A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES...
LET'S GET IT DONE...85% TOWARDS MY GOAL
MY FUNDRAISER CONTINUES....
Many of you are daily visitors and make financial or personal decisions based on the information presented. The majority of you appreciate the honesty, accuracy, and knowledge that you gain. If you fall into any of those categories, I ask that you make a $20 dollar investment in what I feel is a unique and reliable product. I'm still about $2,275 from my goal. The future is in your hands, and I hugely appreciate the generosity of those who have contributed. If you find value in the site and see the effort that's put into it, please consider a
minimal donation. T. Swails
A TOUGH WEEK...
The past week was not for the faint of heart here in the Midwest. Temperatures were crunchy cold and well below average by 10-13 degrees per day.
Snowfall for one of the few times this year was above normal, especially in the west and north.
Snowfall for the season increased by 5-9 inches in my western and northern counties. However, the snow drought continues in SE Iowa and WC Illinois where much lighter amounts were found.
Snowfall deficits continue to be substantial around all of the central Midwest on the order of 10-20 inches. NC Iowa has had really bad sledding where deficits of 27-28 inches are found. In Moline, departures of 21 inches are noted.
SNOW BREEDS COLD...
Recent snow cover did play a big roll in creating some bitterly cold temperatures in my northern and western counties early Tuesday. For some, Tuesday night was the coldest of the winter so far, with low temperatures crashing to 23 below in Fayette, Iowa (typically a cold spot). Oelwein hit minus 22 and Independence bottomed out at 17 below.
Here are some of the lows reported around eastern Iowa and northern Illinois. Notice readings in SE Iowa and WC Illinois with limited snow cover were about 10-13 degrees warmer thn areas further northwest.
Wind chills from Waterloo, to Independence and on to Dubuque fell into the range of 34-38 below.
These are some of the coldest lows and wind chills reported by the NWS in the Quad Cities.
Overnight, readings have again approached zero or slipped a few degrees below that level, but the core of the coldest air has shifted off to the southeast. Even so, there has been enough of a breeze for wind chills of 20-25 below. A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect for the entire area until noon Wednesday. Dress properly if you are going to be out for any extended period of time. Additional headlines for cold air are likley Wednesday night and Thursday morning as well.
The frigid weather will last through Thursday and then begin to moderate. Both the EURO and GFS indicate highs above freezing Sunday rising to the mid to upper 40s Monday and Tuesday. A 50 is possible in the south if most of the snow is melted come Tuesday. This is the 6-10 day temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center showing the warmth spreading across the west into the Midwest next week.
At jet stream level (500mbs), you can see a general W/NW flow cutting across the northern tier of the nation. Additionally, ridging becomes minimal from Alaska to the Pacific NW which for the next week does not support cold air intrusions.
Temperature departures go from this.
To this next Tuesday. Look at how mild air has flooded North America in this new upper air configuration. That's a pretty radical change!
The meteograms show the thaw lasting at least through at least early March. What a sight for sore eyes.
The EURO
The GFS
A key teleconnection to watch around the 5tht of March will be the EPO (Eastern Pacific Oscillation). Both the EURO and GFS have it turning negative around that time. That implies ridging returns to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest that would likely cut-off the flow of mild Pacific air. Additionally the MJO is shown in phases 1 and 2 which are considered cold analogs.
Up until that time the W/NW flow is not moisture friendly and I would expect minimal storminess the next 10 days. Here's the precipitation departures and they are certainly showing a dry trend through February 28th. A rather quiet period appears to be in store for most of the country.
The GFS
The EURO
Meantime its more of the same with Arctic high pressue keeping the chill on high. Patience young grasshopper, our time will come. Roll weather, and if you can spare a donation, I will see to it that it's money well spent....TS
