May 2, 2018

Humidity Strikes

Current Conditions

Temperature: 67 °F
Dew Point: 44 °F
Winds: W 8 mph
Pressure: 1010.8 mb
Visibility: 10 miles

Today started off quite foggy and humid. There were low stratus clouds in the sky and a drizzle falling around 7:00 AM. Down by the Chippewa River there was steam fog along the banks as well. However the temperature was still mild sitting in the upper 50s. As the day progressed the skies cleared up and we saw sun by the early afternoon. The surface map in figure 1 shows the cold front now to the east of Eau Claire that had passed over late last night and early this morning.

Figure 1. Surface map of the United States.

One can see that now there is a high pressure dome sitting over Wisconsin which should bring clearer skies in the coming days. While Wisconsin is sitting in the clear, Oklahoma and Kansas are another story. The Rockies have set up a nice barrier for warm, moist air that is coming in from the Gulf and being pulled up by the jet stream (figure 2).

Figure 2. Jet stream moving up through the United States pulling moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico.

This air is creating severe weather in the plains where tornadoes are supposed to hit tonight. The weather vapor satellite image in figure 3 shows the moisture that is  fueling the severe storms in the area.

Figure 3. Water vapor satellite of the United States.

This seems extreme but May is the beginning of tornado season for the area so we should expect severe weather like this to continue for the summer.

Previous Prediction

The front passed slower than I expected so there was still some cloud cover and rain this morning. However the temperature did drop today, although I was expecting lower temperatures than what we received.

Prediction

For tomorrow I would expect cooler temperatures due to the high pressure air mass that will be in the area. Skies should clear up because of the passing front and the now westerly wind direction.

Additional Information

Here's an interesting weather story from Accuweather that describes what conditions will be like across the United States in summer 2018. The predictions are made by a special long-term forecaster, which I had not heard of before. Check it out!