February 19, 2018

A Wintry Mix

Current Conditions

Temperature: 23 degrees, feels like 11 degrees
Dew Point: 22 degrees
Winds: NE 9 mph
Pressure: 1010.8 mb
Visibility: 1 mile

This morning started out at 29 degrees and the temperature only dropped after that. Winds were out of the NNE at 10 mph and the sky was overcast. These conditions continued until 11:00 AM when a snow/sleet mix began to fall. At noon the temperature dropped to 25 degrees and winds picked up to 13 mph. The snow and sleet transitioned to rain late this afternoon and slowed to a drizzle by 5:00 PM. Despite the temperature dropping, it was still mild outside compared to a couple weeks ago (figure 1).

Figure 1. High temperatures in the United States. Wisconsin is mostly green, which indicates a temperature in the 30s.

My prediction from yesterday was correct, snow was a part of the weather today. Temperatures were also cooler.

For tomorrow, I predict that the temperature will be around the same and we will continue to see this wintry mix. These conclusions are based off of the surface map for tomorrow shown in figure 2. The key here is the stationary front sitting just below Wisconsin. Neither the warm or cold air mass is moving, and at the front the two air masses cause precipitation. The same conditions will prevail because the front will not move from where it was today.

Figure 2. Surface map of the United States. The orange and blue colors near Eau Claire indicate either ice or snow.