News 19 Forecast Team Blog

Go Pack Go!

I know this is a weather blog but it is hard to hide my excitement. As an avid Packer fan it has truly been a pleasure to watch the green and gold this year. It was a frustrating offseason for many fans as the Packers didn't look to free agency to replace Ahman Green and we also didn't sign Randy Moss, but it turns out that the men behind the operations in Green Bay know what they are doing. Brett Favre stated earlier this year that the talent on this Packer team may be more than any other team he has been a part of. That may not be too far fetched as the youngest team in NFL finished the season today with a 13 - 3 record. There have been many great moments this year but what sticks out the most in my mind was Greg Jennings game winning touchdown against the Denver Broncos.... and of course, who can forget Favre's touchdown record. The Packers have definitely shown some bright spots this season, but after last weeks loss to the Bears the teams momentum was up in the air. I think that was resolved today though as Green Bay scored touchdowns on their first three drives. Hopefully that type of momentum carries over into the first playoff game. It has been quite a Cinderella year for the Pack considering many people expected Green Bay to field a team not much better than .500. While they have already exceeded expectations, bringing the Lombardi trophy home would be a great end to a fantastic season.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Snowy end to the work week...

Yesterday was a beautiful day but today snow will be the main concern. Unfortunately the winter weather continues at a time when people will be doing a lot of traveling. If you plan on traveling southeast towards Madison or Milwaukee you could definitely run into some problems. Roads will likely get slick and traffic will be traveling at a slower pace. Madison could see 3-5" of snow with 4-8" in Milwaukee. While the southeastern third of Wisconsin can expect plenty of snow, we will also get our fair share right here in the News 19 viewing area. A snow advisory is in effect for Richland, Vernon and Crawford Counties until 6 PM. These are the areas that will see the most snow in our area. 3-4" of snow is expected with around 1-3" for the rest of the viewing area... The northwestern counties in the area will be closer to the 1" range. The snow will wrap up early tonight and that will open the door for a nice weekend. Expect mostly cloudy skies on Saturday with occasional flurries on Sunday. Temperatures will be near or above average, something that won't be the same story for the start of the New Year.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Active December weather continues...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, but looking ahead the year is quickly coming to an end. It has been a very active end to 2007 as La Crosse has recorded snowfall on 9 days already this month. Just over 22 inches of snow has fallen this month in La Crosse and on a typical  December we  see around 7.5 inches of snow up until this point. Yesterday we saw just a dusting of snow in La Crosse with as much as 2" in Independence. More snow is in the forecast for tomorrow but the highest accumulations will stay off towards the southern portions of the viewing area. 1-3" of snow is expected and the far northern portions of the area will likely see minor accumulations. The upcoming snowfall will be as a result of a low pressure system which will advance from Missouri to to southern lower Michigan tomorrow. With that said, if you plan on traveling towards Madison or Milwaukee tomorrow you will likely run into some slick spots and slower traffic. Areas in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois could see as much as 6 inches of accumulation. We won't be completely out of the woods for precipitation in 2007. Another disturbance could provide more snow on the final day of the year.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Calendars...

Now that Christmas 2007 is becoming a memory, it is time to look ahead to the new year, and it would be easy to talk about resolutions that I probably could not keep when all is said and done. However, I have a different topic in mind-- calendars. I won't start at the very beginning, but there are more and different calendars than you might think.

I'll start with our own modern calendar used by most on the planet earth. It is called the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by and named for Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It is a reform of the Julian calendar, which was adopted by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar in 45 BC.

The Julian calendar, in turn was an approximation of the tropical year. What is a tropical year you say? Here I quote from Wikipedia:

"A tropical year (also known as a solar year) is the length of time the Sun, as seen from the Earth, takes to return to the same position along the ecliptic (its path among the stars on the celestial sphere) relative to the equinoxes and solstices, or the time interval needed for the mean tropical longitude of the Sun to increase by 2π (360 sexagesimal degrees, a complete turn)."

Phew, That's a mouthful! There are also the Sidereal year. Again I quote from the Wiki...:

"The sidereal year is the time taken for the Sun to return to the same position with respect to the stars of the celestial sphere." "The sidereal year is 20 minutes and 24 seconds longer than the tropical year."

Finally, there are other astronomical years:
-anomalistic year
-Draconic year
-heliacal year
-sothic year
-Gaussian year
-Besselian year-variant of the tropical year

Arrgh! I am getting a headache! If you want to know more, you know where to look it up!

Until next time,

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. We certainly got our white Christmas this year. It is the 4th "whitest" on record. Only 1990 and 1927 with 15", and 2000 with 13" rank higher on the list. That makes 3 of the top 4 since 1990.

Will we add to it? Quite probably, as a couple more low pressure areas will affect us the rest of the week and another on New Years Eve. The first one will spread light snow later tonight and into early tomorrow night adding an inch or so to the snow cover.

The second is a more powerful storm for Friday and it could bring out the snow shovels and snowblowers yet again. 4 or more inches of snow is possible to end this holiday week. The third system will be weak and we are uncertain of amounts at this time.

Typically, according to the National Weather Service, the average or normal snow cover on Christmas morning is 4 inches. 78 of the last 114 years have had an inch or more. That makes 36 that have not, so we usually get our wish.

Have a great Christmas and a happy holiday season!

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Headed Home...

It will be a short blog today as I am making the long trek back to Green Bay. It usually takes me around s and a half hours to get home but today I am expecting that trip to take a bit longer. Roads were a bit slick this morning but conditions will improve throughout the day. We'll see cloudy skies with cool conditions as highs only top off in the lower 20s. A different story is on the way for Christmas. Winds will shift to the southwest overnight and highs will top off around 30 tomorrow. Snow is in the Christmas forecast but I am expecting only around an inch of snowfall. The models indicate that snow will likely start falling around the noon hour. Traveling shouldn't be to much of a problem due to this system but the light snow should be just the trick to keep everyone in the holiday spirit. I will be traveling back to La Crosse Christmas night, and you can see me again on Wednesday for the  Daybreak show.

Merry Christmas,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Heavy Snow Continues...

Today marks the first day of winter and old man winter is certainly packing a punch. Snowfall picked up this afternoon and has continued through the night. That trend will continue through the overnight hours with snowfall rates as high as 1 to 2 inches per hour. Earlier today, rain was the precipitation form but a cold front pushed east and has cooled temperatures down considerably. Conditions will be nearly blizzard-like overnight due to strong northwest winds at 10-25 mph. A low pressure system out of the central and southern Plains will track northeast tonight and will produce significant snowfall totals. The highest storm total accumulations will lie to the eastern portions of the viewing area. As much as ten inches of snow could fall in those areas with generally between 4 and 8 inches right here in
La Crosse. A lack of moisture off towards the west will contribute to an impressive snowfall total gradient.  The heaviest snow will likely continue till around 4 AM. Snow could continue till around noon or so with flurries for the rest of your Sunday. The northern portions of the viewing area may be an exception to this as they could see light snow throughout the day. That means that if you are planning on traveling north towards Eau Claire tomorrow, there is a good chance you could run into snowfall. Aside from the snowfall, regardless of your location throughout the viewing area, blowing snow will likely slow up travel throughout your Sunday.

Travel safe this holiday weekend and enjoy the snow!

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Another stormy weekend...

It is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year around the area, so it is bad timing for a winter storm to rear its ugly, snowy and rainy head. Computer models point to rain starting Friday night and changing to snow Saturday midday or afternoon. Winter storm watches has been posted for a couple of days for the region, meaning that more than 6 inches of snow are possible here.

The computers are leaning a bit southeast of here for the heaviest, but the supercomputers that forecast the weather patterns have had a tough time handling the complexity of this upcoming system. That means you should monitor the forecasts closely right up to and through the weekend. The preliminary estimates are in the 4 to 6 inch range for the La Crosse area with less west and a bit more, up to 8 inches or so, to the east.

Once the rapidly intensifying low pressure area gets to the east Saturday night and Sunday the winds will blow vigorously, and you can expect considerable blowing and drifting, and falling temperatures and wind chill values. Highs Saturday will start in the middle 30s and drop into the upper 20s by late afternoon. On Sunday the afternoon will show readings only in the upper teens.

Bundle up and be careful when venturing out this weekend.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Winter Weather Continues

We are still in the fall season but it has certainly been very winter-like throughout the month of December. Winter officially kicks off at 1:08 AM on Saturday and it will bring with it the next storm system which could cause all kinds of traveling problems on this holiday weekend. Expect a wintery mix of precipitation on Saturday morning but colder air will arrive with a cold front and the precipitation type should switch to snow by around noon. Earlier this month we had a winter storm that started off with snow and eventually switched to freezing rain and this weekend it will be the exact opposite. If we end up experiencing freezing rain on Saturday morning that could make roads extremely slick as snow eventually falls on top of it. Once the snow does come it will likely get the heaviest on Saturday evening and it could continue through the night. As of right now total snow accumulations between 2 and 6 inches are expected. Below are images of two forecast models and the expected snowfall by early Sunday morning. Both models indicate that the higher snow accumulations will occur towards the southeastern portions of the viewing area.

    As far as today goes, fog will cause some traveling problems. A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until noon for all of the counties in the viewing area except Jackson and Monroe. This morning visibilities were down as low as 0 to 0.25 miles in southeastern Minnesota so if you are traveling west this morning you will likely encounter some thicker fog.

Drive Safe and Happy Holidays!

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Holiday traveling...

Only five more days until Christmas and with that said a lot of people are kicking off their holiday travels or out looking for that last minute gift. Unfortunately there will be a few bumps in the road over the next few days. For tonight we'll see a chance of freezing drizzle as temperatures drop down near the freezing mark. I'm not expecting a lot of precipitation by any means but we could see just enough to make the roads slick in some spots. If you are interested in road conditions you can check them out under the weather tab at our website. Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin road conditions are listed and one very useful thing from the Wisconsin DOT is road temperatures for highways. This is a great way to find out if the precipitation on the road will be wet or if it will be icy.

Getting back to the forecast, expect drizzle to end the work week and on Saturday the next winter storm will be heading into our picture. The forecast models have been fairly inconsistent with this storm so it is difficult to put our thumb down on the exact track of the storm. However, as of right now expect a chance of a wintery mix early Saturday morning but as cooler air approaches it will likely switch over to snow. As of right now I am leaning towards 2-4 inches of snow on Saturday but we will keep you updated with that storm as it draws closer. If you plan on doing any traveling on Saturday, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give yourself some extra time as the roads could get slippery. The holidays are a time to enjoy family and friends, and staying safe in your journeys from point A to point B is important too.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

I'm outta here...

The time is here and I'm ready to fly.  I will be getting up tomorrow morning around 4:30 a.m. ready to drive to Minneapolis for my flight home to South Carolina.  I'm heading home to see my family for Christmas.  I was there for a quick visit back in August, but I haven't been home for a holiday in a couple of years.  I'm looking forward to some warmer weather and green grass free of snow.  I'll be gone until New Year's Eve.  I may post a blog or two from the deep south while I'm gone.  Maybe a few pictures too!

It looks like I'm getting outta here just in time.  Some light snow will come in tomorrow afternoon and then a bigger storm is setting up to move in this weekend.  It will start off as snow Friday night before switching to maybe a rain/snow mix Saturday afternoon and then back to snow Saturday night.  We are expecting accumulations, but exact amounts are still uncertain this far out.  You can always get the latest forecast, road conditions, and airport delays in our Travel Center on the weather page.


Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

White Christmas...

We are a week away from Christmas, so the talk around the watercooler may be about whether it will be a "white" one. It looks pretty cut and dried this year barring any unforseen warmups or snow-eroding rainstorms. The temperatures have moved up into the 30s this week, but that is not enough to melt snow quickly. In addition we are heading for more clouds from Thursday through Sunday night, so it is unlikely that the impressive snow cover will go away. In fact, this weekend is likely to bring more snow just to freshen up what is already on the ground, and it could be a tidy number of inches, too. A very strong low pressure area is going to develop and bring about shoveling snowfall.

The chances of a "white" Christmas are pretty good anyway. On average the La Crosse National Weather Service says 7 to 8 out of 10 have either an inch or more of snow on the ground, or an inch or more falls on the holiday itself.

Here are more fun facts from the NWS:

La Crosse Christmas Facts

Temperatures...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Normal High	27
Normal Low	10
Record High	55 in 1936
Record Low	-26 in 2000 and 1879
Lowest High	-11 in 1884
Highest Low	46 in 1936

Precipitation...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Record	1.61" in 1895
Record Snowfall	5.4" in 1950
Record Snow on the Ground	15" in 1990 and 1927
Climatological chance for a trace or more of snowfall	54%
Climatological chance for a measurable snowfall	24%
Climatological chance for an inch or more of snowfall	11%
Climatological chance of an inch or more on the ground	69%

Overall chance for a "white" Christmas in La Crosse: 72%

Until next time,

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Christmas travels...

It is the Christmas season, and people around the country will be doing a whole lotta traveling this weekend and upcoming weekend.  All eyes shift to the forecasts to see how things will be for their flights.  It has been a wild winter-like start to December, and the winter season doesn't even officially start until this coming weekend!

We are going to see some warmer temperatures for highs this week which will allow for a little snow melt.  Don't worry about all the snow melting away because we've got another couple of rounds of snow on the radar screen.

If you plan on  traveling this Thursday, like I am, there is a chance for some light snow around the area.  If you plan on traveling this weekend like most people, there is another strong winter storm that we're going to be tracking all week that could pose a problem.  We are going to be up near the freezing mark, so we could see some freezing rain and some snow this weekend.  Like we always say this far out, the track and time is extremely uncertain at this point, but you definitely want to monitor the forecast as the week goes on.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Patchy Fog Tonight

The possibility for fog lurks in tonight's forecast. Tonight's temperature will drop in the low to mid teens and as the temperature drops the relative humidity will increase. Dew point will also hover around the low to mid teens. When the temperature reaches the dew point the air becomes saturated and fog can develop. It doesn't always develop though. Light winds are also a key ingredient to the formation of fog because they can gently mix the moist air near the ground. Winds that are to strong can mix the moist air near the ground with drier air above and the chance for fog rapidly decreases. Tonight's wind will be on the light side as they shift to the southwest.  There is a rule of thumb that I like to follow when forecasting fog. If the dew point is around 9 degrees below the temperature at sunset, and the winds are light, there is a good chance of fog during the overnight. At sunset tonight the temperatures was 22 with a dew point of 14. According to the rule of thumb, many areas can expect fog tonight especially near river, streams and valleys.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

2007: One of the Warmest Years on Record

The year is drawing to an end and it surely has been a memorable one in the weather department. We had the biggest snow storm in La Crosse history last February and the August flood continues to make headlines. While the weather has been active in the Coulee region, the nation as a whole has been dominated by warm temperatures. According to the National Weather Service, the global surface temperature for 2007 is expected to be the fifth warmest on record. With around three weeks left in the year, the global surface temperature is estimated to be around 54 degrees. The only months with below average temperatures were February and April while March and August were the warmest on record. The rising temperatures has caused a rise in energy usage as well. NOAA scientists have determined that the U.S. energy demand was about 8 percent higher this summer than a summer with average temperatures.  One statistic that may stand out the most is the amount of records broken in the month of August. A large heat wave broke out across the central and southeastern portions of the nation during the month of August and was to blame for 2,500 new daily high records. A report will be released in 2008 to update the official global surface temperature and it will likely be a hot topic in the debate of global warming.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

No time...

I don't have much time this evening for blogging. One of my duties in the Forecast Center is to upgrade and backup the weather computers when new software comes in from our weather suppliers. I love this part of my job, and today I got to try out the latest version of the News 19 StormVision computer.

StormVision allows us to more quickly and accurately diagnose and track severe summer and winter storms. In fact, this latest upgrade affords us a better way to track the bands of rain, snow and mixed precipitation, so it was very nice to get a look at the latest. It will be very helpful as we get throught this winter. There are also a number of improvements to the interface we use behind the scenes, so you won't notice them, but they will be very helpful to the meteorologists here.

Gotta go now!

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Birthday forecast...

Another year has come and gone and I find myself in a new place, with a new job, and new friends.  What am I talking about?  Well, tomorrow is my 26th birthday!  I've taken the day off and I'm going to enjoy my extended weekend.  I don't know what I'll do yet, but I'm sure it'll be a good time.  I will definitely have to bundle up wherever I go.

Highs tomorrow are supposed to drop into the middle teens with morning lows near 0° by Saturday morning.  I'm sure many of you are excited like I am that it'll be a calm week in the weather department.  The on again, off again snow chances have come to an end and leave us with a little warm up next week.  It won't be much, but at least we'll get back on track for this time of the year.  We're supposed to be in the lower 30s, and we may even see a little snow melt by the middle of next week.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll see you back Monday morning bright and early at 5:30 a.m.

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

A Slower Week in the Weather Department

December 2007 has been the fourth snowiest on record. Over ten inches of snow fell during the first ten days of December and now the upcoming week will work us closer to average in the precipitation department.  Other than a slight chance for flurries tomorrow, conditions will stay dry through the middle of next week. While I like the snow, it certainly will be nice to have a week to catch my breath. The weather hasn't only been busy in the Tri-State, many locations throughout the nation are dealing with the wrath of winter. Many of the Plain states and the Midwest  are facing problems including power outages in response to a recent storm. Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma have all declared their states disaster areas. Sleet and freezing rain produced some of the big problems across these areas and the storm is to blame for over 20 deaths.  Another round of mixed precipitation will pass through these areas in the upcoming week, however this storm isn't likely to be near as bad.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

It's only 4° outside...

Folks, it's just plain freezing outside!  I was outside this morning for about half an hour shooting a commercial for the station and it took maybe five minutes for my hands to freeze.  Don't get me wrong, I love the cold weather.  Just not this cold!

I'm looking forward to my time off over the Christmas holiday.  I'm heading back home to sunny, warm Charleston, South Carolina.  My parents ask me all the time what the temperature is out here just so they can tell me they were in the lower 80s and sweating.

For those of you looking for that warmer weather, you'll have to wait a little longer.  Although we're supposed to warm up in the middle of next week, we may only see the mid 30s.  That will allow some of the snow/ice pack to melt some.  We'll have to wait and see how much does disappear.  We only need about one inch of snow on the ground to call it a white Christmas.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Freezing Rain...

Freezing rain has created quite a mess for the middle part of the country so far this late fall/early winter time frame. That's not really a big surprise, because warm air to the south is in very close proximity to cold arctic air to the north. The sharp contrasts in the vicinity of stationary or slowly moving cold fronts create layers of warm moist air overlying colder surface air. The nearly stationary front allows more than one episode to occur within just days of another; exactly the setup this week to the south of the Seven Rivers Region. Fortunately, we missed almost all of that this time around. Remember, it was early in the month when it happened here.

Which brings me to the latest cool climate info for La Crosse. We are only 11 days into the month and we are already talking about a very wet and snowy start to December. So far the La Crosse Municipal Airport, the official site for the city, has its wettest start to this month since 1927 with 1.69" of precipitation. It is also the snowiest start to December since 1990 with 10.3". Here's more:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
441 PM CST TUE DEC 11 2007

...LA CROSSE WI HAS THEIR SNOWIEST START TO A DECEMBER SINCE 1990...

DURING THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DECEMBER...LA CROSSE REGIONAL AIRPORT
HAS RECEIVED 10.3 INCHES OF SNOW.  THIS IS SEVEN TENTHS OF AN INCH
ABOVE THE DECEMBER NORMAL OF 9.6 INCHES.  THIS WAS THE SNOWIEST
START TO A DECEMBER SINCE 1990 WHEN 14.4 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
FELL.  THE TABLE BELOW CONTAINS THE SNOWIEST STARTS TO A DECEMBER IN
LA CROSSE.

               TEN SNOWIEST STARTS
                   TO A DECEMBER
                 IN LA CROSSE WI
                    1909-2007

                  DECEMBER 1-10
         RANK      SNOW TOTAL        YEAR
         ----     -------------      ----
           1       23.3 INCHES       1927
           2       14.4 INCHES       1990
           3       11.8 INCHES       1925
           4       10.3 INCHES       2007
           5       10.2 INCHES       1926
           6       10.0 INCHES       1950
           7        9.6 INCHES       1947
           8        8.1 INCHES       1969
           9        7.5 INCHES       1978
          10        7.3 INCHES       1972

Plus:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
440 PM CST TUE DEC 11 2007

...LA CROSSE WI HAS THEIR WETTEST START TO A DECEMBER SINCE 1927...

DURING THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DECEMBER, LA CROSSE REGIONAL AIRPORT
HAS RECEIVED 1.69 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.  THIS IS 0.46 INCHES
ABOVE THE DECEMBER NORMAL OF 1.23 INCHES.  THIS WAS THE WETTEST
START TO A DECEMBER SINCE 1927 WHEN 2.07 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
FELL.  THE TABLE BELOW CONTAINS THE WETTEST STARTS TO A DECEMBER IN
LA CROSSE.

                TEN WETTEST STARTS
                   TO A DECEMBER
                 IN LA CROSSE WI
                    1872-2007

                  DECEMBER 1-10
                  PRECIPITATION
         RANK         TOTAL          YEAR
         ----     -------------      ----
           1       2.07 INCHES       1927
           2       2.01 INCHES       1879
           3       1.93 INCHES       1925
           4       1.82 INCHES       1912
           5       1.69 INCHES       2007
           6       1.56 INCHES       1875
           7       1.51 INCHES       1947
           8       1.44 INCHES       1990
           9       1.41 INCHES       1926
          10       1.29 INCHES       1971

Until next time,

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Early cold...

It's just a little early in my humble opinion. Mother Nature has gotten ahead of the calendar again. It seems to me we tend to get this kind of cold weather close to Christmas time instead of the first couple weeks of December.

I remember a winter back in the late 1980s in which I helped my sister change a flat tire. It was Christmas Eve and she was driving up from Laredo, Texas. The winds were blowing and the wind chills were about 20 to 30 below zero. I think I actually suffered frostbite in a couple of fingers that night, but I managed to get her to my residence.

Since then I have paid closer attention to general shifts of weather patterns and it seems this year that we are a bit early. So far we haven't broken any record low temperatures, but we certainly have been below average and late in the week we will get even colder, so bundle up folks!

Do you have any cold weather stories to tell? Email me at: dbreeden@wxow.com I'd love to hear about them.

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Oh, what a season...

Each year we hear more and more stories of political correctness or making the public more sensitive to one person's feelings over another.  The latest causality of this is the jolly ole elf himself ... Santa Claus!  We ran a story last week about people wanting Santa to stop saying "Ho!  Ho!  Ho!" when he's in public.  They want him to say "Ha!  Ha!  Ha!"  Are you kidding me?  Wait, there's more.  Today, we ran a story that says Santa is too chubby.  He needs to be skinny!  Europe is sending their Santa characters to boot camp to slim down.  Seriously!?


This is Santa Clause we're talking about here.  He is supposed to be a big guy.  He's supposed to be jolly.  He's supposed to have rosy red cheeks.  He's supposed to mean something magical for kids at this time of the year.  Give it a rest I say.  I don't see how he promotes kids being overweight.  If he goes around leaving notes and insisting that kids be overweight, then I've got a problem.  Until then, he makes kids happy and that shouldn't be messed with.

These are my opinions, but I would love to hear yours.

On another topic now, this is also the season for Christmas music, movies, and even theater.  The one play that always come to mind when you think of Christmas theater is A Christmas Carol.  I had the pleasure of watching my first play since I moved to the area in January.  The La Crosse Community Theater cast did a bang up job bringing one of the classic stories of the Christmas season to life.  Scrooge is still mean and grumpy and the ghosts still teach him an important lesson.  There is nothing like seeing a live play on stage.  I think everyone should have the opportunity to sit in a theater and see one on stage.


Thanks for checking...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Surprise Surprise!!

You guessed it more snow is on the way. Over ten inches of snow and sleet accumulation has already fallen in La Crosse during a very active week of weather. The next chance for snow will start as early as late tomorrow afternoon. Snowfall could get a bit heavy at times during the evening and it will likely continue through the night. Between one and three inches of snow are expected with the highest accumulations off towards the south. The National Weather Service hasn't issued a snow advisory just yet but I wouldn't be surprised if one was issued tomorrow as this storm could create some traveling problems. The heaviest snow should wrap up by Sunday morning and we may also see occasional flurries throughout the day but nothing that should contribute too much to the storm total accumulation.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut,
News 19 Forecast Team

Snow Falls Again

The latest snow storm hasn't caused as many problems as the first two this week. As of 7:45 PM most areas recieved between 0.5" and 2" of accumulation. Spring Valley in Fillmore county tops the list with 3.5" of snow. The system producing snow for Wisconsin is also responsible for snow as far south as Missouri. Since La Crosse is located at the north end of this large band of snow, the time frame of this storm will be short. The heaviest snow will only last a few more hours. Counties in the eastern part of the viewing area and northeastern counties in Iowa could still see another one 1-2". By day break tomorrow, expect partly sunny skies with cool temperatures. Highs will only top off in the mid 20s. The snowpack is partially to blame for that. When snow is on the ground it causes the temperature to be a bit cooler... Speaking of cold temperatures, the mercury will really drop tomorrow night as lows fall near zero. By Saturday another low pressure system could stir up more snowfall for the region. The track of this system is still a bit up in the air as the most damage will likely stay to our south, but at this point  I wouldn't be surprised to see another couple of inches.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Its here...

There is not other word for it.  It was just plain COLD this morning.  Yeah, I'm sure there are those of you out there saying "it wasn't that bad" or "its supposed to be this cold".  I don't mind the cold or the snow.  I really don't, but when you get down to -22°F, you're allowed to say BRRRRRR!  Owen in Clark County Wisconsin reached that frigid temperature at around 7 a.m. this morning.  You can bet that those wind chills were down between -30°F and -40°F.

To top things off, the snow has continued to fall from the sky.  I've heard some people say this is a rare occurrence to have this much snow so early in the season.  Thanks to help from the National Weather Service in La Crosse, I can tell you that this isn't that unusual.  As the graphic below shows, we only have to go back two years to the 2005-2006 snow season to find that 10.5" of snow were on the ground by December 6.  Our snow depth is greater this year than it was that year (8" compared to 3").  Hopefully we'll see the snowmobile trails open real soon!  1996 was the year of greatest snowfall by December 6.  Around 16.2" of snow was already on the ground that year.

I would not be surprised if we see over 12" of total snow on the ground after the snow tonight.  Although the heaviest amounts will be well to our south, our area is expecting 2" to 4".  This snow, and the snow coming this weekend, will be the white, fluffy stuff.  It's going to be very easy to clear off of cars and driveways and sidewalks.  I'm sure everyone will be (if not already) sore by this weekend and will be happy for the relief we are seeing come to us next week.

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Snowfall: Round Three on Thursday

December is certainly making up for the eigth driest November on record. Over 8 inches of sleet and snow accumulation have been recorded in La Crosse and there is more on the way tomorrow. An Alberta Clipper will combine with another low pressure system developing in the Rockies to bring another 2-4" of snow. Flurries could fall as early as noon tomorrow with the snow picking up around 2 or 3PM. Unfortunately the heaviest snow is expected during rush hour. Roads, including highway 14, are still slippery from yesterdays snowfall and adding more snow to mix will make for hazardous driving conditions. If you would like more information on road conditions, a link to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa road conditions is listed under the weather portion of our website.
    The snow will likely taper off near midnight tomorrow. The highest accumulations are expected to the southern portions of our viewing area. A Snow Advisory has already been issued for the counties of Allamakee, Winneshiek, Crawford and Richland Counties. The advisory is in effect from noon tomorrow until midnight.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Crazy weather...

Did you ever just have one of those days where you just want to be back home in bed?  I guess today is my day.   I'd much rather be home watching the snow and people pass by from the comfort of my couch.  I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about.

I loved walking outside last night when the small, fluffy flakes of snow were falling.  It was cold, but very enjoyable walking my dog.  He's a Siberian Husky and loves the snow.  He'll run around me in circles, dig his head into the snow, and eat it.  I'll even kick snow at him and he'll jump into the air to try and eat it.

This crazy weather pattern has set up this week where we get a break from the snow for a day but the next day holds several inches of snow.  We saw that last weekend with a break Monday and then more snow last night.  Today is a break before more accumulating snow arrives tomorrow night.  We are expecting to see upwards of another 4" of new snow.  Yet another storm system arrives for Saturday and Sunday with another chance for some accumulations.

Make sure you don't put that snow shovel/snow blower too far out of the way.

Get ready 'cause here it comes...


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Wintery mess again...

As I write this blog entry the worst of the snow has moved to the south, but enough of the storm dynamics remains to keep some accumulating until after midnight. Storm totals seem on track to end up in the 3" to 6" range. The snow is a bit fluffier than the last weekend's output, but it will still be a chore to shovel it off sidewalks and driveways.

Here are some preliminary storm totals:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
0625 PM CST TUE DEC 04 2007

...RECENT REPORTED SNOWFALL TOTALS...

LOCATION      SNOWFALL  TIME    LAT/LON

IOWA

...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY...
WAUKON 8NW                    1.0         0327 PM 43.34N 91.6W

...HOWARD COUNTY...
CRESCO                        0.5         0338 PM 43.38N 92.13W

...WINNESHIEK COUNTY...
OSSIAN                        1.5         0336 PM 43.15N 91.77W


MINNESOTA

...DODGE COUNTY...
MANTORVILLE                   2.0         0523 PM 44.07N 92.75W

...HOUSTON COUNTY...
SPRING GROVE                  1.5         0253 PM 43.56N 91.64W

...OLMSTED COUNTY...
BYRON                         3.3         0548 PM 44.03N 92.65W
ROCHESTER KTTC TV             3.0         0617 PM 44.08N 92.51W
ROCHESTER AIRPORT             2.7         0613 PM 43.94N 92.5W

...WABASHA COUNTY...
KELLOGG 4S                    1.5         0324 PM 44.24N 91.99W
OAK CENTER                    1.0         0327 PM 44.35N 92.4W

...WINONA COUNTY...
WINONA                        2.0         0327 PM 44.05N 91.66W


WISCONSIN

...BUFFALO COUNTY...
MONDOVI                       3.1         0612 PM 44.57N 91.67W
GILMANTON 8SE                 2.0         0242 PM 44.39N 91.6W

...CLARK COUNTY...
NEILLSVILLE                   3.3         0611 PM 44.56N 90.59W

...GRANT COUNTY...
CASSVILLE 8NE                 1.0         0623 PM 42.80N 90.89W

...JACKSON COUNTY...
MERRILLAN                     2.5         0513 PM 44.45N 90.84W
HATFIELD                      1.0         0351 PM 44.42N 90.73W

...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
WEST SALEM                    2.6         0548 PM 43.90N 91.08W
LA CROSSE NWS                 2.3         0555 PM 43.28N 91.19W
HOLMEN                        2.1         0454 PM 43.96N 91.26W
LA CROSSE                     2.0         0607 PM 43.83N 91.23W
HOLMEN 2S                     1.8         0459 PM 43.95N 91.26W

...MONROE COUNTY...
KENDALL                       3.0         0443 PM 43.79N 90.37W

...RICHLAND COUNTY...
RICHLAND CENTER               0.8         0351 PM 43.34N 90.38W

...TAYLOR COUNTY...
LUBLIN                        3.0         0317 PM 45.08N 90.72W

...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
OSSEO                         3.5         0535 PM 44.58N 91.21W

...VERNON COUNTY...
DE SOTO                       1.8         0547 PM 43.43N 91.2W
WESTBY 3ENE                   1.2         0432 PM 43.66N 90.82W

OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING
EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURE.  NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.

These are pretty early results, but they certainly indicate a real mess on area roads.
As always exercise caution on area roads.

Until next time,

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Christmas Songs & Snow...snow...snow...

I was out last night at the WXOW Holiday Concert listening to some great sounds of the season sung by eight local high school choirs.  Aside from some very "active" children around me, the groups sounded fantastic.  I remember when I was in choir at my high school and we always practiced hard for the Christmas concerts because those were our favorite.  I'm not sure of the amount of food that was raised for area food pantries, but we're on track to beat last year's 2,000 pounds.

This once again shows that when there's a need, our community rises to the challenge to help those less fortunate than we are.  Don't forget that you can see the edited version of the concert Christmas Eve at 10 p.m. and twice on Christmas Day (once on WXOW at 11 a.m.and once on The CW at 10:30 a.m.).

Now on to the second half of this blog's title.  It seems as though we're talking about the same thing every day this week.  As I said yesterday, more snow is on the way for today.  The National Weather Service has put up a SNOW ADVISORY for our area because we're expecting some large amounts of snow accumulation.  This is a quick moving storm system, called a clipper, with a very narrow band of snow.  That band will be narrow, but it will hold some significant accumulations anywhere from 3" to 6" in total.  That snow will continue into Wednesday morning before clearing out in the afternoon.

This graphic is just one of the computer models we use to determine snow accumulation amounts.  It shows the totals by Wednesday morning. (click image for larger view)














Yet another clipper system will arrive for Thursday which looks to dump more accumulations.  I hope you've kept your snow shovel out because you will definitely need it in the coming days.  Use the drier skies on Wednesday afternoon and Friday to clear your driveway and sidewalk.

A third winter storm will arrive this weekend, and it appears to be a little stronger then its predecessors.  The timing of that storm is still uncertain, as are the snow amounts, but we'll track it closer as the week progresses.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Next winter storm...

It is pretty amazing to see what problems an average snowstorm such as the one we saw over the weekend can cause. Of course, it was average only in the snow amounts it produced, not average considering the sleet and freezing rain it deposited on top.

Now to make matters worse another snow system is making its way into our neck of the woods. It should produce 3" to 5" inches in the area, this time without the sleet and freezing rain. It should start in the morning Tuesday and continue well into Tuesday evening; even a few flurries are possible on Wednesday. The storm itself will also keep the colder than normal weather around for the rest of the week.That itself is an interesting contrast to the Autumn we just passed. Meteorological Autumn--September, October and November--was the 9th warmest on record.

As long as I am quoting climate statistics here are two more:
1. 8th wettest year on record (thanks to August and its flooding)
2. 8th driest November on record (Here's to balancing things out?)

Until next time...

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Another winter week ahead...

Our first major winter storm has come and gone leaving some pretty nasty road conditions in its wake.  Lots of folks were out driving around with several cars ending up sliding here and there.  I had to help a neighbor out of a snow pile Sunday afternoon.  The best advise I can give is to stay inside and don't travel.

As the title of this blog suggests, this will be a week with a few winter storms to watch out for.  Our first starts Tuesday which could leave us with as much as another 4" of snow by Wednesday morning.  Thursday night brings us another round of light snow.  This particular storm doesn't look like it will leave too many inches, if any, of accumulation.  There is another, stronger winter storm that may arrive by this weekend.  It could produce more measurable snow fall.

While I can't give out exact tracks and snow amounts for the Thursday storm and the weekend storm, I mention them for you to be aware of.  It helps to know ahead of time when you may need to watch out for the weather if you're going to be traveling or having fun outside.

What I can say for sure is that tomorrow's storm will be mainly snow and many of us will see as much as four more inches of snow.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Winter Storm Recap

After the eighth driest November in La Crosse, December started off with a bang. Saturday's winter storm produced treacherous conditions that made driving difficult. The storm system started in the Rockies before pushing into the central Plains and eventually the Midwest. Initially the storm brought heavy snow which made for quick accumulations, but warm air advection from southerly winds caused the precipitation type to change to sleet by the early afternoon. The temperature at the surface was still in the mid to upper 20s, but warm air aloft caused the precipitation to fall in the form of sleet. The warm air mass continued to push northward and by the evening temperatures pushed near the freezing mark. At this point the precipitation became less widespread but on and off freezing rain fell in La Crosse. Most areas ended up reporting between 3 and 6 inches of snow and sleet accumulation, which is detailed in a graphic below. In most cases a quarter of these totals were from sleet alone!  The freezing rain arguably had the biggest impact on the area. Our station is located on top of the bluffs in La Crescent and the roads were  slippery than they were during the largest snow storm in La Crosse history which occured last February. Believe it or not, it was so slippery on Saturday night that some road crews were even pulled off the roads.

A break from the winter weather won't last long. Round two will come on Tuesday. As of right now it looks like the heaviest snow will occur  Tuesday evening, but flurries will likely start falling Tuesday morning. All of the precipitation should be in the form of snow and accumulations between 2 and 4 inches are possible.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Winter Weather Packs a Punch

The first significant snow storm of the season arrived today and it certainly was an interesting one. Snowfall kicked off this morning with temperatures in the teens. Throughout the day, temperatures continued to rise and by the afternoon the temps approached the mid 20s. With that said, why did we see sleet in the afternoon hours? Warm air aloft caused the precipitation to melt before re-freezing and striking the ground in the form of sleet. The temperature didn't stop rising there. By the evening hours temperatures in the 30s caused sleet to change over to freezing rain, which made for some hazardous driving conditions. Overall, most of the area saw between 2 and 7 inches of snowfall. 4.8" of precipitation unofficially fell in La Crosse and around 2" came in the form of sleet. The following are unofficial reports of storm precipitation as of 9:30 Saturday evening.

FILLMORE COUNTY...
SPRING VALLEY 3E              6.0         0524 PM 43.68N 92.31W
SPRING VALLEY 3SW             6.0         0519 PM 43.66N 92.43W

...HOUSTON COUNTY...
HOUSTON 5E                    5.5         0527 PM 43.76N 91.49W
RENO 3SW                      4.8         0532 PM 43.53N 91.33W

WINONA COUNTY...
GOODVIEW                      4.3         0641 PM 44.07N 91.71W
ST CHARLES 5N                 4.0         0516 PM 44.04N 92.07W

...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
ETTRICK 2W                    6.0         0925 PM 44.15N 91.35W

...VERNON COUNTY...
DE SOTO                       6.1         0851 PM 43.43N 91.2W
VIROQUA                       6.0         0917 PM 43.55N 90.88W

...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
HOLMEN                        5.0         0508 PM 43.96N 91.26W
LA CROSSE                     4.8         0620 PM 43.83N 91.23W
LA CROSSE 4NW                 4.6         0506 PM 43.85N 91.27W
LA CROSSE NWS                 3.7         0620 PM 43.28N 91.19W

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team