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.