February 25, 2018

Bright and Snowy

Current Conditions

Temperature: 27 °F
Dew Point: 19 °F
Winds: WSW 14 mph
Pressure: 1010.2 mb
Visibility: 10 miles

Today was sunny throughout the day with a few clouds. The snow hit Eau Claire late last night and into the early morning hours. This morning it was 22 °F with winds WSW at 14 mph and occasional gusts. The afternoon was much the same and so was this evening. The temperature did rise to 30 °F this afternoon, but  otherwise other conditions stayed the same. 

Elsewhere in the country, four people are confirmed dead after severe storms hit the southern United States. There was extensive flood damage and tornadoes. Click here to read the full article from accuweather.com. 

My prediction from yesterday was correct to a T. Of course, the forecast map did help quite a bit. 

For tomorrow, I predict there will be some lingering clouds but warmer temperatures. This is because the prevailing wind direction is south, so the winds will likely bring warmer air to the north than normal. With the low pressure system still in the region, winds may still be present. The higher winds can be identified on the map by the closer isobars, which indicates a higher pressure gradient (figure 1). 

Figure 1. Mixed surface map of the United States. Closer isobars in the Wisconsin-Minnesota region indicate higher winds and the low pressure system that is just to the north is bringing warmer air as it travels north.