Friday, May 2, 2014

Current Conditions
Temperature: 51°F
Feels Like: 51°F
Wind: Southeast @ 9 mph
Humidity: 61%
Pressure: 1004.6 mb ê

A little rain should be expected on and off, as we move towards less rainy conditions for the weekend. As we move into the weekend we should be able to look for a couple of trends. The first of those is a small cooldown, as a weak cold front moves through, dropping temperatures just a few degrees. The other trend should be a break in the constant precipitation we had been experiencing. While there is a chance that it will be raining today, the weekend is expected to be rather clear, with temperatures in the mid-50's. Moving into next week, we should look for some more precipitation, but overall a warming trend, with temperatures climbing back into the 60's.

This map shows the current pressure and frontal movements over the country. As we can see, the low pressure system that had been bringing near constant rain to the area is currently up near Hudson Bay. A small cold front is moving towards us, which is expected to cool temperatures for a few days. Overall, the country is mostly being affected by high pressure systems, except for the northern central portion of the country.

This Accuweather map shows the projected trends for next week. Hopefully, these will hold true, because this model has the jet stream pushing north and warm temperatures expanding out from the Texas panhandle region.

This map shows the current jet stream patterns over the country. Currently, we can see the trough starting to really recede back north, as the subtropical jet is starting to get another foothold on the area.

This map shows the current surface conditions for the region of the Midwest. Currently, much of the eastern half of the viewing area is covered by clouds, but winds from the west should start to push the clear skies towards us.

This sounding from Minneapolis, Minnesota shows the current atmospheric conditions in the area. Currently, there is a very small chance for atmospheric conditions in the area, but if they occur they should be expected in the form of non-severe conditions.