Rain Rain, Go Away...But Don't Bring Snow Instead

Observation time: 7:15 pm

Precipitation: Icy mix
Sky conditions: Overcast
Wind: 13 mph from the northeast
Temperature: 32 degrees

This surface analysis map from intellicast.com highlights the action today. You can see the rain/ice/snow that is impacting our area currently, and you can see a trough building over north Texas and Oklahoma. Note the 5 or 6 low pressure markers all sort of clustered together. If these combine, there could be a large round 2 associated with this storm.

Today's Rant

Today started off with a light mist/drizzle that never completely went away. Right now we are seeing a little bit of everything as we hover at the freezing mark, however it is looking like the precipitation should be switching to mostly snow in the near future. Overall, this "major" storm is tracking a little bit further north than originally expected, as have most of the big storm so far this year. We are still going to see some snow, but long gone are the predictions of up to 12". It is going to be nasty for some folks, but not as bad as feared here in Eau Claire. We are being hit by a southwest jet at the moment, so our moisture is coming mainly from the tropical air mass off the west coast of Mexico. We are seeing a trough developing over north Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, which could mean that we might really see two rounds from this system.

Forecast for Tomorrow

Winds will continue from a mostly north direction tomorrow, but this time that doesn't mean we are going to be dry. With all of the moisture involved with this system, there is still a chance for some decent amount of snowfall. Currently, the National Weather Service is saying 4-6", but that could still change one way or the other depending on where exactly the bulk of the storm decides to go. Typically this season, things have gone more to our north. Temperatures won't be changing much, so that is the other variable to watch. If we stay a little warmer and above freezing, the amount of accumulated snow will be much less than if we fall below 32 degrees for very long. So what is the actual forecast? Well, that's just it. It is hard to say...