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!

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

Indiana Weather: Case Study:(September 13-14, 2012)

           Between Thursday, September 13, 2012 and Friday, September 14, 2012, a weak storm system pushed through Indiana. This particular system did not produce and severe weather, however, it brought some needed showers for Indiana’s dry soils. The most recent drought monitor, retrieved from www.drought.gov, shows that the majority of Indiana is still under D1 Category, indicating moderate drought, and areas to the south are seeing severe drought (D2).

Figure 1: Drought Monitor (September 11, 2012)
www.drought.gov

                In Figure 2 (Surface Map Image), a dome of high pressure dominated over the east coast and into Indiana on September 12, 2012 during the evening (Approximately 8:15pm EDT). There was also a well-defined cold front pushing its way through Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas bringing showers to those states.  Notice in the Infrared Satellite, the cloud cover associated with these lines for storms.  

Figure 2: Surface Map : September 12, 2012 (8:15pm EDT)

Figure 3: Infrared Satellite September 12, 2012 (8:01 pm EDT)

  

                By 8:15 pm EDT September 13, 2012, the cold front enters Indiana with showers closely behind in Illinois (Figure 4). On the 850 mb map (approx. 1 mile above the surface), you can see the defined frontal boundary, Gulf moisture feeding into the system, and the cold air influence from Canada. (Arrows on Figure 

5 show this).

Figure 4: Surface Map September 13, 2012 (8:15pm EDT)

850 mb Map: September 13, 2012 (8:00 pm EDT)

 The rain finally arrived overnight, and by 8 am September 14^th, the system became a bit more unorganized at the surface by the morning (Figure 6). The cold front had turned stationary, which left lingering showers in the area throughout the morning and early the afternoon hours.  By that evening, high pressure dominated the Indiana/Illinois region (Figure 7 ), once again, and the front pushed away toward the east coast.

Figure 6: Surface Map September 14, 2012 (8:15 am EDT)

Figure 7: Surface Map September 14, 2012 (8:15 pm EDT)

This low pressure system did not cause any severe weather and there were no severe weather reports, according to the Storm Prediction Center’s website (www.spc.noaa.gov). After analyzing the 300mb chart, the polar jet stream stayed to the north, which is one possibility on why this front did not produce any thunderstorms because of the lack of wind shear (Figure 8). 

Figure 8: 300 mb September 12, 2012 (8:00 am EDT)

Another reason that this system could’ve been weak was how the front became disorganized when it was residing over the state. Overall, this might have been a weak system to move through Indiana however, every little bit counts when the state is trying to recover from the exceptional drought that occurred last summer.

Surface Map Images and Upper Level Maps retrieved from: http://weather.unisys.com/archive/index.php