News 19 Forecast Team Blog

Moisture Laden Storm...

Another storm has come and almost gone. Heavy rain and some snow blanketed the Upper Midwest today. Fortunately, we have not seen major issues, though some waterways are on the rise in a few places.

The low pressure system was quite powerful with strong southerly breezes tapping into Gulf of Mexico moisture. The winds lifted the air over a warm front just south of us, generating a large shield of precipitation. As the system moves rapidly eastward improvement will take over. Expect some sunshine Tuesday, but a brisk northerly wind will keep temperatures chilly. Highs will reach into the upper 30s to around 40 degrees in the afternoon.

The weather patterns should revert back to normal for the rest of the week, with only a slight chance of rain for Wednesday night and Thursday. Highs will then warm into the 50s for Friday and the weekend.

As a final note, here are links to some of the precipitation amounts from the latest storm:

Some area snow totals
Some area rain totals

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Spring Storm...

The first real spring storm is gearing up to give us a little bit of everything Mother Nature has to offer.  The graphic below shows, in detail, who can expect what.  This will mostly be a rain event for the News 19 viewing area, but some snow will fall just north of Winona and up around Eau Claire and Black River Falls.  If you're heading up that direction or to the Twin Cities, be prepared for the snow fall.  The Cities are expecting between 6" and 12" of snow.

We could be looking at around an inch of rain around La Crosse and north.  South of La Crosse, we could see upwards of 2" of rainfall.  That's where a FLOOD WATCH is in effect.  If you're driving around and you see water covering the road, remember this phrase from our Weather Academy: "Turn around, Don't Drown".  It only takes a few inches of water to carry a car away.  You never know how deep a puddle of water can be.

There may be a mix of rain and snow late tonight and early tomorrow morning for us, but don't expect any accumulations from those flurries.  Just stay dry and as warm as you can today and tomorrow.  Keep looking ahead to the sun and temps in the lower 50s by Thursday.


Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Touring News 19...

Wednesday of this week I had a great group of youngsters come to News 19 to take a behind-the-scenes tour of how a television station works.  They were from the Birchwood Daycare in West Salem.  This is a great part of my job.  As the morning meteorologist, I'm in charge of showing school groups around the building and teaching them what it takes to put a newscast on the air.  We tell them about our control rooms and what a director is in charge of and show them all the buttons the director has to push during a show.

We also take them to the newsroom to show them where the reporters work when they're not on-the-air or out in the field.  The newsroom is where all the stories are written, a newscast is produced, and stories are edited together with sound and video.

The biggest draw for any group is to tour our studio where the newscast is actually broadcast from.  The minute they enter the double doors, their mouths and eyes open wide.  The first thing they notice is how much smaller it looks in person than it does on television.  While in the studio, we talk about how the cameras work, how the teleprompters work, how the weather computers work and how we actually do the weather on-the-air.

The video below show a few pictures of the Birchwood group from Wednesday.

If your group would like information on taking a tour of the News 19 Studios, email me at zbrown@wxow.com.

Have a great and sunny weekend!



Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Largest barometer...

I was sent an interesting email the other day and I wanted to share it with everyone.  As most of you know, I spent my first three years in this business living in Missouri.  I took several trips to Kansas City, but I never noticed this sign before.

Sunlight Saunas got a little creative with the way they displayed their business to the public.  Plus, it has a weather twist.  As you pass the sign, you'll see a different color everytime.  That's because the sign also doubles as a barometer.  A barometer is a weather instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

Each of the three colors represent a change in the atmosphere.  Yellow lights indicate a high pressure system approaching which means nice, clear weather.  Green lights indicate that a storm system (low pressure) may be on the way.  Blue lights indicate a low pressure system approaching which usually translates into stormy conditions.  This sign for the company faces Interstate 435 in Overland Park, Kansas and it measures 10' by 40'.

Obviously, the colors would be too hard to see during the day, so the sign is set to turn on around 5 o'clock in the afternoon.  That's a perfect time since people getting off work will be able to see what the weather's going to be as they head home.  Plus, the sign is usually at a lower angle on its way to setting which would make the colors a little easier to see.

I've posted video of the sign and the colors.  Now, the video is short and shows colors going back and forth like crazy.  This isn't how it actually works.  During a pressure change, the colors usually take about a minute to change.  The fast paced light show was to showcase all the colors and how it works.  It may take a second to load, so please be patient.

Hope you find this interesting!

Thanks for checking in...

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Longer Range trends???

Coming off one of the more unusual winter seasons, you may have questions about why it was so cold and snowy. Climatologists and meteorologists have been looking for those clues, and it appears that an unusual cooling of the equatorial Pacific waters has been one of the reasons.

Temperatures in the Pacific surface waters have been about 2 degrees celsius below average, which is a pretty strong deviation. In addition to being a reason for the colder winter for us, it also a very likely a reason for the drier conditions in the drought-prone southeastern United States.

So what might the future hold for the region? In the short-term the waters are forecast to gradually warm and that will probably mean a return to more normal weather patterns for our area.  That's good news because it should lead to a warming trend for the Seven Rivers Region. The latest outlooks for the longer term trend, on average, toward more normal readings and precipitation.

If you would like more information regarding the La Nina and its effects you can visit Climate Prediction Center .

Until next time, enjoy the weather.

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

Friday Storm Recap

Friday's snow storm was the largest single day spring snowfall in La Crosse since 1987, and the eighth largest single day snow this late in the season. La Crosse officially received 6.8" of snow at the airport in La Crosse, a record for the 21st of March. Most areas throughout the News 19 viewing area saw 4-8" of snow, with lower amounts to the south and west. In fact northeastern, Iowa hardly recieved any snow at all. Snow started accumulating in La Crosse at around 4 AM yesterday and continued until around midnight. Visibilities dropped below a half mile in areas which received the highest amounts of snow, and snowfall rates reached an inch per hour. Good news if you are looking forward to spring, the wet and heavy snow won't stick around long. Aside from tomorrow, temperatures will be in the 40s over the next week. What isn't good news is that temperatures like that will be below average for this time of year.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

The weekend is here...

An early spring storm has come and gone depositing 4" to 8" of fresh, wet heavy snowfall. At this time of the year you can almost wait out the melting of said snowfall, without shoveling. In this La Nina year, however, temperatures will remain cold enough that it will take awhile to get rid of the snow that way.

La Nina is a cooling of the central Pacific sea surface temperatures compared to normal values. The effect of the cooling means a deflection of the atmospheric jet stream currents, that brings about colder than average temperatures for the Upper Midwest. It will also likely mean a slower return to warmer more summerlike readings. That's not what you want to hear if you are anxious to get back out on the golf course or the outdoor tennis course.

This winter season has brought over 60" of snow to La Crosse, well above average, but not record setting. I, for one, am happy to see the moisture. It will likely ensure that there will be plenty of water for lawns and agricultural crops once they start to grow, at least early in the growing season. In addition, we have managed to avoid major flooding problems because the snow has melted slowly enough and frost depth is shallow; therefore runoff has not become a problem.

Until next time, have a happy and safe weekend.

Dan Breeden
News 19 Chief Meteorologist

In Like a Lion out Like a Lamb?

If March comes in like a lion, it is said to go out like a lamb. I would say it is the exact opposite this month. Up to this point La Crosse, has received less than an inch of snow. Of course that is all changing today as "lion-like" weather has struck the area. On my way to work this morning (around 3 AM), snow was just starting to fall but it wasn't accumulating. With soil temperatures, near or above the freezing mark, I wondered, is our forecast going to be a bust? It turns out that the snowfall rates today have been high enough that the snow has accumulated. By around 7 AM this morning most locations had already picked up an inch of snow, which has been just enough to create slippery road conditions. This snow has been unlike any snow up to this point in the season. It is by far the wettest, and heaviest we have seen... you could almost call it slushy. More of that kind of snow is expected through the morning, and it will be on the heavy side. The visibility in La Crosse as of the 9 o'clock hour was below a half a mile, that will likely keep up until the snow lightens up this afternoon. Snow is expected to continue until around midnight tonight and it could produce significant snowfall totals. Most of the snow will be concentrated north of the Minnesota-Iowa border, and La Crosse could see anywhere from 4-8". A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 7 PM this evening for all of the counties in the News 19 viewing area with the exception of Jackson County. Jackson county is under a Snow Advisory until 7 PM, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. Check out the images below, for more forecast details. The snow totals reported are from around 9 o'clock this morning.

If you do plan on driving today consult the Department of Transportation website for road conditions. There is a link to that site at the bottom of the weather page at wxow.com.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Just when we thought winter was over....

Today marks the first day of spring, but mother nature has different plans... snow, yes snow is back in the forecast. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from this evening until Friday evening. To see which counties this Watch applies to check out the image below. As the storm draws closer, I wouldn't be surprised if the Watch is upgraded to a Warning. Beginning with this evening we will have a chance for light rain which will eventually switch to a rain/snow mix. Shortly after midnight, the precipitation type will switch over to snow, and the snow chance will continue into Friday night. 1-4" of snow could fall tonight with highest accumulations to the south. It will likely be a slippery commute to work for Good Friday. The snow doesn't stop there, another 1-4" could fall during the day on Friday. The bottom line is that the heaviest snow will fall south of I-90. Speaking of heavy snow, since temperatures will be on the warm side, this will likely be a dense snowfall and this storm will give you another opportunity to use your snowblower. Since Easter is this weekend, it will be busy on the roads. Saturday will sport a chance of flurries but roads could still be a bit slick from Friday's snow. By Sunday, traveling appears much better as mostly cloudy skies are expected.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Late winter storm...

Just when we thought we could store the snow shovels and snowblowers... A late winter storm is moving through the western United States on a track to affect the News 19 viewing area. A WINTER STORM WATCH has been posted for a large part of the region from Thursday at 7 PM to Friday at 7 PM. Southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and part of southwestern Wisconsin are included in the watch. La Crosse, Vernon, Crawford and Richland counties are in the watch area. A winter storm watch means that amounts of snow in excess of 6 inches are possible.

Enough snow will fall Thursday night for significant amounts to impact morning travel. If you are not on spring break monitor the forecast for any school closures or delays. Snow will continue on and off on Friday and again travel will likely be poor during the day. By Friday night the storm will pull away and things will improve rapidly.

Also, in this case the temperatures will be close to the freezing mark, so the snow should be heavy and wet, therefore harder to shovel and move out of the way. Exercise caution when shoveling and take it easy. There is not a tremendous amount of cold air in its wake, so highs should rebound over the weekend to the lower or middle 40s.

Stay tuned to News 19 for continuing updates on this developing storm.

Severe Weather Strikes the Georgia Dome

Thursday marks the first day of the spring season and as temperatures start to rise the threat for severe weather will also increase. It didn't take the spring season for severe weather to affect areas in the Southeast.  On Saturday night a powerful storm ripped two holes in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. What made the storms impact even more significant was the fact that during the storm the Dome was hosting the mens basketball SEC tournament. A game between Mississippi State and Alabama, which was in overtime, was stopped for the safety of the players, coaches and fans in the building. The storm sent large pieces of the stadiums siding to the ground outside the building as small debris fell inside the arena.  Scaffolding from the cieling in the dome was reportedly swaying and several fans commented that it sounded like a freight train was moving by. Windows were also shattered at a nearby hotel and at the CNN Center. The National Weather Service has since confirmed that an EF-2 tornado had struck the area, meaning winds were as strong as 130 mph.  Below is some video of storm damage at the Georgia Dome.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team

Snow all winter...

It's been a long winter with all of the snow we've seen fall from the sky.  Although spring doesn't offically start for a little more than a week, I want to recap this winter season.  We saw our first snowflake fall on November 5 and our first measurable amount of snow on November 17 where a tenth of an inch fell.  December 22 and 23 was our biggest snow storm of the season when we saw 11.4" of snow.  We've had a total of 47 days where snow actually fell.  This includes all trace and measurable amounts.  Snow has been on the ground since November 30 and it's been 102 days straight without any major snow melt.  This is the 9th longest stretch of snow on the ground in the area.  As long as there's an inch of snow on the ground, that number of 102 will continue to climb and raise our ranking.


Thanks for checking in

Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist

Spring can't come soon enough

I don't know about you, but I am ready for warmer weather. During the winter I usually feel that if it is going to be cold we might as well have snow. We certainly got our fair share of that this winter, may be a bit to much in my opinion. Unfortunately, even though it is March, we aren't out of the woods just yet in terms of snowfall. During the month of March, La Crosse typically recieves around 7" of snow... but who knows, the way this winter went, we could see way more than that. As long as we are talking about March, lets get into temperatures. The average temperature on the first of the month is 38 degrees but by the last day of the month the average temperature is 52 degrees. You may have hear the weather proverb, "In like a lion, out like a lamb." That saying applies to the month of March and what it means is that if we see a wintery start to the month, the end of the month will follow with warm spring-like temperatures. The next seven days won't exactly feature harsh winter conditions but 6 out of 7 days the temperature will be below average. We will also see a chance of snow late Sunday night into Monday morning. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed, that hopefully this lives up to "lion" conditions, because "lamb" conditions seem nothing short of ideal at the time.  I feel a bit lazy during the winter and I can't wait to get outside more often. I'm the type of person that would take a 90 degree day over a 15 degree day. The real question I should ask myslef is why I am still living in Wisconsin.

Until Next Time,

Andrew Thut
News 19 Forecast Team