Thursday: 5/7/15

4:30

Current Temperature: 78° F 

Humidity: 48 %

Wind Direction: S

Wind Speed: 14 mph

Sky Conditions: Overcast

What was expected to be a stormy day, turned out to be a disappointment.  Storms were expected to starting rolling into Eau Claire around 2 p.m. but there has been no such thing.  Right now the temperature is 78°F and feels very humid.  The skies are overcast, but no severe storms in sight.  The storms and rain that was suppose to hit Eau Claire moved north towards northern Minnesota and Canada.

Tonight and tomorrow will be much of the same.  Temperatures will drop a little but there is still a good chance for rain. Winds should start to come from the northwest, which could cause the drop in temperature.

Figure 1: A cold front is approaching will should drop temperatures around 10 degrees.
The rain stayed to the north of Eau Claire 

Figure 2: The rain to the north will continue to move north, not reaching Eau Claire

Figure 3: Expect winds to switch to the north west tomorrow
and then after that, possibly some clear skies on Saturday

Figure 4:The conditions are right for rain in Minneapolis, however,
 for Eau Claire they are a little different

Figure 5: The water vapor map is showing little amounts for Minnesota and Eau Claire

Wednesday: 5/6/15

9:30 PM

Current Temperature: 63° F 

Humidity: 87 %

Wind Direction: SE

Wind Speed: 9 mph

Sky Conditions: Rain

Today was a little warmer than yesterday as the humidity increased.  The high was around 73°F with winds out of the south east and overcast in the sky.  There has been a moderate amount of precipitation the last 24 hours.  Starting at about 9 p.m. last night a light sprinkle fell from the sky, however it did not last long.  The next wave of ran came in about 11 am and lasted for around an hour, this soaked the ground pretty well but then the skies cleared a little bit allowing for the temperatures to rise in the afternoon.  The third string of rain started at about 7 p.m. tonight and it is still raining currently.  It should end pretty soon with another chance of rain starting at about 4 a.m. tonight.

Tomorrow there is a chance for thunderstorms starting at 2 p.m. This will last the entire night.  I can see the chance for storms tomorrow by looking at the earth wind map, it is showing a front currently siting in Wyoming and the Dakotas, this front is mixing winds from the north and south, and it will move towards the Eau Claire area tomorrow.

Figure 1: A lot of action across the United States is resulting in a rainy week.
Expect tomorrow to be much of the same

Figure 2: This cold front separating north and south winds to the
West will move towards Eau Claire tomorrow, resulting in more rain

Figure 3: The amount of water vapor in the air is sure to bring rain 

Figure 4: There is some rain in Western North and South Dakota, which will bring rain tomorrow

Tuesday: 5/5/15

4:30

Current Temperature: 68° F 

Humidity: 24 %

Wind Direction: SE

Wind Speed: 7 mph

Sky Conditions: Mostly Cloudy

Today is about the same temperature as yesterday, although much windier, with gusts up to 20 mph.   The sky is is mostly cloudy with the sun peaking through at some points. There is a chance for rain starting about midnight tonight, which should lead into more rain Wednesday and Thursday.  Right now there is some rain to the southwest near Winona, Minnesota, but it will will miss Eau Claire to the south.  The rain that could hit us is in Colorado right now, as some nasty fronts are riding East of the Rocky Mountains.

Tomorrow it will heat up a little bit as a warm front approaches, but this will also bring up the humidity, increasing our chance for storms.  There is a 40 percent chance for rain during the day and 30 percent chance at night.

Figure 1: A low pressure system in Colorado is causing heavy rain.
Expect temps to warm up tomorrow as the warm front and low pressure system approaches

Figure 2: Rain to the southwest in Colorado and Nebraska could hit us
tomorrow if they move towardsthe north a little bit

Figure 3: Strong winds from the South East will hit us tomorrow, East winds
almost always bring some rain, especially with the factors in play

Figure 4: The water vapor map is showing a real chance that Eau Claire
 gets hit with rain tomorrow and Thursday

Figure 5: This upper air sounding plot in East Colorado is showing
strong signs of an unstable atmosphere and rain falling from the sky

Monday: 5/4/15

2:00

Current Temperature: 70° F 

Humidity: 23 %

Wind Direction: N

Wind Speed: 9 mph

Sky Conditions: Mostly Clear

Right now the temperature is 70°F with the skies fairly clear and the winds out of the north.  This morning it was a little cool with the north wind moving a little faster than 9 mph, making it a great morning.  The high for today was 71 degrees.  Yesterday, a storm moved through around 7 pm.  This was probably the best storm Eau Claire has seen since the start of the year.  There was heavy rainfall and significant lightning.

Tomorrow there is a high of 63°F and a chance of thunderstorms after 11 am.  Chances greatly increase after 9 pm.  There is a chance for storms all week.  The stationary front currently sitting in Canada will move down closer to Minnesota tomorrow along with a high pressure system moving winds from north to south.  This will bring up warm air mixing with the cold north, giving us a great chance for storms all week.  There is also a lot of activity going on in the south west right now which could move up towards us later in the week.

Figure 1: A high pressure system is keeping the skies clear for now. 

Figure 2: Expect the winds to shift to the south as they rotate clockwise around the high pressure system

Figure 3: The water vapor in the air is bringing showers in the great plains area right now

Figure 4: This graph in Omaha Nebraska is showing a high chance for rain but not show much for lightning

Figure 5: Weather stations are reporting rain in Northern Kansas and Nebraska
this storm should stay to the south

Friday: 5/1/15

2:00

Current Temperature: 68° F 

Humidity: 28 %

Wind Direction: SW

Wind Speed: 14 mph

Sky Conditions: Cloudy

Just as the forecast predicted, today is gloomy with clouds in the sky and a chance of rain.  This morning it was sunny but around 11 am the clouds moved in and the wind changed direction.  The winds are now coming up from the south as they are streaming up the cold front that is approaching Eau Claire.  There is a slight chance of rain in an hour, but not a huge amount.  The water vapor map is showing a little amount just south of the Twin Cities, and heading towards Eau Claire.  I would expect a slight shower.

After this storm passes, tomorrow and the rest of the weekend will be beautiful.  Temperatures in upper 70s and the sun shining down.

Figure 1: A little amount of water vapor is located right below the
 twin cities, indicating rain is coming around 3 pm

Figure 2:A stationary front is approaching Eau Claire, after it passes the weather will be beautiful.

Figure 3: Winds are approaching from the SouthWest

Figure 4: Doppler radar showing rain about to hit Eau Claire