wednesday, March 16th

"It feels like spring has arrived."  That was the main headline on the Weather Channel Website today, and boy does it feel true in Eau Claire.  The last two days have been downright balmy, and it truly feels like spring has arrived in Eau Claire, WI.  On Tuesday at the time of my observations (4 pm), the temperature was steady at about 44 degrees, with winds blowing from the southwest at 10 MPH.  Skies were clear at that time, with no visible cloud cover except for a few wispy cirrus clouds appearing here and there.  We did experience a bit of precipitation towards the evening, but nothing too significant.  Today at around 4 pm, the temperature was even warmer, at about 48 degrees and a light wind blowing from the southeast at about 8 MPH.  Skies at that time were clear as well, with some cirrus clouds filling the sky here and there.  The picture below illustrates how the jet stream is currently dipping down into the Rockies, giving them cooler temperatures in the region.  It's also apparent to see that the high pressure system looming over Florida is pumping warm air up throughout the midwest, which is partially why we're having and will continue to have warm temperatures throughout the next week.

Observations for Monday, March 14th, 2011

Today was yet another very clear day, with few to no clouds in the sky and temperatures at 35 degrees at the time of my observations.  Wind was calm, and there wasn't actually any wind speed at all, which is rare.  The dew point was at 22 degrees, giving us a relative humidity of 70%. Below is an image from weather.com showing the wind gusts throughout the United States, and it's apparent that there are some stronger winds to the west of us that we may experience within the coming days.  I also checked out the water vapor map, and it seems that there is quite a lot of it in the air out towards the west, so I wouldn't be surprised if we experience some precipitation if a low pressure system occurs as well.

Observations for Thursday, March 10th and Friday, March 11th

It looks like temperatures are becoming more and more mild, and it looks like winter is finally on it's slow way out (thank God).  On Thursday, temperatures at around 3 were at about 37 degrees, with winds blowing from the northwest at 7 MPH.  For most of the day, there didn't seem to be any cloud cover, and it was clear.  This is likely due to the high pressure system in the area.  Friday was much of the same, but a notable thing about the day was the freezing fog in the morning.  This only persisted in the early morning, so I was not able to distinguish what type of fog it was, though I'm guessing it was due to the condensation of all of the snow on the ground.  For most of the afternoon, skies were clear, and the temperature at 4 was 40 degrees.  Wind speed at the same time was quite significant, however, blowing from the southeast at 15 MPH.  I believe that it will continue to get warmer, as I have predicted, but we might see a low pressure system move in and bring some precipitation within the next week.

Observations for Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Today, I was happy to see that the precipitation that I predicted was actually dumped upon us, and though it may not have seemed so, in relatively decent amounts.  Because temperatures were so warm today (upwards of 40 degrees), the snow that fell from the sky almost immediately turned into a nasty slush when it hit the ground or even before it did, which made things quite messy.  Temperatures around 10:20 were steady at about 32 degrees, and winds were blowing from the northwest at about 12 MPH.  The dew point was about 25 degrees, giving us a relative humidity of 69%.  Based on the current conditions map posted below, I believe that we have seen an end to precipitation for at least a little while, and I would predict temperatures to steadily drop, probably by about ten degrees in the next couple of days.  This is due to a high pressure system that will likely be moving into our area.  I also expect some clearer skies with more sun.  

Observations for Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Today was a very nice day out.  At the time  of my observations, the temperature was about 39 degrees with winds blowing from the south at about 7 MPH.  The winter weather watch that I had documented yesterday has been taken down to a winter weather advisory until 6 on Wednesday. Though it was mostly an overcast day, there were some times in the morning where the sun managed to peak through the clouds.  I would predict that due to the conditions that I mentioned today (overcast skies, warm weather) and the water vapor I mentioned yesterday, we can expect quite the snowfall in the next couple of days.

Observations for Monday, March 7th, 2011

Today was fairly mild outzide, with temperatures at the time of my observations steady at about 31st degrees, and winds blowing from the northeast at about 2nd mph. Though I don't remember exactly what types of clouds hung in the sky, I do know that it was rather overcast for most of the day. It seems as though we are experiencing quite the low pressure system right now, and with the amount of water pressure in the air, I would expect some strong snow headed out way. Currently, there has been a severe winter storm watch issued for the Eau Claire area.

Observations for Friday, March 4th, 2011

Today was pretty much entirely overcast, with some type of stratus cloud (I'm not sure which kind) looming over us in the sky.  At the time of my observations, the temperature was actually pretty warm at 30  degrees, with winds blowing from the northwest at 12 MPH.  We experienced a bit of precipitation today, but nothing really significant to what we've had in the past few weeks.  In the next few days, it looks like a high pressure system looks to be moving in, which will probably bring a drop in temperature and clearer skies.

Observations for Wednesday, March 2nd and Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

I have been out sick the last couple of days, so I haven't been able to get to doing my blog (sorry!), but here are my observations for both of those days.  On Wednesday, March 2nd, temperatures were pretty cold at about 12 degrees at 3 p.m., with winds blowing from the north at 6 MPH.  There wasn't any precipitation, as it was quite sunny out.  On Thursday, it began to warm up a bit more, with temperatures at 28 degrees at 3 p.m.  Winds were blowing about 8 MPH, but we also experienced some snow because of a low pressure system that had moved over us.  Cumulostratus clouds covered the skies, signifying a gloomy day with off and on precipitation.  Within the next few days, I would expect the warmer weather to continue because of winds coming from the south, with some precipitation mixed in as well.

Observations for Monday, March 1st, 2011

Today is quite the sunny day outside.  With a few cumulocirrus clouds in the sky, the sun was able to shine through, and it's fairly warm outside as well.  The temperature at 2:00 p.m. was 38 degrees, with winds coming from the west at 12 MPH.  The dew point was steady at about 29 degrees, giving us a relative humidity of 57%.  I had stated in the past few days that I foresaw a warm-up, and it looks like I was right.  However, in the next few days, I would expect it to get a bit colder, due to the fact that a cold front is moving in from the northwest.

Observations for Monday, February 28th, 2011

Today is quite the clear day outside, with no visible clouds as far as I can see at the time of my observations.  Temperatures at about noon were sitting at 16 degrees, with a slight wind blowing from the southwest at 3 MPH.  The clear skies and colder weather are likely due to the fact that we have a high pressure dome looming over us, but I wouldn't expect it to last long.  It looks as though a low pressure system is approaching from the NW (see picture below), and it will probably bring warmer weather, but possible precipitation.  

Observations for Friday, February 26th, 2011

Looks like the colder weather I predicted coming from the north has finally started to hit us.  At my observations, the temperatures were at about 15 degrees, with winds blowing from the norhtwest.  The high pressure system produced light cloud cover, making it quite sunny outside.  I would predict that in the next few days, it will continue to stay quite cold, but we might see some more cloud cover, with some snow showers within the next week.  I say this based on the weather pattern we've been seeing lately.

Observations for Thursday, February 24th, 2011

This morning started out quite cloudy, and then began to clear up by early afternoon.  Temperatures at the time of my observations were at about 25 degrees, with a wind blowing from the north at 9 MPH.  Towards the end of the day, clouds began to gather again and it became quite overcast outside.  Based on our lecture in class today, I would have to say that they were a type of stratus cloud, based on the blanket-like structure of them.   It was also fairly dry at the time of my observations as well, as seen in the water vapor map below.  You can see the large areas of green where the low pressure system is moving through, and the clearer areas are where cold fronts are moving through with little wind.

Observations for Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Today was yet another cloudy, mild day in Eau Claire, with temperatures sitting at about 32 degrees when I went out to do my observations.  Winds were blowing from the southwest at 5 MPH, so it was fairly calm outside.  Right about now, we're at the center of a low pressure system, which is likely the reason for all of the clouds and the warmer temperatures.  It looks like a cold front is moving in, however, so I would have to expect colder temperatures throughout the next 3 or 4 days.

Here's the map of the weather conditions right now:

Observations for Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

Today was actually quite mild, despite my thoughts that there was a chance of it being bitter cold, seeing as it's been that way after almost every snow storm we've had recently.  At the time of my observations, the temperature was 24 degrees with a decently powerful wind blowing from the south at 12 MPH.  The dew point was at 16 degrees, giving us a dew point of 66%, which isn't too significant.  I went on to accuweather.com to check out a satellite image of the cloud cover in our are, and i was surprised to see the colder weather approaching in the west.  Due to this picture, I would likely assume that within the next few days, we'll probably see some colder weather than what we've seen today.

Observations for Monday, February 22nd, 2011

This last weekends snowfall was way too remeniscent of the 22 inch snowfall Eau Claire received in December of 2010...(see video in "Videos" section).  Temperatures at the time of my observations were not too bad at about 19 degrees, and winds were blowing from the northeast at about 8 MPH.  Dew point was at about 10 degrees, and the winds are still continuing to cause drifts to build almost everywhere.  Tomorrow I would expect to see even more blowing and cooler temperatures to come due to somewhat of a higher pressure system affecting us.

Observations for Friday, February 18th, 2011

Today was certainly a LOT colder than it has been during our warm streak.  It was also very windy outside.  At the time of by observations, the temperature was at 16 degrees, but with the 11 MPH winds coming from the northwest, it really felt like 3 degrees.  Though skies are clear, I would predict that we might see some inclement weather within the next two or three days or so because of the front that's coming through.

Observations for Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Today was probably one of the warmest days that we've had all winter.  At the time of my observations, temperatures were at 39 degrees, but for most of the day they were close to 50.  Winds were blowing from the west at about 17 MPH, making it a little gustier that yesterday.  There was also a significant amout of fog in the air today as well, likely because of the snow melting and evaporating due to the warm air.  I would expect the warming trend to end soon, mainly because of the overcast days we've been experiencing and the lower pressure system that's moving through now.

Observations for Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Today was one of the nicest days that I've seen in awhile as far as weather goes.  Temperatures at the time of my observations were steady at about 42 degrees, with light winds blowing from the southeast at 6 MPH.  Dew point was at about 25 degrees, and pressure was at 1029.7.  I would expect this warmer trend to continue over the next couple of days while the winds continue to blow from the south, but then it will unfortunately get colder again.

Observations for Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Stepping outside for my observations tonight, it was surprisingly mild, yet cloudy.  It's really starting to feel like spring outside, at 38 degrees with winds blowing from the south at 8 mph.  Dew point was at 28 degrees.  It was also quite dry out today, and at the end of this blog post I'll post a picture from accuweather.com of the colored water vapor satellite image for today that shows how little water vapor is in the air around Eau Claire.  So far, I've been correct with my predictions of warmer weather, and it seems like it will continue with warmer winds continuing to blow from the south.

Here's the image I mentioned above:

Looks like the link for the picture didn't work...here's a link to the page on accuweather.com:

http://www.accuweather.com/us/satellite/wv/un/satellite.asp

Observations for Monday, February 14th, 2011

Well, it was certainly nice to see a significant warm-up over the last weekend.  The warm-up lasted through today as well, and since a high pressure system is lurking over us, skies were clear and it was quite pleasant out.  I did notice that there were significantly higher winds this weekend and today, however, and that is likely due to the fact that we were near the center of the high pressure system.  Winds are currently blowing from the northwest at 7 mph, and the temperature is a steady 23 degrees.  Not only would the northwest winds likely describe the warmer weather, but I believe that the current pattern of the jet stream describes it more.  I'm glad that my weather predictions from last week were at least slightly correct... in the coming days, I would expect more warm weather, but eventually a low pressure system will move in with some precipitation.

The picture below illustrates the path of the jet stream and the warm weather coming from it:

Observations for Friday, February 11th, 2011

Looks like I'm finally seeing my weather predictions for this week start to pan out!  Today was definitely a bit warmer than it has been, with temperatures at the time of my observations around 21 degrees.  Winds are fairly light, blowing at about 3 MPH from the southwest.  The dew point is also at 21 degrees, meaning that there is 100 percent humidity outside, something I thought was important to note.  This might be linked to the fact that we had some snow fall earlier.  It seems to be a bit warmer in the southwest where the winds are blowing from, so I would expect this warming trend to continue over the next few days.

Observations for Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Though today was feeling a bit warmer outside than the last few days, it was still extremely cold when I went out to do my observations today.  Temperatures at the time of my observations were at a balmy (haha...) -1 degrees, with winds blowing from the southwest at 4 mph, which is nice, because if the winds were blowing any harder, it would feel much colder out.  Skies are quite clear, which clearly contributes to why it is so cold out.  There is no cloud "blanket" over the earth to help keep warmer air from escaping into the atmosphere.  The last few days, I have been predicting a warming trend, and I still do predict that, though it's coming a lot slower than what I thought it would be.  In the map below, you can see a low pressure system moving into the area, which is why I believe that we might see a warming trend within the next few days.

Observations for Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Today was about the same as the last few days...cold and sunny.  Temperatures at the time of my observations were about 0 degrees, though it felt a heck of a lot colder than that. Winds are currently blowing from the southwest at about 9 mph, and the high pressure system still seems to be in effect. The warmer weather seems to be coming a little bit slower than I had expected, though I still have faith that it's coming in the next week.

Observations for Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Well, yesterday I had said that I thought it might get quite a bit colder before it got warmer, and boy was I right.  Today was absolutely freezing out, with completely clear skies and no clouds.  This is due to the fact that there is a high pressure system near us.  The temperature at the time of my observations was -2 degrees, but it really feels like -20 out.  Winds are currently blowing from the southwest at 13 mph, so I still have to stand by yesterdays prediction that it will likely get warmer out within the next week.

Observations for Monday, February 7th, 2011

This morning I left my house in Green Bay to come back to Eau Claire at 5:45 a.m., and at that point I already knew that it was going to be a pretty cloudy day with likely precipitation.  This was because of the fact that winds are blowing from the northwest, and a low pressure system/cold front is moving into the area (see graphic below).  As I neared Eau Claire, I hit quite the patch of snow, and visibility was quite low at the time.  The day went on, and the snow cleared up, and at the time of my observations at about 5 p.m., it was about 11 degrees out with winds still blowing from the northwest at 10 mph.  In the next few days, I would predict temperatures to grow colder, then steadily rise due to the low pressure system, but we may see a bit of precipitation mixed in there as well.  

Here's a map from weather.com depicting the current weather conditions in the U.S.:

Observations for Friday, February 4th, 2011

Today was certainly a lot warmer than what it has been within the last four days.  When I went out to do my observations, it was about fifteen degrees, with winds blowing from the southwest.  The warmer weather is likely due to the fact that winds are blowing from the south, and moderately clear skies are due to the high pressure system that is still slightly lingering.  I would predict some more cloud cover within the next few days, as it looks like a low pressure system is moving in.  I might say that we might get a bit of precipitation as well.

Observations for Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Today was another cold day here in Eau Claire.  Temperatures at the time of my observations were around 16 degrees, but it really felt like it was 0 degrees outside.  Today in class, we talked about how the high pressure air mass is basically right on Eau Claire, which would explain why there are still almost no clouds and sunny skies.  Winds are still blowing from the southwest like yesterday, however, which probably means that temperatures within the next few days will start to warm up.

Observations for Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Today was an extremely bright day, with very little cloud cover throughout the day.  This is likely because of the fact that a high pressure system has moved into our region of the midwest, which typically makes for less cloud cover.  It was also extremely cold out today, a frigid 2 degrees at the time of my observations.  Winds have switched directions from the previous few days, and are now blowing from the southwest.  I would likely predict that since winds are now coming from the south, we will likely see a temperature increase within the next few days, but the high pressure system will probably stick around, causing clear skies for the time being.

Observations for Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Well, if you got a chance to take a walk outside today, you'd certainly be able to tell that it's quite cold out there.  I just got in from doing my observations, and temperatures seem to continue to be dropping.  During the day, the sky seemed to be covered almost completely with clouds, but this seems to have reduced significantly, and it's quite clear out now.  Today in class, we began discussing cloud cover and pressure systems, and we learned that when a high pressure system moves in (which it currently is), there is less cloud cover, which leads to colder air.  The temperature outside is at 15 degrees with winds blowing from the northeast at about twelve miles an hour.  As I stated earlier, since a high pressure system will be moving in within the next couple of days, I expect temperatures to drop significantly.  There's a pretty nasty snowstorm hitting the lower parts of Wisconsin and the midwest, and I've been trying to keep track of that as much as I can, seeing as I have family living in the Green Bay area.

Below is a map of the current weather system moving through the midwest that helps to illustrate the low pressure system bringing in the huge midwest storm that cities like Chicago and Milwaukee are experience right now.

Observations for Monday, January 31st, 2011

To say the least, today proved to be quite...wintery.  As I walked through campus today, it certainly proved to be a chore.  Snow flurries persisted throughout the day, and were still significant when I went out to do my observations tonight.  Since it was snowing so much, there was significant cloud cover, and it was difficult to even see the sun peeking through.  By my estimates, the wind seemed to be blowing from the north, and after further consultation from my favorite weather website, www.weather.com, I was only slightly off, with winds blowing NE at 8mph.  My favorite weather website (I'll put a link in the "links" section of my blog), also said it was 17 degrees.  I would have to estimate that the snow we are getting tonight will likely continue throughout tomorrow, probably fading out tomorrow evening.