The remainder of Saturday did remain cold and the snow began earlier than predicted. Flurries began to fall from the sky at about 1 pm and continued continuously through the night into today. It has been snowing almost continuously this morning. There was a total accumulation of 3.7 inches of snow yesterday, which is a little less than the minimum predicted snowfall of 4 inches.
Current Conditions:
Temperature: 30°F Feels Like: 19°F
Humidity: 79%
Wind Conditions: NE 15 mph
Precipitation: 40%
Sky Conditions: overcast
Visibility: 8.0 miles
Today in Eau Claire it is cold with temperatures right around freezing and there has been a continued light snowfall this morning. Northeastern winds continue through today, which typically bring large snow storms that dump snow on the Eau Claire area, but the occluded front seen in Figure 1 in southern Wisconsin is cutting off the moisture supply to the storm leading to no large snowfall. In the water vapor map in Figure 2 shows the the occluded front is keeping moisture masses to the south of Eau Claire so the moist air masses can not feed the snow storm in our area. The winter storm passing over Eau Claire is mostly over, with the worst snow and wind behind us. Clouds will remain in the area for the rest of today as this low pressure system moves out of the area and a large upper low pressure moves into the area.
Figure 1. Surface map of the United States for today.
Figure 2. Water vapor map of the United States for today.
The Eau Claire area is currently experiencing cold, snowy, overcast weather conditions and I expect these to continue into tomorrow, except for the snow which I expect to taper off this early afternoon. I expect the winds to continue to be between 12 to 20 mph and temperatures to remain in the twenties and thirties. I expect drier air to move in overnight and I expect Wednesday to be windy and partly sunny.
Daily National Holiday:
Today is National Oreo Cookie Day! A day to enjoy those delicious black and white sandwich cookie! Whether you prefer the frosting or the cookie part be sure to eat one to celebrate!
