Sunday 3/31

Temperature: 31°F (Low 14°F)
Humidity: 45%
Pressure: 1014.2 mb
Wind Speed: NW 10 mph

Eau Claire experienced some fairly common March weather today on the last day of the month. It was rainy and even a little snowy in the morning, and it cleared up later in the afternoon when the winds shifted to the West and eventually Northwest. Around the nation today, it was pretty crazy. There was a major cold front that moved in from Canada, most likely associated with a Polar Continental air mass. There is also multiple low pressure systems, in the Northwest, around the Southwest and up the Rockies, Louisiana, and parts of the West Coast. Who says March goes out like a lamb?

Wednesday 3/13

Temperature: 22°F (Low 15°F)
Humidity: 52%
Pressure: 1026.9 mb
Wind Speed: SW 5 mph

Today was a nice day in Eau Claire. It was a sunny day, with very few clouds (high cirrus clouds) and not much wind at all. There will most likely be some snow fallen by tomorrow morning, as a warm front encroaches on us. However, that same warm front will increase the temperatures up to the high 30s, so be ready to break out the flip-flops and tank-tops EC!



Just look at that big ol' warm front... Isn't it beautiful? Warmth! I miss you!

Monday 3/11

Temperature: 31°F (High 31°F)
Humidity: 76%
Pressure: 1005.3 mb
Wind Speed: N 9 mph

Last night a major low pressure system moved through Eau Claire, and dumped nearly 6 inches of snow before morning (still not even to cancel classes though, of course). That low has since moved East into Northern Michigan. The front that is involved with this cyclone is producing major precipitation. If you compare the surface weather map and the water vapor satellite image, you can see just how much precipitation this storm is producing. So exciting!



As for the weather in Eau Claire today, we have had mostly nimbostratus clouds today producing very light snow.  The temperatures have hovered around 30F, and it will likely stay there overnight while the clouds blanket us. We'll hopefully be seeing sun around the middle of the week, and some warmer temperatures as well.

Sunday 3/10

Temperature: 35°F (Low 27°F)
Humidity: 78%
Pressure: 1010.8 mb
Wind Speed: N 10 mph
Today was a very boring spring day. The sky has been covered with low stratus clouds throughout the day, at times they became nimbostratus and produced a little bit of precipitation, mostly very light snow flakes. Tonight we are expected to get some more snow. In other parts of the US, The Southwest got some rare snow over the past couple of days, and you can see why from the large dip in the Jet Stream. The good news is that temperatures are supposed to stay above freezing, and hopefully they won't go back down until next fall.

Wednesday 3/6

Temperature: 27°F (High 30°F)
Humidity: 58%
Pressure: 1027.7 mb
Wind Speed: NW 8 mph

It's the sixth day of March, and already I can't tell if spring is on the way or if winter is going to hold on for a little bit longer. Last week I thought temperatures were finally going to warm up for good, but this week we got another dumping of snow. Now is this going to be the last snowfall? Probably not. Now we've got so much snow on the ground, and as the weather starts to warm up, the snow is melting rapidly during the day and evaporating into clouds. My prediction, the huge ridge of high pressure will allow for clear skies the next couple of days, but when that moves, all the water vapor in the air is going to come right back down sometime this weekend. As for today, it's very sunny, with mostly clear skies except for a few cumulus humilis (fair weather) clouds.



One more thing, I mentioned above that there is a huge ridge of high pressure headed our way. Well it's really cool to observe this ridge through the direction of winds. Winds always blow from high to low pressure, and on this wind map from today, you can see where the ridge is, from Northern Minnesota (probably even Canada) all the way down to Dallas, TX. Pretty cool, huh?

Monday 3/4

 

Temperature: 25°F (High 30°F)
Humidity: 63%
Pressure: 1017.3 mb
Wind Speed: E 13 mph

Storm's coming... The wind today shifted from the NW to an Easterly wind, and the clouds have dropped from high cirrus clouds to lower stratus clouds. These changes typically some severe weather is on the way. If you take a look at the wind map for today, you can see the wind is being drawn in from the East into the low pressure system that is currently in Western Minnesota. This same system is projected to hit Eau Claire some time tonight, and will likely dump around a foot of snow by tomorrow morning. Here's to hoping for a snow day!

Saturday 3/2

Temperature: 26°F (High 29°F)
Humidity: 46%
Pressure: 1024.5 mb
Wind Speed: NW 3 mph
Today was not much different than yesterday was, just like I thought it would be. It was a fairly chilly day with some calm winds. If you notice the surface map of the United States, there doesn't appear to much activity going on anywhere. All of the isobars are spread out, especially out West. As a result, I think this weather will continue. I would expect highs in Eau Claire to be around 30°F again, and partly cloudy skies. I guess we'll find out.

Friday 3/1

Temperature: 24°F (Low 5°F)
Humidity: 57%
Pressure: 1027.3 mb
Wind Speed: N 6 mph

It's finally March! A high pressure system moved through Wisconsin today, and brought with cold winds from the North. The temperatures were cold throughout the day, and while the winds were not a that strong, it was certainly a cold wind. The morning and early afternoon had partly sunny skies with some cirrus clouds, but the evening brought some lower stratus clouds. There appears to be some more high pressure headed our way, so we will probably see some clear skies through the weekend.