Thursday, February 27, 2014

Current Conditions:
Temperature: -5°F
Feels Like: -24°F
Wind: Southwest @ 12 mph
Humidity: 48%
Pressure: 1023.7 mb (Relatively Stable) 

The cold lingers on for the Midwest, as temperatures continue to stay on the wrong side of zero! The next week is supposed to bring temperatures hovering in the single digits to mid-teens, while hopefully our current frigid conditions are supposed to break sometime after Wednesday. Some light snow is predicted in the next couple days as temperatures break into the low teens. Currently we are experience light winds, clear skies, and subzero temperatures. Hopefully, by May, this will all subside and we will reach into the 30s!

A high pressure dome is currently over top of the Midwest, leading to clear skies and helping to add to the chilly weather we have been experiencing.The low pressure systems that are currently all over the rest of the country will be bringing us our potential for snow in the days to come.

This Accuweather map shows what we can expect this weekend. As the subpolar jet is helping to bring extreme cold to our region, show can be expected in the middle portion of the country, where the weather is warmer, thanks to the subtropical jet bringing warm, moisture-filled air to the southern portion of the region. 

This shows wind directions over the Midwest. The center of the current high pressure dome is located over the border between Minnesota and Iowa, evidenced by clockwise, swirling wind directions that are centered over that region.

This shows the location of the subpolar jet, currently. As we can see, it is currently bringing arctic air masses south to the Midwest, causing the current deep freeze.

This sounding shows current atmospheric conditions in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both the LI and KI suggest extremely stable conditions, with no significant activity or chance for storms.