The remainder of yesterday did consist of scattered snow showers and freezing rain, with a total accumulation of 0.8 inches of snow. So there was a little less snow accumulation than predicted, but still a notable amount. Temperatures have held constant from yesterday into today, with temperatures in the low to mid twenties. The winter weather advisory for Eau Claire County is still in effect until noon today.
Current Conditions:
Temperature: 22°F Feels Like: 14°F
Humidity: 85%
Wind Conditions: W 6 mph
Precipitation: 20%
Sky Conditions: cloudy with few flurries
Visibility: 8.0 miles
Today in Eau Claire there are cloudy overcast skies with a slight chance of
freezing drizzle before noon. Today will
be cloudy with highs near 29. There will
be a westward wind of between 5 to 10 mph. Across the U.S. right now there is a mid latitude cyclone stretching from the northern to the southern border. This can be seen in Figure 1. There is a huge series of weak lows cutting across the United States. This makes up a stationary front with cooler air masses to the north and warmer air masses to the south. This front is occurring due to a dip in the jet stream leading to a trough in the western portion of the U.S. This can be seen in Figure 2. The
pattern of the jet stream is dipping south bringing cold air into the western
U.S. area. Also the jet stream is
pulling moist warm air from the south pacific to the Midwest. This moist southern air being pulled up to the Midwest is leading to weather events of snow and rain in the Midwest. Figure 3 shows the line of water vapor coming off of the southern pacific and
following the path of the jet stream heading northeast. Lastly, the path of the jet stream and the stationary front is leading to a divide in temperatures shown in Figure 4. There are warm temperatures present to the south of the front and jet stream path and cold temperatures to the north. The jet stream is playing a big effect in the weather across the U.S. today.
Figure 1. Surface map of the United States for today.
Figure 2. The current jet stream pattern across the United States.
Figure 3. Water vapor patterns across the U.S. today.
Figure 4. Map of the temperatures across the U.S. today.
Tomorrow's Forecast:
I believe the weather conditions currently being experienced in Eau Claire will hold for the rest of the day, with the possibility of more snow and precipitation events, a freezing drizzle is likely.
Today is National Love Your Pet Day! Make sure to give the creature in your life some extra love today! And remember pets are bundles of love wrapped in fur!
