Spring Break: March 15-25, 2018

Colder than Expected

Cincinnati, OH

On March 15th the geography 368 class traveled down to Cincinnati, Ohio for one day of the trip. The weather was mild the night we arrived, but the following day was chilly with temperatures around 20 °F the morning of the 16th. The high that day was only 44 °F (figure 1).

Figure 1. Cincinnati skyline the night of March 16.

Chattanooga, TN

The next day was a travel day down to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Along the way we stopped in Nashville for lunch. The weather was great! Skies were clear with lots of sun and a temperature around 76 °F! Unfortunately, this would be the warmest day of the entire trip. On Sunday, March 18 the temperature had dropped to the upper 60s with partly cloudy skies. Winds were minimal so it was still enjoyable to be outside. The next day was our full day outside visiting Civil War sites (figure 2). The temperature was still in the upper 60s, but skies were overcast and it rained on and off the entire day. That evening a strong low pressure system from the northwest rolled through bringing thunderstorms and quite a bit of rain.

Figure 2. Civil War site during a rain event.

On Tuesday March 20 the weather was a bit cooler, only reaching lower 60s with overcast skies. The morning was relatively nice but by evening a storm system was approaching bringing light rains overnight. Wednesday March 21 was chilly once again with temperatures in the lower 20s in the morning and only reaching mid 40s by the afternoon. The group spent time outside touring the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), including a dam site. The winds were strong, particularly on the top of the dam (figure 3).

Figure 3. Dam on the Tennessee River operated by the TVA.

Knoxville, TN

Thursday the group traveled to Knoxville to meet with Derek Alderman and tour the geography department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. The weather was once again chilly, but by the afternoon temperatures were mild, and the sun was shining. Friday we went to Smokey Mountain National Park and hiked for the day. Skies were partly cloudy turning to overcast but the temperature was in the mid 40s, perfect for a hike. It got a little chilly in the higher elevations but overall a good day (figure 4).

Figure 4. Skyline in the Smokey Mountains.

On Saturday, March 24 the group drove back to good old Eau Claire, WI. Because of a low pressure front moving towards us, we had to re-route and travel westward towards Nashville and then up to Chicago before finally making it back to Eau Claire. The total drive time was around 17 hours. Part of the issue was driving through the storm, which coated the interstate in ice (figure 5).

Figure 5. Winter storm in Illinois.

The group eventually made it back safe and sound around 11:30 PM.

Eau Claire, WI

Sunday in Eau Claire was much warmer than down south surprisingly with a temperature in the upper 40s, sunshine, and a light breeze.