When the wind's in the East, It's neither good for man nor beast

Current Conditions 9:20 PM
Temperature - 53°F     
Dew point - 46°F   
Relative humidity - 77%  
Wind direction - E
Wind speed -  12 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1008.0 mb
Sky conditions - Overcast
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

Today was a windy day with strong gusts coming from the east. As the old saying goes When the wind's in the East, It's neither good for man nor beast. This saying hasn't been more true over the last two weeks in Wisconsin. Last week we were on top of a large low pressure system and another is moving in right now but it doesn't appear to be as large or strong. With temps in the lower 60s today I anticipate heavy storms overnight and into tomorrow morning but ending quickly. 

Today started off clear as the previous storm moved through but low stratocumulous clouds formed quickly and stuck around as the winds increased in intensity. This tells me that low level moisture is moving through the area which has been brought in by the low pressure. As the system moves it will increase the moisture in the area and create conditions perfect for rainfall and even thunderstorms. Look for rain tonight and into tomorrow with slightly lower temps and pressure.

The start of an omega?

Current Conditions 1:00 PM
Temperature - 54°F     
Dew point - 32°F   
Relative humidity - 43%  
Wind direction - E
Wind speed -  12 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1017.4 mb
Sky conditions - Overcast
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

This past weekend was beautiful. Even the temperature was wonderful. It was in the range were you could wear either shorts or pants and not feel cold or hot. This week and into end of the school year should be almost perfect as temps rise into the 70s and higher. This weekend looks to be bringing with it some rain but it shouldn't be anything like last week. 

Above is the current pattern of the jet streams at 250 hPa. It looks like this may be the beginning of an omega pattern for the US. If the jet streams move the way I anticipate and follow he arrows I drew in we should expect to see perfect weather for a very long time. For tomorrow expect more clouds and wind accompanied by higher temps and less humidity.

Clouds. So many clouds

Current Conditions 5:15 PM
Temperature - 47°F     
Dew point - 40°F   
Relative humidity - 77%  
Wind direction - N
Wind speed -  13 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1007.8 mb
Sky conditions - Overcast
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

The rain is even lighter today but there hasn't been any major changes to the pattern of weather this week besides that. It is a tad warmer but that's due to the lighter rain. The low pressure system is moving northeast as predicted which means that this weekend should start to be sunny. Next week appears to be a wonderful week by the forecast the professionals are making. For tomorrow anticipate very little rain and rising temps. The clouds should move on by the late afternoon.

The rain has ceased... almost

Current Conditions 9:10 PM
Temperature - 42°F     
Dew point - 40°F   
Relative humidity - 92%  
Wind direction - NW
Wind speed -  5 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1005.8 mb
Sky conditions - Light Rain
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

For the most part the rain has stopped falling, at least, heavily that is. I can tell that the low pressure system is moving on because of how the winds have changed to the northwest. I was correct in saying we would have lower winds and a little rain but I didn't mention that the wind direction would be changing. The occluded front has fallen apart showing that the system is moving on and no longer stationary like it has been for the past few days. Here in Eau Claire it was a pleasant morning but then some residual rain clouds moved in and brought with some light rain which wasn't welcomed but it is definitely feeling warmer with the lower winds. 

For tomorrow look for light rain at various times throughout the day. Temps should continue to increase as the rain moves on and winds will be lower with the high pressure starting to creep in.
 

Still raining, everywhere

Current Conditions 2:30 PM
Temperature - 39°F     
Dew point - 37°F   
Relative humidity - 93%  
Wind direction - NE
Wind speed -  14 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1003.0 mb
Sky conditions - Light Rain
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

If you live anywhere besides the west coast in the US you would have noticed a large amount of rain and thunderstorms this past weekend and today. These storms are all stemming from a massive mid-latitude cyclone which has pretty much stalled and become stationary with the focus over Iowa. This system has caused massive amounts of tornadoes in the southeastern US. A few people have died from these tornadoes and I'm sure the number will only rise as the storms pass through.

Today the system is starting to finally break up but the remnants of it will stick around for the rest of the week as it slowly moves on. The tornadoes are hopefully but they could always pick up with there still being precipitation riding in front of the dry line between the cold and stationary fronts. On the Wundermap  there is a layer called Model Data which projects forward over 350 hours into the future what the weather is most likely to be and according to it the center of the system will move northeast then finally fall apart this weekend. The east coast will continue to have rain into next week but the there should be clear skies and warmer temps for the entire US. For tomorrow, in Eau Claire, expect more rain and slightly lower winds. 

Looking to get wet this weekend

Current Conditions 10:30 PM
Temperature - 44°F    
Dew point - 32°F   
Relative humidity - 63% 
Wind direction - NE
Wind speed -  5 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1012.7 mb
Sky conditions - Fair skies
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

Today was overall a nice day with the only exception being the strong wind earlier in the day. It was the first day of shorts for me and it looks like it'll be the last for a few days at least. The pressure increased from yesterday when it rained all day from the large amount of low pressure we had. We are still feeling the after effects of the low pressure from yesterday and that is why the wind felt chillier than it may have if it were a high pressure system over us. 

In the next few days we should notice a cool down in temps from a cold front moving north into Wisconsin as indicated by the dark blue area from Canada going Southeast into Illinois. As this system moves northwest we should also see more rain showers over the weekend. For tomorrow expect cooler temps and slightly higher pressure with similar winds. The weekend should be chilly and maybe a bit wet but still better than anything from this winter.
 

Still sweater weather

Current Conditions 8:30 PM
Temperature - 49°F    
Dew point - 23°F   
Relative humidity - 36% 
Wind direction - NE
Wind speed -  5 mph 
Barometric pressure - 1017.9 mb
Sky conditions - Fair skies
Current conditions courtesy of NOAA

Weather today is the same as yesterday but a tad cooler. I was correct in saying the temps would cool off from the higher pressure. The northeastern winds are the main cause of the cooler temps today. I've heard a lot of talk of rain for the next few days and my intuition tells me it will rain but just to be sure let's check out the wunderground surface map.

I looks as though the only rain we will be receiving will be patchy and not very significant but there is a clear trail of precipitation which will be pushed north by the high pressure. The stationary front from Canada down into Nebraska will move west just ahead of the high pressure and this is where most of the rain will come from if it manages to stay south enough for us. For tomorrow look for patchy rain throughout the day with similar temps. Winds should be changing as the high pressure moves in and that will keep things cool for a few more days.