As promised, today is turning out to be rather summery across the region as gusty south winds behind a warm front are working to push in a little extra heat for us.  High temperatures today will be slightly warmer than normal for the first time in more than a week with readings in the mid 80s expected just about everywhere locally.  The additional warmth and humidity will prime the atmosphere for some thunderstorm activity later tonight as a cold front moves through the Upper Mississippi Valley.  Right now it looks like the best chance for thunderstorms will be after sunset, perhaps closer to midnight for the bulk of the viewing area and yes, there is a chance for some severe storms along this front.  Strong, damaging winds look to be the primary severe weather threat in our area late tonight.  There will be some light showers in the area behind that front with sunshine breaking through late in the morning and prevailing through the afternoon.  Gusty northwest winds tomorrow will usher in much cooler air and some spots may struggle to get to 70° by day’s end.

The latest Storm Prediction Center outlook focuses severe weather potential across our entire region late this evening through tonight as a cold front moves in from the prairies of south central Canada.

There will be an elevated risk of damaging winds tonight in some of our thunderstorms. Gusts may reach or exceed 60mph, possibly knocking down tree branches or power lines.

Posted under Uncategorized

Things are feeling hot and steamy as we kick off the last full week in the month of July today, but the good news is we have a few chances for much needed rain and some cooler weather in the forecast.  Right now, a disturbance is producing some scattered showers and may produce some thunderstorms today and tonight along a stalled front that is draped across our area.  There may be a few heavier downpours tonight in some of the stronger storms.  There will be hit and miss stuff through tomorrow as well, but I think the better looking scenario is ahead on Wednesday as a potent cold front approaches from the west.  That may end up being the wettest, stormiest day of the week with a chance for strong thunderstorms as well as some soaking rainfall.  Behind that front, we’ll go from having highs in the mid and upper 80s tomorrow and Tuesday to the low 80s with lower humidity in the air for the tail end of the week and for Saturday.  It looks like that cool down will last for two or three days with a little more heat and humidity possibly returning Sunday and for the first part of next week.

Hot, steamy, unsettled weather is the rule to start the week and things will remain warmer than normal through the middle of the week as the jet stream stays north of us.

The jet stream is expected to buckle southward while a surface cold front pushes through the area later in the week, allowing for a brief cool down for Friday and Saturday as highs will be near 80.

Posted under heat

It certainly has been a memorable October so far for us considering just about each of the first 10 days of the month have featured summer-like warmth to go with brilliant, abundant sunshine.  As we mentioned a couple of days ago, the city of Rochester has shattered the old record for the most consecutive days of 80° or greater with a solid week of summery warmth between the 3rd and 9th and even when we find ourselves “settling” for the 70s this week, we’re still not feeling typical October weather.  Here’s a look at the month so far in Rochester compared to what would be considered “normal” for the first 10 days of October.

Through 10 full days of the month Rochester is on pace to set a record for the warmest October in history.

If the month were to end today, we would shatter the record for the warmest October on record by several degrees.  The mean temperature (average high and low each day) so far this month is September-like 64.1° and the record is 58.1° set in 1963.  Of course it’s ridiculous to think we’ll maintain this temperature trend for the rest of the month and in fact we’ve already begun to feel a slight cool down this week and we can see that a much cooler, more seasonable air mass is approaching from the west.  That will take over our area for the latter part of the week, so that balmy mean temperature is likely to fall a bit in the next week or so.  It looks like we’ll have highs in the 70s today and tomorrow and then 60s and even 50s will be the rule for the end of the week, this weekend and even next week, so I hope you haven’t misplaced your sweaters and jackets!

Posted under climate

After quite a warm and somewhat stormy weekend, we’re looking at a typical early April day today that will feature gusty winds and highs in the 50s.  In fact, the 50° highs we’re expecting today will be about 25° cooler than the near record warmth we experienced on Sunday before a potent cold front swept through the region.  Of course, that front was also the focus of some strong thunderstorm activity across parts of our area and through much of Wisconsin yesterday, producing seven tornadoes in the Badger state.  Here’s a summary of the severe weather outbreak Sunday from the National Weather Service in La Crosse:

**** This is a preliminary summary. Storm surveys will be conducted on Monday and more information will be added over the next few days. Check back often. ****

Storm Set-up

A strong, early spring storm moved across the region on the 9th and 10th of April, 2011. That Saturday (the 9th), a warm front was the focus for severe thunderstorm development, and resulted in several tornadoes over northwest Iowa along with large hail and damaging winds.

On Sunday the 10th, the warm front pushed north across northern Wisconsin. The severe weather focus shifted to an area of low pressure center and trailing cold front. The atmosphere was unstable ahead of the front, and the winds were very favorable for storm organization, include supercells capable of tornadoes. Warm air just above the surface though acted as a lid to thunderstorm development until later in the afternoon, with the front and low serving as the triggering mechanism. Storms started to fire by 3 pm, and once they got going, they developed rapidly with many producing severe weather within 20 to 30 minutes of initiation. The first warning locally was issued at 3:39 pm for portions of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. The storms moved very rapidly, some approaching 70 mph. At these speeds, the storms exited into central and eastern Wisconsin by mid evening, leaving the local forecast area by 8 pm.

The severe storms produced very large hail, damaging winds, and possibly a few tornadoes. Storm surveys will be conducted over the next couple days to assess the potential tornadic and/or straight-line wind damage. Golf ball sized hail fell at the NWS La Crosse office, damaging several cars. The biggest hail reported was 3 inches at Hokah, MN at 4:42 pm.

 Damage path of straight-line winds in Houston county, MN

Radar Imagery

Radar animation from approximately 330 pm to 8 pm, every 10 minutes (large file)

Reflectivity image as storms approached La Crosse (437 pm cdt)

Reflectivity image as storms moved across Juneau and Adams counties (618 pm cdt)

Storm relative motion image depicting circulation in storm near Cottonville, WI (704 pm cdt)

Photos

Hail in La Crosse, WI

Damage Reports

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
851 PM CDT SUN APR 10 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0340 PM     HAIL             ELMA                    43.25N 92.44W
04/10/2011  M0.75 INCH       HOWARD             IA   EMERGENCY MNGR

            40-50 MPH ESTIMATED WIND ALSO

0350 PM     HAIL             NELSON                  44.42N 92.00W
04/10/2011  M1.00 INCH       BUFFALO            WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0400 PM     HAIL             7 W HARMONY             43.56N 92.15W
04/10/2011  M0.75 INCH       FILLMORE           MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ALSO REPORTED 40 MPH WINDS

0411 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 N BURR OAK            43.48N 91.88W
04/10/2011                   WINNESHIEK         IA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SOME TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AND BUILDING DAMAGE

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SW CANTON             43.51N 91.96W
04/10/2011                   FILLMORE           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            2 FOOT DIAMETER TREE DOWN BLOCKING THE ROAD.

0424 PM     HAIL             NELSON                  44.42N 92.00W
04/10/2011  E0.88 INCH       BUFFALO            WI   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            ALSO SEEING OCCASIONAL WALL CLOUD WITH SOME SLIGHT
            LOWERING. NO ROTATION AT THIS TIME.

0427 PM     HAIL             HOUSTON                 43.76N 91.57W
04/10/2011  M1.75 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

0430 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N CALEDONIA           43.71N 91.50W
04/10/2011                   HOUSTON            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MOBILE HOME KNOCKED OFF FOUNDATION

0432 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CALEDONIA               43.63N 91.50W
04/10/2011                   HOUSTON            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BARN DOWN JUST OUTSIDE CALEDONIA

0432 PM     HAIL             GOODVIEW                44.07N 91.71W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       WINONA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0434 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 N CALEDONIA           43.75N 91.50W
04/10/2011                   HOUSTON            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ALONG HWY 76

0435 PM     HAIL             5 E FOUNTAIN CITY       44.12N 91.60W
04/10/2011  E1.25 INCH       BUFFALO            WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0437 PM     HAIL             ARCADIA                 44.25N 91.49W
04/10/2011  E0.75 INCH       TREMPEALEAU        WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0438 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BLACK HAMMER            43.61N 91.67W
04/10/2011                   HOUSTON            MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 19. POSSIBLE TORNADO
            TOUCHDOWN. DEPUTY ON THE WAY TO INVESTIGATE.

0442 PM     HAIL             2 E HOKAH               43.76N 91.31W
04/10/2011  M2.75 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

0442 PM     HAIL             ARCADIA                 44.25N 91.49W
04/10/2011  E1.25 INCH       TREMPEALEAU        WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0442 PM     HAIL             HOKAH                   43.76N 91.35W
04/10/2011  E3.00 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL COVERING THE GROUND WITH SOME TREES DOWN.

0444 PM     HAIL             1 S HOKAH               43.75N 91.35W
04/10/2011  M1.00 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   CO-OP OBSERVER

            ALSO 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES AND VERY
            STRONG WINDS. POWER WENT OUT.

0445 PM     HAIL             3 NW BROWNSVILLE        43.73N 91.32W
04/10/2011  E1.75 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0445 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N CALEDONIA           43.71N 91.50W
04/10/2011                   HOUSTON            MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            BARN DOWN AND TRAILER BLOWN OFF ITS FOUNDATION.

0451 PM     HAIL             2 S LA CROSSE           43.80N 91.23W
04/10/2011  E1.50 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   AMATEUR RADIO

            HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL

0451 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 S LA CROSSE           43.80N 91.23W
04/10/2011  E60.00 MPH       LA CROSSE          WI   AMATEUR RADIO

0452 PM     HAIL             2 S LA CROSSE           43.80N 91.23W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ON WARD AVENUE IN SOUTH LA CROSSE

0453 PM     HAIL             3 SE LA CROSSE          43.80N 91.19W
04/10/2011  E2.50 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   AMATEUR RADIO

            AT SOUTHERN BLUFFS SCHOOL

0453 PM     HAIL             2 S LA CROSSE           43.80N 91.23W
04/10/2011  E2.00 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   PUBLIC

            EXTENSIVE HAIL DAMAGE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF LA CROSSE NEAR
            WAL MART. WINDOWS BROKEN AND SIDING DAMAGED TO AN
            ESTIMATED 10 TO 15 HOMES. SEVERAL VEHICLES ALSO DAMAGED
            WITH DENTS AND BROKEN WINDOWS AND MIRRORS.

0454 PM     HAIL             5 S OSSEO               44.51N 91.22W
04/10/2011  E1.75 INCH       TREMPEALEAU        WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0454 PM     HAIL             3 E LA CROSSE           43.83N 91.17W
04/10/2011  E1.75 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            AT NWS OFFICE

0454 PM     HAIL             2 S LA CROSSE           43.80N 91.23W
04/10/2011  E2.00 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   AMATEUR RADIO

            SOUTH SIDE

0455 PM     HAIL             3 E LA CROSSE           43.83N 91.17W
04/10/2011  M1.75 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            AT HWY 14 AND CTH MM

0456 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 E LA CROSSE           43.83N 91.21W
04/10/2011  M52.00 MPH       LA CROSSE          WI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            AT NWS OFFICE

0459 PM     HAIL             WEST SALEM              43.90N 91.08W
04/10/2011  M1.00 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            ALSO 40 MPH WIND

0500 PM     TSTM WND DMG     OSSEO                   44.58N 91.22W
04/10/2011                   TREMPEALEAU        WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LOTS OF WINDOWS BROKEN AND CARS DENTED FROM WHAT APPEARS
            TO BE WIND BLOWN DEBRIS.

0516 PM     HAIL             1 S SPARTA              43.93N 90.81W
04/10/2011  M1.00 INCH       MONROE             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            AT I-90 EXIT 25

0525 PM     HAIL             7 E SPARTA              43.94N 90.67W
04/10/2011  M1.75 INCH       MONROE             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            AT HWY 16 AND CTH A

0530 PM     HAIL             MEDFORD                 45.14N 90.35W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       TAYLOR             WI   PUBLIC

0530 PM     HAIL             1 N TOMAH               44.00N 90.50W
04/10/2011  M1.25 INCH       MONROE             WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0532 PM     HAIL             TUNNEL CITY             44.00N 90.57W
04/10/2011  M0.50 INCH       MONROE             WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0536 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     3 SW OAKDALE            43.93N 90.42W
04/10/2011                   MONROE             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POSSIBLE FUNNEL REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0538 PM     HAIL             WARRENS                 44.13N 90.50W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       MONROE             WI   AMATEUR RADIO

0538 PM     HAIL             2 W TOMAH               43.99N 90.54W
04/10/2011  M0.75 INCH       MONROE             WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0539 PM     HAIL             3 W WITHEE              44.95N 90.66W
04/10/2011  M0.25 INCH       CLARK              WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0542 PM     HAIL             4 SW STETSONVILLE       45.04N 90.37W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       TAYLOR             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0608 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 SE NECEDAH            43.99N 90.03W
04/10/2011                   JUNEAU             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            8 TO 10 INCH PINE TREES UPROOTED AND A GARAGE DOWN. WINDS
            ESTIMATED 60 MPH.

0610 PM     TSTM WND GST     VOLK FIELD              43.93N 90.27W
04/10/2011  M56.00 MPH       JUNEAU             WI   ASOS

0610 PM     TORNADO          1 NW ARKDALE            44.04N 89.90W
04/10/2011                   ADAMS              WI   PUBLIC

            POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED BY PUBLIC. CONSIDERABLE TREE
            DAMAGE.

0610 PM     TSTM WND DMG     NECEDAH                 44.02N 90.07W
04/10/2011                   JUNEAU             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            FUNNEL CLOUD WITH TREES DOWN.

0618 PM     HAIL             3 SE NECEDAH            43.99N 90.03W
04/10/2011  M1.25 INCH       JUNEAU             WI   AMATEUR RADIO

0618 PM     HAIL             1 E NECEDAH             44.02N 90.05W
04/10/2011  M1.25 INCH       JUNEAU             WI   AMATEUR RADIO

0623 PM     HAIL             BIG FLATS               44.12N 89.80W
04/10/2011  E1.00 INCH       ADAMS              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0625 PM     TSTM WND DMG     COTTONVILLE             44.06N 89.81W
04/10/2011                   ADAMS              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREES DOWN.

0630 PM     HAIL             NEW ROME                44.24N 89.88W
04/10/2011  E0.75 INCH       ADAMS              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0630 PM     TORNADO          COTTONVILLE             44.06N 89.81W
04/10/2011                   ADAMS              WI   AMATEUR RADIO

            REPORTED BY SPOTTER

0725 PM     HAIL             2 S FRIENDSHIP          43.95N 89.82W
04/10/2011  M0.88 INCH       ADAMS              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DIME HAIL IN ADAMS

0727 PM     HAIL             ADAMS                   43.96N 89.82W
04/10/2011  E0.75 INCH       ADAMS              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

Posted under severe weather

Even though it really hasn’t been feeling like fall for the past several days, the brightly colored foliage around the area continues to remind us that it’s still October and as we all know, this wonderfully colorful time of the year won’t last forever.  According to the Minnesota DNR, we’ve reached the peak for fall colors in southeastern Minnesota, although it appears that many trees are well past that stage already.  With the arrival of more fall-like weather tomorrow behind a cold front, we’ll be dealing with some fairly gusty winds that may defoliate some of those brightly colors trees.  In fact, we’ll be facing a series of cold fronts in the coming days as we tumble back into fall mode weatherwise, some of which will produce fairly blustery conditions, possibly dropping a lot of those leaves.  The bottom line here is, if you’re enjoying the fall colors, make sure you get your fill in the next couple of days as the scene may be changing quite a bit within the next week.  We certainly know the weather will be changing!  After today’s highs in the 70s, we’ll have more October-like 60s for highs through the end of the week and the weekend with even cooler days down the road next week.

The latest fall foliage summary map from the Minnesota state DNR. Most of our area is considered to be at the peak for fall colors this week.

Posted under fall

Thanks to the passage of a cold front through our region early this morning, we’re getting a break from typical late August heat and humidity and we’ll even get a taste of some fall weather for a day or two.  Perhaps this invasion of cooler air is occurring to commemorate the 1600th anniversary of the first sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AD, the first of several invasions of outsiders from the north that led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.  For us, it’s a welcome invasion as cool, dry air will make things fairly comfortable in terms of humidity between this afternoon and Friday while temperatures will be seasonable to cooler than normal.  As high pressure settles in tonight, we’ll enjoy cool, crisp conditions with clear skies that will enable us to enjoy a look at the full moon.  Tonight’s moon is sometimes called the Sturgeon Moon, a name given to it by the Native Americans who used the light of the moon this time of year to catch their fish.  Each month has a full moon and each has a name assigned to it by different cultures that describe either the appearance of the moon or the time of year in which it occurs.  Some other names for the August full moon are the Grain Moon (English), Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, and Dog Moon.  The most famous named moon of the year has to be the Harvest Moon which is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.  This year that will occur on September 23rd.  Of course sometimes there are two full moons in a month as the lunar cycle is 29.5 days, and the second occurring in that  month is popularly called a blue moon although the true definition of a blue moon is the third full moon in a season that features four full moons (there are usually three in a season.)  At any rate, moon rise tonight in Rochester is 7:41 PM.  Happy moon viewing!

An Image of a Sturgeon Moon or Grain Moon, the full moon for the month of August

Posted under Astronomy

A strong cold front is taking its sweet time moving through Minnesota and Iowa this Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures earlier today, under sunshine, bounded back into the 80s for many…with dew points around the low 70s and breezy south winds. Take a look at some of the conditions before the cold front, and scroll down to see conditions with the front advancing through the area, and then say “ahhh!” (You can also see the big drop a little more visually on the temperature image to the left!)

This front has also been producing scattered thunderstorms; while not severe, some of them will contain some heavy downpours and maybe small hail. Expect gusty west/northwest winds throughout the evening, too.

Tune in to the NewsCenter at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. tonight – Randy will have all the details on a very autumn-ish week ahead.

(City, Sky/Weather Conditions/Temp/Dew Point as of Noon)

CITY           SKY/WX    TMP DP 
ROCHESTER      MOSUNNY   82  70 
WINONA         MOSUNNY   88  70 
AUSTIN         PTSUNNY   82  73 
ALBERT LEA     CLOUDY    79  72 
DODGE CENTER   MOSUNNY   81  73 
PRESTON        PTSUNNY   84  68 
OWATONNA       PTSUNNY   79  70 
FARIBAULT      CLOUDY    75  66 
MINNEAPOLIS    LGT RAIN  73  69 
RED WING       MOSUNNY   84  70 
DECORAH        PTSUNNY   84  73 
MASON CITY     MOSUNNY   82  68 
CLARION       PTSUNNY   79  70 
FORT DODGE    CLOUDY    70  64 

(City, Sky/Weather Conditions/Temp/Dew Point as of 3:00 p.m.)

ROCHESTER      CLOUDY    69  62 
WINONA         MOSUNNY   77  70 
AUSTIN         CLOUDY    66  61 
ALBERT LEA     CLOUDY    64  59 
DODGE CENTER   CLOUDY    64  61 
PRESTON        PTSUNNY   81  68 
OWATONNA       CLOUDY    64  57 
FARIBAULT      CLOUDY    64  59 
MINNEAPOLIS    CLOUDY    65  58
RED WING       PTSUNNY   66  63
DECORAH        MOSUNNY   86  72 
MASON CITY     CLOUDY    66  59 
FORT DODGE    CLOUDY    64  57

Posted under KTTC, weather