Snow more cold

Current Conditions 1:00 PM

Temperature - 24.7°F
Feels Like - 25°F
Dew point - 22°F
Relative humidity - 89%
Wind direction - NEN
Wind speed - 2 mph
Barometric pressure - 999.3 hPa and Steady
Cloud cover - Mostly sunny with a few clouds

Current conditions curtesy of Weatherunderground

It has definitely warmed up outside enough to the point where nature decides it's time to snow again but not enough to melt the previous layers of snow. Snow began to fall last night and will most likely continue for most of today already culminating in a few inches. This is due to the low pressure system which has moved in pushing away the cold air but don't fret if you miss the cold already, it'll be back within a few days but not nearly as bad as it was. Another factor affecting the snow is the relatively high dew point. Since the dew point is close to the actual temperature it is easier for precipitation to form.

Wunderground

It's easy to see in the map above that there appears to be no more snow falling in our area but that of course is incorrect. If I were to step outside I would quickly be covered in a fresh layer of snow. The most useful part of this map is the wind direction and temperature readings. As this low pressure system moves across Minnesota and Wisconsin colder temperatures will be moving in as yet another high pressure system moves in but this time the temps shouldn't be as bad as a few days ago.

The following images show the Chippewa Valley region of Wisconsin which is where UWEC is located. The first image is "natural look" view from the LANDSAT 8 satellite. This image shows approximately what you would see if you were flying over the land. The next image may be a little odd for most of you but don't worry the ground isn't on fire. This kind of image shows the infrared energy being absorbed by features on the ground. Healthy green vegetation appears as red in this image and snow and ice is white. It's interesting to see in this image how there's still a lot of green vegetation in the valley primarily around the Eau Claire River as it flows into Lake Altoona. These images were taken at the exact same time on the 15th of January and even though they are 15 days old they are still an accurate indicator of what is really going on around us.



This is beginning to become a long post so I'll try to wrap it up. For the rest of the week I predict low winds and colder temperatures but still above 0 with snow lingering into tonight but stopping before tomorrow.

I am apparently not the only person named Drew who reports on the weather in Eau Claire, WI, there is a weather man who reports for WEAU 13 named Drew who you can follow @WeathermanDrew. Be sure you tell him Drew sent you.