Forecast for Western/Northwestern WI

No real big concerns in the forecast, Just some light freezing drizzle changing over to some light snow/flurries… Christmas looks to be A ok no big storms in site….


***CURRENT CONDITIONS***

Most stations are reporting light now, However still in Eau Claire there is still some mixed precip…. Temps range from the middle 20s to 30…Winds from the Northeast to west throughout the FA… From 7 to 12 MPH…

***FORECAST DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS***

SFC low pressure pretty much over head… This sis draw in warmer temps in the mid to SFC levels…. Hence the light freezing drizzle were have been dealing with this morning into this afternoon…As colder air works into the area we should see this switch back over to all light snow/flurries… 1034 MB high pressure is forecasted to build into the ND tonight, By Thursday this high is forecasted to centered over Northeastern ND/Northwestern MN… This will ensure the FA some quite weather…
Weather pattern still seems to remain in a blocky pattern this will get reinforced…. Some of the models are trying to form a system that could clip Southwestern MN with some snow…For the local area high pressure should for the most part keep this system well to our West and well to our South….ECWMF forms a low pressure system over CO/NM area….Then tracks the low into and through TX before hitting the SC Coast line…This low is then forecasted to move up along the Eastern Coast line and deepen to around 970/974 MBS…Your asking by now ok what does this have to do with our weather… Well a lot if this low takes this track and indeed gets that strong this will keep systems from moving into the local area by weeks end….FA does get back into a Northwesterly flow tomorrow as… This will hold as the SFC low/upper low digs into the Northeastern states…By Christmas up and down the Eastern Coast line inland about 100 miles or so… This could be a big winter storm for that area… Upper level ridge builds into AZ all the up into Canada… Being between these two features the Northwesterly flow shall keep going… This will draw down some cooler air by the Christmas weekend, still not to bad as what it could be… Highs start of warm upper 20s then fall to around the upper tens to lower 20s by Sunday. Meanwhile lows start off in the lower 20s then fall to either side of zero by Sunday night….. Tomorrow skies should become partly to mostly cloudy…This trend will hold through Christmas Eve… There could be some light snow/flurries Thursday night and once again Friday night….Travel plans throughout the FA looks to be great unlike last year….

***LONG TERM FORECAST DEC 27th THROUGH DEC 31ST ***

This time frame will all depend on what happens with the possible Eastern storm system…For now will bank on it that it will indeed form and take the projected track…This will leave a high pressure system in control of our weather… However ECWMF is forecasting a 991 MB low pressure system to take shape over Southern MT. Northern WY area on the 30th…. This system is then forecasted to track rather fast into Northeastern MN, as it does it weakens to around 1003 MBS…. A 1031 MB high pressure system build South into MT by the 31st Winds could become rather strong across the FA on the 31st …. We will have to watch this system to see how it could have some travel impacts across the area….Still this is so far out in time I won’t get to worried about…….GFS on the other hand shows this system to come in faster..GFS also show another system for the 1st of the year. I’m having a very hard time buying into what GFS as to offer, as it seems to be the outlier most of this winter…. So as far as we can see there won’t be any prolonged Arctic blasts or really no huge snow storms….
In fact temps should be above normal with precip running close to normal…. Don’t worry snow lovers the snow we have on the ground will stay…. Temps are not forecasted to be above 32°…..