Wow What a Cold!

Winter is going to hit us hard this week. The image below will explain why:

The Red line that is extending its way into the Alabama and Mississippi is the 540 pressure line of the upper atmosphere. This line is equivalent to roughly 32 degrees at the surface. It is generally pretty impressive to have that line extend that far south, but what is more amazing is the 510 pressure line. This line is usually associated with extremely cold temperatures that can easily dip below freezing with wind chills in the negative double digits. That 510 line of air usually hangs around in northern Canada. If it ever rears its ugly head it would usually affect only the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. This extremely cold air looks like it will be sticking around for the next couple of days. The brunt of that air should exit the region by January 25th, which is when we may see our first shot of precipitation for much of the Midwest pending any lake effect snow that may happen.

I know it is the middle of winter and everyone is most certainly prepared but here are some essential items if you need to trek around campus or walk for your car to the office.

I hope everyone has a nice week. Stay warm out there the extreme cold will only last a matter of days!

Weekly Weather Update: Jan. 14-21, 2013

For the week of January 14:

An extremely cold air mass has pushed its way southward into the Western and Central United States on Monday. This was a large departure from the unseasonably high temperatures experienced by much of the Eastern half of the country. The sharp temperature contrast between these two air masses can clearly be seen extending from Texas and into E. Canada on the 850 millibar temperature chart below:

Along this steep temperature gradient, persistent rainfall is expected to occur in areas west of the Appalachian from Monday through Wednesday. A strong high pressure located in the Atlantic will block the eastward progressing trough, allowing for moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to funnel its way into areas such as Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. The overrunning moisture along the frontal boundary will bring moderate to heavy rainfall, likely leading to localized flooding issues in these areas. Below is the three-day quantitative precipitation forecast from the HPC:

Into the weekend, latest models hint at a low pressure system developing in the Alberta province and swinging southward into northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Moderate snowfall and gusty winds could be expected within this region on Saturday/Sunday. The storm can be seen in central Wisconsin on this four-panel chart for Saturday afternoon:

Stratustatus will keep you posted on all the potential weather events this week. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Have a good week!

Super Sweet Anvil Cloud

Cool looking cloud I saw on my way home from class this past fall.

The Status of the Stratus

       I will have to write this rather quick due to the fact I have some errands to run in the next hour so here me out. Stratustatus is moving along as we continue to bypass obstacles that may have set us back a little. We are begining to understand how the business environment operates and it is a great learning experience.

       Stratustatus will hopefully have some form of a logo next week (fingers crossed). We have also went along with the addition of a splash page through the website Launchrock. This site is a very neat way to assist in the promotion of you business startup. The look of  and user interface of this page is not the best and will get better I promise.

       This semester looks to be a tough one with the amount of credits (20) that I will be taking. We also hope to launch this application by the end of this semester. I will have a good idea of a launch date when more progress has been executed. That being said the Stratustatus Team will be busting our butts to make our weather app sucessful.

       We are possibly planning to let some individuals test the app before its release to recieve honest and genuine opinions about its user interface, mobility, and flow. This will be a crucial in the output of our final project. Lastly, we plan on getting some promotional events developed around our launch date.

       For anyone that reads this I thank you for your interest in our company. More updates will be given in the upcoming weeks. Be sure to sign up on our webpage here as a way to express your interest in BETA testing.

Thanks for all the support,
Nick Hesterman
CEO of Stratustatus LLC

Christmas 2012 Storm on the Horizon

     Merry Christmas Eve, folks! As most of you have heard in the chaos of shopping and wrapping presents, a significant severe weather and snow event threatens a large portion of the U.S. this week. This storm will have major impacts with heavy snowfall amounts, strong winds, and even a potentially major tornado outbreak in the Gulf Coast states on Christmas Day.

12Z NAM run for 12Z December 25, 2012 courtesy of PSU Ewall

     We'll first begin discussing the formation of this potent weather system. An impressive upper-level trough is currently working its way across the Rockies, deepening as it progresses over the leeward side of the mountains. As this cold air moves southward and contacts warm Gulf air early Tuesday morning, significant amount of energy is present for the low pressure to intensify near the Mexico/TX border. Also, the presence of ample moisture will enable heavy snowfall and the tornado/severe weather threat.



    

Day 2 SPC Convective Outlook Categories and Probabilities

     The number one concern from this system is the severe storms to occur in the Gulf states on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. The Storm Prediction Center's convective outlook for Christmas Day shows a moderate risk area from central Louisiana extending eastward into west-central Alabama. Extremely strong wind shear and considerable instability in the warm sector of the low pressure system will be the main drive behind the potential for isolated supercells supportive of long-track tornadoes. Along with supercells capable of tornadoes, possible bowing storms will also lead to very damaging winds. Based on simulated radar reflectivities, the severe storms appear to begin in the morning hours of Tuesday and continue through the evening. Residents of these areas should keep informed throughout the day on any severe weather watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

12/24 12Z NAM Snow Depths courtesy of WeatherBell

     On the opposite end of the weather spectrum, snowfall will also be a major concern for those traveling in the Midwest and Northeast this holiday. Excessive snowfall potential has already led to the issuance of winter storm watches and warnings extending from Oklahoma northeastward towards northwest Ohio and southern Michigan. Snow will likely start falling in Oklahoma early Christmas morning, and will track northeastward into Thursday. The 12Z NAM output shows snowfall depths up to 16" in some areas of the storm track. However, these snowfall amounts are likely overestimated. With the energy and moisture extracted from the Gulf by the highly-probable severe storms in the South, snowfall amounts should remain lower than what is currently forecasted by many models. Totals for much of the areas within the snow swath should remain below 12", with higher amounts possible in the higher elevations of the Appalachians. At any rate, people should exercise extreme caution if traveling on the roads on Tuesday through Thursday. At the airport, expect many delayed and cancelled flights due to this system. Also, be sure to stay tuned to any watches or warnings issued for your area by the National Weather Service.

As with any weather event, follow Stratustatus on Twitter and Facebook below for continuous updates throughout this significant Christmas storm. Happy holidays, and stay safe out there!

Winter Storm Update: 2:15 PM EST Dec. 20, 2012

The first significant winter weather system for the Midwest is currently underway. This event has prompted blizzard and winter storm warnings in states such as Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Along with white-out conditions, areas in the South have seen severe weather including damaging winds and tornadoes.

Current MSL pressure analysis from the SPC Mesoanalysis shows the deepening low pressure of 984 hPa located over north-central Illinois progressing northwestward. The black lines (known as isobars, or lines of equal pressure) along the western side of the storm are seen very close to one another; this indicates winds at the surface are beginning to strengthen. Wind speeds of 53 mph have been reported at the Davenport, IA airport. Of course, cold air associated with these gusty winds has allowed for heavy snowfall to occur, prompting blizzard conditions in Iowa and Wisconsin (MCD 2193).

Heavy snowfall will continue to occur for the Wisconsin area throughout the evening. Rainfall that is currently occurring the Chicago metro will gradually switch over to frozen precipitation in the next few hours, creating an extremely hazardous rush hour commute. Snowfall in Wisconsin and northwest IL could exceed 12" in some areas. As for areas south of the Chicago area, snowfall amounts should be limited to the 2-4" range. Lake-enhanced snowfall is likely to occur in the early morning hours of Friday, 12/21 in northern Indiana and western Michigan.

 Here's a video looking at the blizzard conditions as of 10 AM this morning: http://youtu.be/nAtQc-LQV50


Continue to follow Stratustatus on our media outlets below for updates throughout the afternoon and evening on this major winter event:
Twitter
Facebook

Winter is on its way

One of the greatest times of the season is Thanksgiving. Between the Turkey, Football, and the fight for Black Friday deals a wave of Winter has decided to make its way into the Midwest and Northeast this holiday weekend. The upper Great Plains and Montana have already been battling winter's wrath with Blizzard and Winter Storm warnings punishing the region. Now I can honestly say that the winter season is here to stay for Midwestern and Northeastern families.

Our Thanksgiving Day in Indiana was beautiful. We experienced temperatures reaching upwards of 60 degrees with excess amounts of sun. It was perfect weather to go out and throw the football, eat food, drink beverages, and have a great time. During the late evening hours a low front bullied its way through the Midwest with rain and clouds, which led to a drastic temperature change for Friday. 

Friday was a brutal welcoming of Winter with snow flurries invading the region. Also, the first bouts of lake effect snow hit home in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York. Is this just a precursor to the winter we will receive? Only time will tell.

We will be posting on weather related discussing later this week.

Thanks,

The Stratustatus Team