Number Two:  Wet and Active Summer

• four inches below avg. on June 1 (moderate drought in areas north of I-94)
• 25.44″ of rain from June 1 through September 30 (an avg. of 6.36 inches per month)
• periodic strong to severe storms
• 46 tornadoes this year in Wisconsin – the second most ever in a calendar year.  The most was 62 in 2005

NUMBER ONE:  HISTORIC SNOWSTORM

• 22″ measured in Eau Claire on December 11 (highest one day amount ever in Eau Claire)
• snowfall rates of 1-2″ per hour for several hours, along with blustery conditions
• over 100 miles of I-94 closed – most local events that night cancelled.
• a grand total of 30″ of snow in December (second highest December snow total in Eau Claire)

Picking which one of these events was the biggest – or had the highest impact on the Chippewa Valley - was tough!  Until December 11 the choice was simple.  Our yearly precipitation total was way behind where we should’ve been on June 1, a moderate drought had been in place for weeks, and the long range climate prediction didn’t give a lot of hope for drought relief.  The atmosphere had a different idea, however, as an active jetstream and weather pattern developed and moved through the upper Midwest on several occasions.  Each time heavy rainfall and bouts of severe weather were the result.  By the time September drew to a close, we had averaged over six inches of rain for the four month stretch of June-September.  Drought was eliminated and many crops were thriving!

Following September the upper level pattern changed and the remainder of the fall season was a fairly quiet one for western Wisconsin.  There was a strong system that moved through the region at the end of October, and a couple more in November which brought some heavy snow to Minnesota.  Each time the Chippewa Valley escaped the major weather headlines.  The December 11 storm was a different story, however.  Low pressure originating from the Pacific  began to strengthen on the evening of the 10th, with snow beginning around midnight of the 11th here in western Wisconsin.  What followed was a 20 hour stretch of  heavy snow, piling up at the rate of an inch or two per hour for many hours.  It was the first time I can recall in my 8+ years of living here that the interstate was completely closed.  Numerous events were cancelled that weekend, and it literally took a couple of weeks to find sidewalks and turn lanes that had been buried by snow.  It was the culmination of what was certainly an interesting, and active weather year across the upper Midwest. 

But … the year that was is now history.  We look ahead to the start of a new year and wonder what is in store for western Wisconsin over the next 12 months.  Only time will tell! 

Have a great 2011!

Doug Michaels

Posted under Hometown Weather

Number Four:  Wimpy End to the ’09-10 Winter Season

• first snowless March in Eau Claire history!
• only 12.5″ of snow after January 1 (a meager 4.5″ in January)
• five straight days in the 60s (March 14-18); 70s by the end of the month
• record high of 84 on April 1

Number Three:  September Flooding

• major flooding of the Trempealeau and Black rivers in Jackson, Buffalo, and Trempealeau counties (Arcadia and Merrillan among the hardest hit communities)
• five to seven inches of rain in less than 24 hours (over 4″ in Eau Claire)

A snowless March – while common in some parts of the country – is almost unheard of here in Wisconsin.  In fact, the last measureable snowfall of the ’09-10 winter season came on February 23 ( a whopping four tenths of an inch!).  Taking it a step further … the last snow measurement of at least an inch was back on February 14!  There are some years where that would place first or second on a list of significant events, but not in 2010. 

Third place is awarded to the flooding and heavy rain event of September 22-23.  An unseasonably moist flow from the Pacific combined with a stalled out frontal boundary to create constant rainfall, beginning on the evening of the 22nd and continuing through late afternoon of the 23rd.  Communities in Buffalo, Trempealeau, and Jackson counties near rivers experienced historic flooding.  Arcadia was one of those towns hardest hit, as you can see by the abnormally high level of the Trempealeau river.

Stay tuned . . .  my picks for the top two weather events of the year are coming up tomorrow!

Posted under Hometown Weather

It’s hard to believe the end of another year is almost upon us!  Growing up I was a huge fan of the weekly music countdown shows, especially the year-end ones that showcased the biggest songs of the past year.  I would plan my entire day around the radio, making sure the TV was within earshot of each song as the countdown went from 100 all the way to number one!  While that annual tradition ended years ago for me, I began my own little tradition of counting down the top five weather events of the year for western Wisconsin. 

Before I begin this years list, let me preface with just a few words about how I decide what makes the list.  I realize that a lot of you may have a different view about which events were the biggest;  snow and rain amounts, location of severe storms, and impact of weather phenomena certainly can affect areas differently.  What I attempt to do is pick the five events which had the most widespread impact on the Chippewa Valley.  Some years are easier than others because one event clearly stands out, while years such as 2010 are more difficult because of the wide range of significant weather events.  That being said … here we go with this years list along with some highlights: 

NUMBER FIVE:  RECORD LOW PRESSURE STORM IN LATE OCTOBER 

• Chippewa Valley wind gusts of 45-55 mph, with some damage reported
• a rare late-October tornado in Racine County (EF-1)
• area of low pressure equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane (extremely rare for a land-based storm)
• record low pressure in Wisconsin (28.38″ barometric pressure at Superior)

Numbers four and three  will be revealed on Thursday, with the top two coming on Friday.

Doug Michaels

Posted under Hometown Weather

A record setting snow storm over the weekend crippled travel with areas of I94 becoming impassable by Saturday afternoon, stranding millions of people across the upper Midwest. 

Eau Claire squeezed out 22 inches of snow when it was all said and done late Saturday night.  As I mulled through past records I found the previous record for snowfall in a 24 hour period was set back on February 27th of 1893, with a grand total of 18 inches! I think it’s safe to say we’ll have a white Christmas this year!

Here are some of the official totals from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, MN:

SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT

INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
——  ———————–  –  ————–   ——-
23.00   5 SE OSCEOLA             WI  POLK             0900 AM
22.00   EAU CLAIRE               WI  EAU CLAIRE       0500 PM
         TELEVISION STATION WQOW.
21.00   OAKDALE                  MN  WASHINGTON       0330 AM
20.00   MAPLEWOOD                MN  RAMSEY           0330 AM
19.20   EAU CLAIRE               WI  EAU CLAIRE       0100 PM
18.50   4 NNE MENOMONIE          WI  DUNN             0945 PM
18.00   MENOMONIE                WI  DUNN             0800 AM
18.00   EAST FARMINGTON          WI  POLK             0630 PM
17.50   3 NW MINNEAPOLIS         MN  HENNEPIN         0100 PM
17.20   1 W CARVER               MN  CARVER           1000 PM
17.10   MINNEAPOLIS              MN  HENNEPIN         0130 AM
         MEASURED AT THE MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL AIRPORT
16.00   RIDGELAND                WI  DUNN             0100 PM
16.00   DURAND                   WI  PEPIN            1030 PM
15.50   CHANHASSEN               MN  CARVER           0130 AM
         MEASURED AT THE NWS OFFICE
14.20   STANLEY                  WI  CHIPPEWA         0930 AM
13.50   ELK MOUND                WI  DUNN             0700 PM
13.00   STILLWATER               MN  WASHINGTON       1200 PM
13.00   JIM FALLS                WI  CHIPPEWA         0930 AM
11.00   HAUGEN                   WI  BARRON           1130 AM
10.00   ST JAMES                 MN  WATONWAN         1230 PM
10.00   CUMBERLAND               WI  BARRON           0730 AM

And here are some reports from the NWS in LaCrosse, WI

MONDOVI                           18.0
OWEN                                    14.8

NEILLSVILLE                    12.0             

BLACK RIVER FALLS     19.2            

TAYLOR                               13.0             
LA CROSSE NWS               17.1             

WARRENS                           20.8             

FOUR CORNERS                18.5         

SPARTA                               12.0             

TUNNEL CI                         11.4             

MEDFORD                          20.5             

BLAIR                                  15.0
MEDFORD                          14.0           

JUMP RIVER                    10.4

OSSEO                                 18.0             

GALESVILLE                  17.0             

BLAIR                               14.0 

Meteorologist LeAnn Lombardo

Posted under Hometown Weather