Thursday, August 24, 2006

Stormy

Update--6:22 p.m.: We are now under our 5th Severe Thunderstorm Watch of the last two days. Today's first round of thunderstorms moved through during the early afternoon, and round two is on the way. Severe storms are occurring across much of western Wisconsin and southern Minnesota, and they are expected to increase in coverage through the evening and gradually move toward southwest Wisconsin. This has been an exceptionally active period of severe weather--the National Weather Service has issued a total of 45 severe thunderstorm warnings for various counties throughout the region since yesterday afternoon, and that number is likely to grow tonight. Wasn't I just saying that the severe weather season had been unusually quiet?

Morning entry: There is the possibility for several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms today and tonight. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 4:00 this afternoon. This is a very complex weather situation and should be monitored very closely.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Confused...

The folks at the National Weather Service in La Crosse must be looking at a different radar image than I am. They claim that a severe thunderstorm should be moving through La Farge right now, but the storm is nowhere close to us on the radar. Hillsboro is about to get hammered though...

Monday, August 14, 2006

Relatively Quiet

Nothing much to report on the weather front. Some very seasonable weather conditions have finally settled in, after last month's heat and humidity. This should be a very pleasant week, with high temperatures in the 80s. Rain chances return by late in the week, and the National Weather Service is already hinting at the possibility of severe thunderstorms on Friday. Still four days away, so needless to say I am more than a little skeptical, especially when most severe weather forecasts have been major busts this year. Of course, it was this time last year that it really got interesting, with the Viola and Stoughton tornadoes on August 18th.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Storms Approaching

A thunderstorm complex has developed over southern Minnesota and northern Iowa tonight, and is moving east toward the Mississippi River. It will likely arrive after midnight, and some severe weather is possible. Heavy rain should be the bigger threat, however, what with the copious amounts of moisture in the atmosphere. A flash flood watch in effect for counties north and west of here, where two to four inches of rain could fall. Could be an active night, but with the way things have been going lately I wouldn't be surprised if all the rain somehow manages to bypass us. That seems to have been the pattern lately.

The cold front will move through tomorrow, effectively putting an end to the heat and humidity. The mercury rose to 95 degrees this morning before the clouds rolled in, but it remains quite humid this evening. Nine straight days of 90+ temperatures has come to an end.