More Snow! Nnnnooooo!

Alright, well yesterday I reported light snowfall. The forecast reported 0 inch accumulation and there was nothing exciting on the surface map for us, so I wasn't really expecting much for us besides some dusty flakes. However, there is a little bit more snow than I expected, and it's more than dusty flakes.

Here is a radar map of current conditions. I'm currently in Mondovi, not Eau Claire, so it's looks like we're getting descent snow coverage.

If we take a look at this current surface map we are able to understand why we're getting some snow right now. As we can see there is a low pressure cell located near western Wisconsin. What happens is that areas of higher pressure are attracted to low pressure due to the difference in density. From this, we can see a cold front located just above Wisconsin. What this symbol indicates is that the cold air from the north is moving south into the states. Behind the front is cold, dense air and in front of it is air that is warmer. Warm air is typically associated with more moisture in it than cold air. As the cold air moves down it pushes the warm up and over it. As the warm air rises it eventually cools, creating precipiation. This is because cold air isn't good at holding moisture.

Overall, the forecast for today says there will be a high of 31F. It calls for a 60% chance of snowfall with a 1 inch accumulation. It also says we'll be receiving AM snow showers, which I can confirm, although it looks like it's much lighter now than it was an hour ago. The past 24 hour snowfall says snow accumulation was 1.4 inches.

Looks like it'll be another slow car ride into the big town of Eau Claire today. Yippy!