News 19 Forecast Team Blog

Not just a snowy season in La Crosse...

If you think it has been a rough winter in the Midwest, others might agree...  They also might let you know that it has been snowy elsewhere. Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than any time since 1966. China is surviving the worst winter in the century. Southern China usually sees fairly balmy temperatures but this winter temps have been so low that many have gone days and even weeks without power because it was to cold to repair power lines. This winter has also been making headlines in parts of Canada. In just the first 2 weeks of February, Toronto saw over 25 inches of snow. That alone smashed the record snowfall for the month which was previously set in the 1950s. It hasn't just been the snow, that has made the affects of old man winter obvious, many American cities and towns suffered record cold temperatures in January and early February. In fact the average temperature in January was 0.3 degrees cooler than the 1901-2000 average. It is statistics like these that leave the question of Global Warming up in the air.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Major US earthquake...

Some big news happened in the United States on Thursday.  A damaging 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in northeast Nevada.  This is unusual because having those big type of quakes is rare in that part of the state.  This is the strongest quake there since December of 1954.  It happened about 15 miles to the east-southeast of a little town called Wells.  Tremors were felt as far east as Salt Lake City which is almost 200 miles away.  There have been reports of damage to buildings and water pipes and even a gas leak at a truck stop.

See some of the damage video by clicking this link:
http://www.wxow.com/News/index.php?ID=17336



Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Lunar Eclipse Update...

I talked about the total Lunar Eclipse yesterday, and I hope a lot of you got out to watch such an awesome event.  If you didn't, don't expect to see this type of event again until December of 2010.  I stayed up a little later than normal to get a peek at the full eclipse.  I don't have a very powerful camera, but I did manage to take a couple of great shots, and I wanted to share them with you.

See the video by clicking on this link:
http://www.wxow.com/News/index.php?ID=17276

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Total Lunar Eclipse...

Even though it'll be very cold outside tonight, there's something happening in the sky that you really should take a look at.  A total Lunar Eclipse will take place this evening and be visible everywhere clears skies abound.  The partial eclipse will begin around 7:43 p.m.  The full eclipse will be between 9:01 p.m. and 9:51 p.m.  All phases will be through by 11:09 p.m.

A Lunar Eclipse happens when the Moon passes through the shadow of Earth.  As it does, the Moon turns colors anywhere from an orange to a vivid red.  Even look for a hint of turquoise.  The reason behind the red color is due to the air and dust particles in the atmosphere.  Those particles redirect the sunlight and turn Earth's shadow a reddish color.  The turquoise color comes from the ozone layer.  Light that passes through the ozone layer actually absorbs some of the red color and comes out bluer.

Head outside with your binoculars to a dark spot around town and look up.  You can also head to the Cartwright Center on the UW-La Crosse campus between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.  They'll have telescopes available in case you don't have any binoculars.

Get out there and check it out!

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Snow piles up...

We've seen so much snow this season.  It started falling at the beginning of December, and hasn't given us a big break to speak of.  The totals have been growing for many cites in the area.  The La Crosse National Weather Service has put together some very interesting snowfall statistics that I want to share.  I've put them in graphic form for you at the bottom.  Right now we're 13.5" above a normal snow season, and we're not done yet.  Remember, we got our big 20"+ of snow during the last part of February last year.  For the last year, we ended up being about 6.2" shy of the geatest yearly snowfall total ever recorded.

Thanks for checking in!

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

More snow is on the way...

Over 12 inches of snow fell in some areas on Valentine's Day... After a short break, snow is back in the forecast and areas south and east of La Crosse could be hit the hardest. A Winter Storm Warning (Counties in pink below) is in effect from 3 AM until Midnight tomorrow. The blue counties in the viewing area fall under a Snow and Blowing Snow Advisory for the same time period. So how much snow can we expect and when will it strike the area? Light snow will start up late tonight in La Crosse but areas south and east could see sleet or freezing rain. The threat for the rain-snow mix will continue into the early morning before eventually turning into snow. The heaviest snow could start up in the late morning and will likely continue into the late afternoon. The bulk of the snow will start to wind down early tomorrow night.
    On top of heavy snow we will also see windy conditions and I wouldn't be surprised if a Blizzard Warning is issued, especially for counties to the south and east. It will be those areas that can expect the most snow. As you can see on the image below, snow accumulations will be lower as you travel northwest.
    The snow will be as a result of a system which has gained strength over the southern Plains. Systems that come out of this direction typically bring the area some of our biggest snowfalls. They tend to pull a lot of moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico and that is why they can be big weather makers. I wouldn't recommend travel tomorrow, especially during the afternoon when the heaviest snow is expected.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Winter Weather Continues...

Old Man Winter just continues to pound our area with cold air and snow cover.  It doesn't appear that Mr. Winter has a calendar to look at either.  This latest round of snow is arriving on the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day.  I'm sure so many couples have romantic evenings planned for tomorrow night.  Some of those were going to be the dinner where the big question is popped!  Now those folks are having to rethink their night out.

Snow will begin falling early in the morning tomorrow and continue throughout the day.  Some of the snow may be heavy at times.  Travel will become tricky later in the morning and in the evening as a total of 4" to 8" inches of snow fall.  To make matters worse, the winds will begin to pick up tomorrow night causing some of that snow to blow around.

We're also looking at another round of light snow this weekend where we could see another couple of inches of the white stuff.  The cold air will move in as well dropping our highs on Friday to only a few degrees above 0° for highs and a few degrees below 0° for overnight lows.

I'm not telling anyone they should cancel evening events.  You should monitor the forecast tonight and see what happens tomorrow morning before you make a decision.  Although, nothing would be wrong with throwing together a candle light dinner inside that you can cook together.  Then curl up with that person on the couch, under a blanket to keep warm, and watch the snow fall while you sip on a nice wine and eat chocolate covered strawberries.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Snow chances continue...

SNOW!  SNOW!  SNOW!  We've certainly seen our fair share of the snow this winter season.  On average, we're right where we should be though for a typical winter in this area.  We're going to build on that total during the next 24 hours.  In fact, this week of love holds a few chances for snowfall.  After today, the next chance comes on the big day itself, Valentines Day.  We'll continue to watch that storm system to see if it'll drop the heavy snow on us or further north.

Here's the snow forecast for us today:

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Frigid Weekend Recap

La Crosse has underwent a few cold snaps already this year and this weekend we added another one to the list. The frigid blast this weekend was different than the others because of the gusty winds. It all started yesterday afternoon when a cold front passed through the area. Between 4 pm and 10 pm yesterday the temperature dropped 22 degrees and wind gusts jumped up to 30 mph. The high wind speeds led to some of the coldest wind chills of the season. The highest reported wind chill in the News 19 viewing area was -43 F in Preston. When wind chills reach readings like this you can get frost bite in ten minutes or less. The frigid wind chills shown here generally occurred between 6 and 8 this morning. Eventually winds started to drop down towards the late afternoon but it was still an extremely cold day for the Westby Ski Jump tournament. Most locations throughout the area didn't report a temperature above zero. Right here in La Crosse the high was -2 F which ties for the coldest high temperature this season. Tomorrow will prove to be another cold day as highs will only rise into the single digits. The weather focus will switch from cold temperatures to snow by the early afternoon. Anywhere from 3 t0 6 inches of snow are expected between Monday and Monday night. 1-2" will likely fall Monday afternoon with another 2-4" at night.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

A cold weekend ahead...

This weekend won't be the best for outdoor activities. Unfortunately the Westby Snowflake Ski Jump Tournament falls this weekend. Conditions will be far from ideal. Saturday's high temperature will rise into the mid 20s but will occur during the morning hours. By noon the temperature will fall to 22 and the temperature will continue to plummet from their on. Looking ahead to the evening hours the mercury will be in the single digits. On top of frigid temperatures, windy conditions will make it feel even colder. Winds will be between 15 and 25 mph throughout the day with gusts  up to 40 mph. Wind chills will be below zero throughout the day with wind chills in the mid teens below zero by the evening. Aside from the wind and cold temperatures there is also a chance of some light snow, which is most likely during the morning. However, blowing snow could continue to be a problem through the day.
Heading in to Sunday the weather won't get much better. Sunday's forecast high is 5 degrees. Winds will continue to stay on the strong side so wind chills will again be well below zero. Partly sunny skies are expected, but blowing snow could continue to be a problem.
    A wind chill advisory or watch hasn't been issued yet but I wouldn't be surprised if one does get issued later this afternoon. If you are headed out to Westby tomorrow bundle up. Wear layers and cover as much exposed skin as possible to prevent frostbite.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Snow season...

The snowy and cold weather just continues to come on strong in the Upper Midwest. The latest stats indicate the amounts so far have already exceeded the normal or average 42.3" for an entire season. The National Weather Service in La Crosse reports that the La Crosse Municipal Airport has officially picked up 46.9" and that is 17.9" above average to this point in the winter season.

Are we ready to talk about a record year? Probably not. In the winter of 1961-62 78.6" fell at the La Crosse site. We would have to really pour it on to reach those lofty numbers. It is possible, but as you know, in Wisconsin the snow-making machine could just as abruptly shut off. Time will tell.

The weather pattern has shifted several times this winter, but it has worked out that snow has been able to fall in each of the different weather modes. We just missed the brunt of the latest storm. Parts of southern Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois picked up over a foot and a half of snow.

An interesting side note was the ferocity of the low pressure system that produced the snow. It also generated the record breaking February severe weather and tornado outbreak in other parts of the country.

Until next time;

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist
 

China will try to stop rain for Olympics

That's correct, you read the title right.  China will try to stop the rain for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing to guarentee dry conditions for opening ceremonies. Chinese meteorologists plan to mitigate the rain by cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is done by shooting shells containing chemicals  into the sky, but the type of chemicals will vary depending on the clouds.  For cold clouds below zero degrees, they will use a coolant made from liquid nitrogen to increase the number of droplets while decreasing their mean size. Smaller droplets are less likely to fall and precipitation can be reduced. For clouds above zero degrees they will use the seeding agent silver iodide to accelerate the droplets' collision and coalescence, producing a downdraft which suppresses the formation of clouds.

China has used a similar weather manipulation process in the past to increase rainfall in parched areas in the far northern portions of the country. That  same method may end up being used prior to the opening day of the Olympics to induce rainfall before it reaches the area. 

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team