More of the Same

Just as I predicted, the weather today was very similar to that of yesterday. Both this morning and late afternoon, the sky was overcast.  However, it cleared up a little during the middle of the day according to the weather briefing given during class today.  Temperature was fairly warm, but cooled at times by a light wind.

Unfortunately, I still don't believe there will be many changes in the weather tomorrow.  The sky should clear up a little and contain scattered to broken clouds.  If a N/NW wind is prevalent, the temperature may decrease slightly. Chance of precipitation due to amount of water vapor currently in atmosphere.

Overcast

The first thing I noticed this morning was the cloud cover.  Since I predicted scattered to broken clouds, I was surprised to see an overcast sky.  The temperature was still fairly warm, but it felt a little colder to me compared to yesterday due to the lack of sunlight.  The sky remained overcast throughout the day, and a light wind was prevalent as well.

Figure 1 shows that there is currently a stationary front in the area.  Based on information in the textbook, a stationary front occurs when the cold air mass is neither advancing or receding.  Cold air from the Arctic is flowing parallel to the front, and warm air from the Gulf is flowing parallel to the other side of the front.

Based on the stationary front, I'm predicting minimal changes in the weather for tomorrow.  Overcast or broken clouds will be present.  Temperature will be similar, but there is a chance it will get colder if the cold air mass advances any farther.  Precipitation will be unlikely.

Figure 1.  Current weather map from The Weather Channel.  Stationary
front currently in the Eau Claire area.

The High Pressure Returns

My predictions from yesterday were fairly accurate.  On my walk to school early this afternoon, the sun was shining through scattered clouds.  There was a light SW wind, which helped to keep the temperature fairly warm.  As seen in Figure 1, the Eau Claire area is currently overcast and experiencing a SSE wind at roughly 15 miles per hour.

Based on the current high-pressure system, there won't be many changes in the weather tomorrow.  The sun will be out, but scattered to broken clouds will be overhead.  The temperature should be even warmer tomorrow due to the overcast sky tonight.  Precipitation will be unlikely.

Figure 1.  Current surface map from Unisys.  Overcast conditions
in most of Wisconsin (including Eau Claire).

Snow and More Snow

On my walk to school early this morning, there was a break in the snowfall. However, a light now began falling again by late morning/early afternoon and is still falling at the present time.  A consistent, northeast wind has blown for most of the day.  With the constant snowfall, clouds haven't been observed.

Based on the current weather map below, I predict that there will be no snowfall tomorrow.  The high-pressure system moving into the area will keep the sky fairly clear and let the sun shine through.  The wind will shift and come from the west/southwest.

Current surface map from The Weather Channel.  Current low-pressure
system in the area producing snow will soon be replaced by a
high-pressure system.

Enjoy the warmth while it lasts.

Today was a fairly "quiet" day in terms of weather.  My predictions from yesterday were spot on.  The continental Tropical air mass (see Figure 1) and SE wind kept the temperature very warm.  Cloud cover, highlighted by cirrus clouds, was scattered from this morning through the afternoon and broken later on.

Figure 1.  Jet stream map from Intellicast.  Ridge in jet stream can
be seen over eastern side of US.  This ridge is allowing a warmer,
continental Tropical air mass to move north.

Browsing through my favorite weather websites, I found some good images that pertain to the near future.  Tomorrow's conditions should remain very similar to today.  The temperature will remain warm, and the cloud cover will be clear to scattered.  However, Figure 2 shows that a cold front will be moving into the area in the near future.  This cold air mass will drive underneath the warm air mass currently in the area and push the warm air up. Thus, the cold, dense air will remain here.  This situation is illustrated very well by Figure 3.

Figure 2.  Current surface map from The Weather Channel.  Cold front
approaching from the north.

Figure 3.  Weather forecast from AccuWeather.