April 28, 2014 - 7:20 P.M.

Current Weather Conditions

Temperature: 44° F

Feels Like: 36° F

Wind: E at 21 mph (gusting to 32 mph)

Barometric Pressure: 1006.6 mb

Relative Humidity: 79%

Dew Point: 39° F

Figure 1 - Surface conditions for the US.

Today, as well as yesterday, was wet and gloomy. Minor storms came through our area yesterday, and the rain continued into today. Currently it isn't raining, but it's still overcast and very windy. In figure 1, you can see the amount of clouds and precipitation all over the country right now. The cold front passing through the South right now is pushing that squall line ahead of it in Louisiana and Mississippi. This is a line of thunderstorms, which in this case is quite severe. In the water vapor map in figure 2, we can see why there is so much precipitation in the Midwest and in the South: there is a lot of moisture in the air, especially with that squall line.

Figure 2 - Current water vapor in the atmosphere for the US.

Figure 3 - Wind conditions in the US.

Figure 3 is a wind map of the country, courtesy of earth.nullschool.net. Here we can see the large low pressure system in the middle of the country that is affecting both the rain in the Midwest and the cold front pushing the severe storms down south. We can also see why we currently have strong easterly winds.

Figure 4 - AccuWeather forecast.

It looks like the week will continue to be rainy and chilly. The image from AccuWeather (figure 4) shows the anticipated path of the jet stream. It also illustrates the effect that ridges and troughs in the jet stream have on local weather. In the ridges and outside of the trough, weather is warm and humid. Inside the trough, however, we have chilly temperatures from the north. With any luck, the jet stream will straighten out towards the end of the week or early next week and bring warmer weather with it. Until then, keep your umbrella handy.