Forecast, Light snows Wednesday, Cold for New Years.

Regional View

Well will have a much quieter next couple of days, a weak system will bring Minor snowfall Accumulations on Wednesday, Thursday looks partly Sunny, but dry, then Friday Arctic Air will settle in.

Local View.

Snow will start Wednesday afternoon, and will be mainly light, Nothing heavy, Snowfall accumulations will also be light, 1-2" for southeast and Central areas, with an 1" or less everywhere else, highs wont be too bad for this time of year in the low 20s, Thursday, there may be some light snow early, otherwise we will be stuck in cloudy cover, so it will be cloudy, temps making it into the teens. This is no surprise but, New Years Day, Arctic Air settles in and it will be cold, with Mostly Sunny Skies and highs in the single digits, Lows falling to near -10.F daily forecast below.

Wednesday, Cloudy at first then light snow developing in the afternoon, Minor accumulations 1-2" Wednesday Night, light snow still possible early otherwise Cloudy with lows in the single Digits.

Thursday, Cloudy, possible a bit of clearing late in the day, Highs in the low teens. Thursday Night, lows falling to near 0, or just below.

Friday, Cold, Arctic Sunshine, highs in the single digits above Zero, with cold winds. Friday Night, Cold, Clear, with lows falling into lower to middle -10s below zero.

Have a Great New Years!

Looking Ahead Forecast. Good news is, Coldest part of the Arctic Air looks to be short lived, Saturday highs will moderate into the teens above zero with Sunshine, After Sunday the 5th, Highs seem to mainly be steady, with a small chance at snow, then Friday the 9th, The models show a better chance at snow, then the 11th, The models show a storm passing south, with that storm bring in Much Colder arctic air, More on this later.

Preparing for Spring alreay? Process of Daffodil Project.

Start of the process December 28Th 2009.



A couple people took interest last year in my posts about my Daffodil Project, So this year I thought I would show everyone the entire process of my project!



I started this project 2 Springs ago in 2007- 2008, with one pack of 12 yellow daffodils, (see This post) I thought of this project as an idea for a possible solution for a problem I have growing Daffodils in the ground, when they would always turn to mush by Spring, Well my simple project worked, and I now have beautiful spring flowers every year, but after the first project went so good, I went even farther then just Daffodils, I also now added Tulips to my project.



I always start this project just after Christmas in preparation for the following spring, after buying the bulbs in Sept and Oct. I re use or buy plastic cups, I always plant 2 bulbs per cup, fill it it soil, and put them in an old fridge, where they will stay until the ground thaws in Spring, The date always varies from year to year, in 2008, I planted them April 5Th, and in 2009, I planted the Daffodils on March 20Th, which is Very early, and the Tulips were planted April 6th, to see the 2009 project click here Ether way These bulbs have a long wait ahead! This year I'm going to have, 14 Red Tulips, and as always for tradition, 10 Yellow Daffodils, And I'm also trying some new colors I've never had, 12 Yellow Fringed Tulips, and 10 White Daffodils with orange-yellow centers, See pictures above.

I will have more updates on this as we head through winter, Thanks for viewing this post!

Powerful Christmas Storm System brought Heavy Snow, Sleet, and even Rain to the area.

Snow covered Christmas Decorations December 25th-Christmas Day.


A Very powerful system hit the area from late Wednesday through parts of our Saturday. This system was Very large, and very hard to forecast for, The main part of the storm started off a Low pressure system in Texas, It then strengthened and moved northeast towards MO, This storm brought heavy snow accumulations to many states, From Oklahoma all the way to North Dakota, But on the flip side of this storm, also know as the warm side, There were reports of Tornado's and Severe Weather, along with flooding conditions. This storm effected at least 25 states.


Effects in Northwest Wisconsin

Snow plies around our house December 26th

This storm effected many communities and families across the area, as it hit right in time for The Major Christmas holiday, and a major time for Travel, Our family actually postponed our Christmas, for the first time Ever! This storm did not come out quite as I forecasted it too, but it was still a very impressive system, We had weather conditions ranging from Heavy Snow to Sleet to even just plain old Rain across the area, The first wave of snow started late Wednesday, into Thursday this brought a quick 3-5 inches to the area, But as the next wave hit later Thursday, It turned to Sleet or Rain and for Friday was much of the same some areas were getting snow while some sleet or Rain, but at one point Friday all areas were getting rain. What happened was as the storm sucked up Gulf moisture it pulled mile temps north with it, This turned snow to sleet then rain, With all this rain and sleet, Snow totals were significantly less then forecasted because of the rain and sleet cut down totals.

At My Location, Wednesday and early Thursday we picked up a quick 4" in the first wave then later Thursday it turned to sleet and Freezing drizzle, only to turn back to snow overnight Thursday, Then as even warmer air wrapped in early Friday it again turned to sleet, Then wet snowflakes, Then after this just plain old Rain and Drizzle as temperatures rose to the Mid to upper 30s! after while colder air got wrapped back into the storm, and this turned Rain into Heavy snow, Another thing to note was the wind, Winds were fairly strong from the NE strongest gust I has was 29MPH

In total I picked up 0.4 of actual rain, some sleet and Ice Accumulation, and 6.75" of snow, with a water content of 1.02" when I took a core sample, This amount includes all Rain, Ice and Sleet accumulation that may have accumulated on the snow. The snow in this storm was Very heavy and very wet, slushy type of snow, Then it cooled off Saturday and re froze, this made it very difficult to shovel! Radar Image from The Weather Channel.

Here is a radar image of this very Impressive storm! as you can see there were precipitation all the way from the Gulf Coast to the Canada boarder! The center of the low is over Northern Arkansas in this image, As it spun counter clockwise it drew warmer air all the way up north, While on the back side is was pulling in colder air. In places that kept cold air long enough, Snowfall amounts as high as 12- 23 inches was reported across the River in Minnesota. The highest Reported snowfall accumulations in the 6 county area were in Northwest Burnett County, Were the cool air remained the longest, This area reported amounts as high as 12.50" while the least amounts were reported in Southeast Dunn county, Where only 4.50" were reported, In this area there was more Rain and Sleet, this held down snow totals significantly.

Snowfall reports, Note that some of these areas may have gotten as much as 0.50" of rain and sleet or ice accumulation along with this .

Danbury 12.50"

Sarona 10.80"

Rice Lake 10.00"

Webster 9.00"

Chetek 8.90"

Boyceville 8.60"

Cumberland 8.50"

Menomonie 7.50"

Clear Lake 7.50"

Roberts 7.00"

Connorsville 7.00"

Clayton 6.75"

Baldwin 6.0"

Elk Mound 4.50"

Even with the storm, I hope everyone had a Great Christmas holiday!

Significant Panhandle Hook Winter Storm expected, Snow likely for Christmas, near blizzard condtions poss- Updated X2

Regional View. Note that things may change, This map may need to be updated.

All attention is turned to a Significant Winter Storm which looks to impact our area Late Wednesday, and lasting through Christmas Eve, and Christmas day, and even into parts of our Saturday! This will be a Very impressive system! A Low Pressure system is forecasted to come up from Texas and MO, and strengthen as it moves towards Iowa and then passes through Western and Central Wisconsin. This storm has a lot of Gulf moisture to work with. with all this provided moisture and this lows track, This will put our area in range to get Significant Snowfall Accumulations, Snowfall accumulations will surpass the amounts we received during the Dec 8-9 storm, and this will be the biggest Winter Storm we have seen in this area, in Years The NWS says this storm will compare to the 1991 Halloween Storm.
Local View.

I must first off say, This storm is the hardest Winter Storm I've ever forecasted for, I've never seen a storm like this on the forecast models, so please bare with me, The forecast models can still change between now and Christmas, and and change would effect our snowfall amounts significantly, but This is what it's looking like right now.

The Center of Low Pressure in this Significant storm, will pass Just Southeast of the area, This will mean Mild temperatures, but cool enough for All snow, temps will be near 30.F, This will make for a heavy, wet type of snow, Snow will start light late Wednesday, but it will become Heavy starting late Wednesday, at this same time, East Northeast Winds will pick up 25 to 30MPH, This will make for blowing and drifting snow. I believe we will have off and of bouts of Heavy Snow with Windy conditions, This will last from Wednesday Night, through Christmas Day Night, and into parts of Saturday Since the low will be strong, and will have plenty of moisture, I would not be surprised to hear Thunder in some of the intense snowfall bands. This storm Will likely lead to Significant near record snowfall accumulations, To add to this, Winds will increase from the NE to N, This could blow around some snow, but with the more wetter snow it wont be as easy to blow around, but even with this Near White out conditions and near blizzard conditions will still be possible.

Timing It Out.

Light snow will start late Wednesday afternoon, and will not be too heavy quite yet, But as we head into Wednesday Night, Snow intensity will increase and, become heavy, and road conditions will probably get bad fairly fast, At this same time, Winds will increase overnight Wednesday and gust to near 30MPH at times. Moderate Snow with bouts of Heavy Snow, with gusty winds will continue for Christmas Eve Day, and will last through Christmas Day, In the most intense snow bands Thunder may be heard. Snow will continue into Saturday, but will lighten up especially late in the day, The storm will be on it;s way out sometime Saturday Night, and will leave us with Significant Snowfall accumulations.

Snowfall Accumulations Estimates.

This storm has an amazing amount of gulf moisture to work with, and with such a strong large system, Total Snowfall accumulations Will be Significant and possible near Record Setting the NWS says, possibly right here in the local area. This storm will bring, the highest snowfall amounts we have seen in years. The highest snowfall accumulations in the area, will likely occur in Central and Western areas of the 6 county area, 10" to 14 Inches, to as high as 16+ inches of new snow will be possible, With snow drifts higher then this, all areas West of the pink line above, places like Amery, Grantsburg, Siren, New Richmond Baldwin and Hudson, Baldwin and Boyceville. South and east areas like in Dunn county will likely see a bit less accumulations, because temps may become warm enough for some brief snow/sleet mix, this may hold down accumulations some, But Snowfall accumulations will still likely be significant in these areas. I'm forcasting 8" to 12" East of the pink line in the map about for places like Menomonie, Elk Mound and Colfax.

Due to the intensity of this storm, it's current track, and it's impacts on Holiday Travel, people in the area, show prepare to move travel plans around, or delay holiday plans, As a Significant Winter Storm appears likely, with heavy snow, possibly near record snowfall accumulations, and gusty winds. Daily forecast below.

Wednesday, Light Snow starting late in the afternoon, A bit breezy, Mild with highs in the upper 20s. Wednesday Night, Snow intensity increasing, becoming Heavy, ENE Winds increasing to near 20MPH, some blowing snow possible lows in the mid 20s.

Christmas Eve Day Snow Likely, Moderate to Heavy snow burst through out the day, Gusty winds gusting to near 30MPH at times, Blowing and drifting snow highs in the upper 20s. Thursday Night. off and on Heavy Snow burst, Heavy Snow likely, Gusty winds, and blowing and drifting snow lows in the mid 20s.

Christmas Day, Moderate to Heavy Snow likely, Gusty winds gusting to near 25 to 30MPH, Highs in the upper 20s. Friday Night, Moderate to Heavy Snow still likely, Winds slackening down a bit, Snow becoming lighter late.

Saturday snow will continue to effect us.

Due to the high impact of this storm, and the intensity, I will be working the next over the next few days to bring the most updated forecasts on this Major Winter Storm, so please come back, But I also suggest you view local NWS forecasts for this storm.

Potenial Major Winter Storm coming up

This is a quick post giving people warning about a potenal Significant Winter Storm which may impact the local area, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, My forcast on this, will be issued tomorrow. A Major Winter storm is looking more likely as we head towards Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, At this time, This storms looks as though it will be even more significant then the Dec 8-9 Winter Storm. Please watch closely to local NWS forcasts, and This blog for more information, on what could be a Significant Winter Storm to hit our local 6 county area.

looking to stay a bit warmer, Chance of light snow Sunday.

Regional View.





Were looking at some clouds which are stubborn to move. This will make for a partly sunny Saturday. Sunday a weak system, could spread some light snows our way, with maybe as much as an inch. Monday, will be a bit cooler, but not extremely cold, We might even see some Sun.

Local View.

as Stated above, Saturday will be mainly cloudy, We could have some Fog in the morning. It wont be too bad temp wise, Low 20s for highs. Sunday It looks like snow could develop, But this will be a weak system, with mainly light snow, Snow accumulation will only be around an inch. but if it's a bit stronger then intended there could be as much as 1.50 to 2 inches. Monday we might see some clearing, It will be a bit cooler but not bad at all, Upper teens for highs. Daily Forecast Below.

Saturday, Partly Sunny, some Fog possible in the morning. Highs in the low 20s. Saturday Night. Cloudy with lows in the very low teens slight chance of snow late.

Sunday, Cloudy with a chance of Snow. otherwise Cloudy, with highs in the low 20s. Total accumulations around an 1" possible as much as 1.50 to 2" in isolated spots. Sunday Night. Cloudy, lows in the upper single digits.

Monday, Partly Sunny with skies Clearing to Partly Cloudy. Highs in the upper teens. Monday Night partly cloudy to Cloudy, lows in the in the low single digits.

Looking Ahead Forecast and a look a Holiday forecast.

I am now watching a potental small snow system for Tuesday which could bring some accumulationm mainly light, Then I am watching closely for what could be Potental snowstorm on Christmas Eve Day and Christmas day, Right now it appears iffy if we will get snow, But this will be something to watch closely, Temps will warm slowing as we head towards Christmas highs in the 20s mainly, Then for Christmas it looks chilly but not bad. then after Christmas the 26th and 27th, a small warming trend before a system and colder air moves in, More on this later.

Mondays Snowfall Reports.

Fresh snow December 14th.

Western Wisconsin got another snowfall last night, Some spots got much more then others. Snow started late Sunday Night, With the dry air, it was hard for the snow to reach the ground at first, but when it did, It really came down heavy, The snow was really fluffy in nature, Light to Moderate snow continued through the morning hours on Monday, by 11AM some places had as much as 4.50" of snow. the heaviest area of snow seems to be right over Polk and Barron Counties, right along Highway 8 at this time. places in these areas got 4 to 4.50 inches of snow, places in Burnett and Washburn counties picked up a bit less about 2.50 to 3 inches While southern St Croix and Dunn counties were closer to an inch.

This is a look at my Garden with all the fresh snow, We have a very thick snow cover now, We got 4.00" overnight and early morning, With a water content of 0.16" this puts our snow cover at 10.50" on the ground. All Western Wisconsin has at least 8 inches of snow on the ground This mornings snow now puts many places Above normal now for snowfall, I have received 13.50" of snow this month, the Average is about 11.20"

Snowfall Totals.

Cameron 4.50"

Clayton 4.00"

Grantsburg 3.10"

Trade Lake 3.00"

Sarona 2.60"

Ridgeland 2.00"

System Monday, minor snow accumulations likely, Then Cold.

Regional View.

A small system will move east late Sunday Night into Monday, Minor accumulations are likely. Arctic Air will pull south behind this system on Tuesday, this will make for a cold day Tuesday, Although it will be cold, Tuesday we should see Sunshine, I believe part of Wednesday will also bring us some sun, Wednesday will also be slightly warmer as temperature moderate.

Local View.

Accumulations.

With the small low pressure system Monday, I believe accumulations will be highest in the Central areas. where 2 to as much as 5" will be possible by Monday evening. Northern areas I believe 1" 3" is a good bet, While southern areas 1" 3" with up to 4" possible there, most of the snow on Monday will be earlier in the day and could be moderate at times, but it should be light snow or flurries by evening. Tuesday it will be Cold across the area, even with sunshine, highs will only be in the mid single digits! This will make for one cold Tuesday Night, Highs could fall into the teens and 20s below 0. Wednesday, will be mainly sunny at first with some clouds pulling in late, temps will moderate some, highs will be in the closer to the low teens. Daily forecast below.

Monday, Snow, Especially early, possible Moderate at times, before tapering some. Highs in the middle teens, Total system accumulations 2" 4" central areas, 1" 3" North. Monday Night. Colder, light snow still possible early otherwise Cloudy, Lows falling just below zero.



Tuesday, Cold, with cold winds, Sunny with highs in the mid single digits. Tuesday Night, Cold, likely the coldest night of the season so far, lows in the low teens below zero, Possible close to -20 in some locations.



Wednesday, a Bit warmer, moderating temps, sunny at first before clouds moving in, Highs in the low teens. Wednesday Night, Cloudy lows near zero.



Looking Ahead Forecast.
After Mondays system, Things looks to stay mainly Dry. by Thursday and Friday the 17 and 18, We should be getting a nice warm up, then the models show some light snows possible Saturday the 19, also cooler temps moving in for next weekend. then another slight warm up once again for the 21, The 22 and 23 shows another snow chance with Cold temps making a return for the rest of that week. more on this later.

Coldest temps of the season so far overnight all places below zero

Snow drifts on a Cold clear Day Dec 11th.

This morning brought the coldest temps of the season so far, All places fell below zero this morning. some places were as cold as -13.F but one station Southwest of Grantsburg reported a -18.F temp. this is one of the first times the temps fell below zero this season, The actual first day was yesterday Dec 10th when temps fell around -6.F Highs yesterday only made it into the mid single digits my high was 6 above! Area lakes are now completely frozen, Although larger lakes like Balsam Lake or Rice Lake may have some open spots.

The coldest spot was a station southwest of Grantsburg, and traditional cold spots like Osceola. the warmest spot was Frederic in northern Polk County. Temperatures will slowly moderate through the weekend, See my forecast post below.

Continued Cold weather, Slightly warmer for the weekend. chance of Flurries Sunday.

Regional View.

Cold weather will continue for Friday, with slowly Moderating temps. Saturday into Sunday. skies will become partly sunny, but we do have chance for some sun early Friday. Sunday a small system will produce some snows south of the area. There a couple Inches may be possible but nothing large. Right now it looks to only produce a few flurries in our area.

Local View.

Friday we will still have Cold air behind behind that snowstorm that just hit us, Highs will only be in the low teens for highs, Night lows will still be close to 0.F -0.F up north. This is warmer then what Thursday was. Saturday we will have some moderating temps highs will make it into mid teens, and lows will actually remain above 0, Skies will be partly sunny but it should remain Dry. Sunday temps will be even warmer yet, Highs approaching 20. There will be a chance of some flurries or light snow showers from a passing small system to the south, At this time this small systems track will remain south of the area. Daily forecast below.

Friday, Cold, Partly Sunny, highs in the low teens. Friday Night, mainly cloudy, lows in the low single digits, with below zero readings north.

Saturday, a bit warmer with moderating temps, Partly Sunny with highs in the mid teens. Saturday Night, Cloudy lows in the upper single digits.

Sunday, a bit warmer, a chance of flurries or snow showers. maybe half inch of accumulation in spots. Highs in the upper teens. Sunday Night. A chance of flurries or light snow, lows in the upper single digits.

Looking Ahead. Early next week for Monday I am watching a possible small system which could bring a couple inches of snow, Right now it's on track to hit us, Again this wouldn't be a huge snowstorm like the one we just had, it would be just a couple inches. Behind it more cold air will be dragged down, which will remain in place until the end of next week, Between Tuesday the 15 and Thursday the 17 It looks mainly dry. then a couple more chances at lights snows for Friday and Saturday 18- 19 at this same time the models show a warmer air mass moving in. more on this later.

Powerful "Panhandle Hook" Type Snow Storm Hits Upper Midwest! Effects in NW Wisconsin.

Snow piles next to our house December 9th. The green bush in the picture is 3 feet tall.

A Powerful "Panhandle Hook" Snowstorm hit the entire state of Wisconsin Tuesday and Wednesday. Causing Blizzard Conditions across much of the upper Midwest! Blizzard Warnings were issued for large portions of states as this storm moved past, The storm first slammed into southern California, This storm moved across 14 other states before reaching Wisconsin! The storm started out near the Panhandle of Texas, before gaining strength and "hooking" northeast right towards the Upper Midwest. Which is why they are called Panhandle Hook storms. Widespread reports of at least 6 inches was reported across most of the state of Wisconsin. And a Thick blanket of snow now covers the state, and most of the upper Midwest! The shear size of this storm Amazed me and I actually never had seen so many Blizzard Warnings issued at once. some spots in Central Wisconsin picked up nearly 16 inches of snow from this storm!

Effects in Northwest Wisconsin.

"Digging Out"

This storm will be one to remember, it brought a foot of snow to some places, with Snow drifts of a foot and a half to nearly 2 feet in many places across the local area, With Windy blowing snow and near blizzard conditions, Snow started early Tuesday and didn't let up until Afternoon on Wednesday, Snow started out light early Tuesday, but after dark it became Moderate and even Heavy across parts of the area, Around this time, The winds started picked up from the NNE, This caused lots of blowing and drifting snow, by Wednesday Morning winds had shifted Northwest and were fairly strong gusting from 30 to 40MPH this caused Moderate to even at times Severe drifting in localized spots.

The highest snowfall accumulations was centered in Southern Polk, Southwest Barron southwest Dunn and across all of St Croix County where up to 12 inches was reported. There was actually kinda sharp cut off in where the heaviest snow ocurred. While I got 8.50" 18 miles north in Cumberland, there was less 5.50" was recored there, and Western Burnett county was around the 4" range.

A snow drift measuring over a foot and a half!

Although my total Accumulation was 8.50" with a water content of 0.80" one of the biggest snow drifts I could find in our yard, it measured 19 inches deep! many drifts were around a foot deep! with very strong northwest winds, The highest wind gust I picked up was 30MPH. How does this snowfall stack up to past ones? Well I look back in my Records and this if the first time I have gotten over 7.70" of snow in one storm! so it has been at least 2 years since my area has seen this much snow at once! Snowfall and wind Reports Below and please note these totals may have to be added to, We still have light snow falling across the area.

Snowfall Reports

Baldwin 12.00"

Menomonie 12.00"

Sarona 9.60"

4 E River Falls 9.50"

Turtle Lake 9.00"

Clayton (my yard) 8.50"

Hammond 8.10"

Elk Mound 8.00"

Connorsville 7.50"

Roberts 7.10"

Ridgeland 7.00"

Spooner 6.00"

Haugen 6.00"

Cumberland 5.50"

Hertel 4.0"

Danbury 4.50"

Grantsburg 3.20"

Wind Reports

Amery 42MPH

Menomonie 40MPH

Rice Lake Airport 36MPH

Spooner 36MPH

New Richmond 32MPH

Clayton (My Station) 30MPH

Osceola 30MPH

Snow piled up on top of overwintering plants in pots.

Well What Happened here!!! is what I thought when I dug out to the garage and opened the door. These are 2 plants over wintering outside one is a White spruce the other is a hardy Azalea, inside our garage. There is a small space between the garage celling and the roof, and with all the snow blowing in, it pretty much just fell through like an hour glass! and just piles there because it has no wind to blow it off! This pile measured about 11 inches!

Major Sigificant Winter Storm about to impact the area- Updated 2

Regional View.

All attention is turned to a Singificant Major Winter Storm which is likely to impact our area starting Tuesday morning. A strong low pressure will move Northeast from Northwest Oklahoma area, That low pressure will pass somewhere near Chicago, This will spread heavy snow everywhere Northeast of the low, Significant accumulations are likely across much of the upper Midwest!
Local View.

A Significant Major Panhandle Hook, Winter Storm will impact the area Which will bring significant Snow accumulations to the area. Starting Tuesday Afternoon, snow Moderate to heavy at times will begin to fall early afternoon on Tuesday, then late Tuesday Winds will increase 20 to 25MPH and this will cause Blowing and Drifting snow. and it will make for nearly impossible driving conditions, by early Wednesday morning winds will increase even more, and could gust to near 35MPH at times, This could cause near blizzard conditions across the entire local area, with cold biting wind chills. Wednesday temps will really plunge on Northwest Winds, highs will only be in the teens, and Wednesday Night temps could fall to near 0.F

People across the local area should limit, or not travel at all Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, A Major Winter Storm is likely, with heavy snowfall accumulations, and possible near blizzard conditions.

Snowfall Accumulations.

The entire 6 county area will get sigifcant snows from this storm, But the area that I think will get the heaviest accumulations will be Southeastern & Central areas, These areas will pick up 6" to 8" isolated spots up to 10" places south of U.S Highway 8, North of Highway 8, 6" to 8" is possible, isolated spots up to 9" wind will be blowing around all this snow so it will make for snow drifts much higher then this.

Thursday, highs will struggle to reach out of the single digits! and Thursday Night below zero readings are likely. Daily forecast below.

Tuesday, Major Winter Storm, cloudy and first then Snow likely, Moderate to heavy at times, Winds increasing late in the day 20 to 25MPH will cause blowing and drifting snow. highs in the low 20s Tuesday Night, Snow and Blowing and Drifting Snow likey, Winds 25 to 30MPH, could create near blizzard condtions lows in the low teens.

Wednesday, Major Winter Storm, Snow Moderate to heavy and times, Blowing/Drifting snow likely, winds of 30 to possible near 40MPH could create near blizzard contions expessailly early, highs in the upper teens, Wednesday Night, Blowing Snow, but Moderate to heavy snow coming to an end, Storm Total Accumulations of 6" to 8" with isolated spots up to 10" south 4 to 8 inches possible up to 9 inches north.

Thursday, Cold, partly Sunny, Some flurries still possible. highs stuggle to reach the upper single digits. Thursday Night Cold, partly Cloudy lows in the upper singel digits below -0s

Cloudy and cool weekend ahead, Snow possible Monday, possibly as bigger system Tuesday & Wednesday?- Updated.

Regional View.

I thought I would try a few things with my new forecasting map so I'm seeing how I might do if I add lines highlighting where system may go.

Were looking at a mainly Cloudy Saturday and Sunday flurries possible early Saturday from a weak disturbance. The chance we had for accumulating snow Monday has dropped due to the models tracking the system father south. It is not completely certain where the most accumulations will occur, but the areas highlighted above have the best chance of accumulating snow at this time.Local View

Saturday were looking at a weak disturbance continuing which may cause some early morning flurries or snow showers, but that should come to and end by the afternoon. it will otherwise remain cloudy, Were also going to have highs below freezing for the next 3 days. Sunday looks like the driest day, at the day with the best chance of a little sun, It will be mostly cloudy to partly sunny on Sunday. Monday There will be a weak system which will bring a chance of accumulating snow to parts the area, At this time it appears like parts of the local area could be included, but the systems track has been pushed south a bit, which would make for accumulations now more likely towards 0.50 - 1.0" accumulation, If the models shift this system any more south at all, We would see just mainly flurries, But for now, I'm thinking that at least parts of the area will have a chance to see an half inch or a little more. Daily forecast below.

Saturday, Flurries or light snow early, otherwise cloudy, Highs in the mid 20s. Saturday Night, Mostly Cloudy lows in the mid teens.

Sunday, Mostly Cloudy to partly sunny at times, Highs in the mid 20s. Sunday Night, Mostly Cloudy with a slight chance of snow Late. lows in the upper teens.

Monday, light Snow possible early, Total system accumulation possible 0.50 - 1: inch especially south. Highs in the mid 20s. Monday Night, Cloudy, Colder, lows in the mid to low teens, possible colder in spots that may have thick snow cover.

Looking Ahead Forecast- bigger system possible Wednesday?

All attention to the days ahead continue to me focused on a much stronger system, which will likely bring significant accumulations somewhere in the Midwest! The question is Where? some models say it will go through Chicago, some say the system will go closer to Minneapolis. Where this system goes it what will determine what Tuesday & Wednesday will hold for us, if it's closer to Minneapolis, Significant accumulations may be possible right here in the 6 county area, But. If it goes south towards Chicago we will flurries would only fall here. At this time, The models are slowly shifting the models on a more Westerly track, I myself am not sure where the system will go, but anything could happen so people should stay tuned. One thing is for sure though, After the system passing it will draw in colder air which could put our highs in the teens! lows possibly approaching 0.F! more on this later.

More indoor blooms!

Peach-Pink colored Thanksgiving Cactus

While temps today outside were Cold with highs only in the low 20s with flurries, My indoor Thanksgiving Cactus are in full bloom! All colors have opened up now. which makes for a nice site when everything outside is dead and brown!

The cactus above I bought at a local grocery store last year, when it had buds, but they all fell off before opening so this is the first time it bloomed! so I had no idea it was this color!

Unclassified color Thanksgiving Cactus.

Quick story on this cactus, This small plant came inside a sickly White color Thanksgiving cactus my aunt gave me, They were babies in the pot, so I decided to plant them in there own pot, I was expecting them to be White as the adult was, but this unclassified colored flower opened! So what happened? Well I believe it is a result of pollination! My aunt had the both the White one and a Red colored Thanksgiving Cactus, I believe somehow her Red colored one pollinated with the white one, and This is a result of the 2 colors pollinating! The white one I originally got this growing inside of didn't make it, So I ended out not having white! instead I got this color That color you cannot find in stores! Pink Thanksgiving Cactus.

This pink cactus was the first one I ever bought This is my small Yellow colored Thanksgiving Cactus, I took this as a cutting from my larger one I bought, when I thought it had problems. This is just showing how tiny they can be and still flower! This cutting is only a year old! I will be soon selling cuttings of this size so if anyone is interested in purchasing some please email me at hostalover360@yahoo.com

This is every color I have all together in one shot! Too bad they all were not in full bloom in this shot! thanks for looking!

Strong Cold Front coming in Wednesday, Much colder weather coming, Subfreezing Highs Thursday & Friday.

Regional weather map

We going to have Much Colder Weather through the next Upcoming days, The Jet stream will sink Far to our south Wednesday, And a strong cold front will drag in Much Colder, Arctic air from the North on Wednesday, Wednesdays high will likely take place early in the day and Thursday and Friday, we will have Subfreezing Highs! With the system, There could be a few Flurries or snow showers Thursday and Friday as the cold air flows in, but it only looks like little or no accumulations.

Local View.

It's going to feel Much Colder Wednesday, and it will be downright Cold! on Thursday and Friday as the Coldest air of the season so far moves south, This is going to put our Highs on Thursday and Friday in the low to mid 20s! and lows will fall to the low teens! These are temperatures we've not yet experienced this season, So people in the area should be prepared for some good old fashioned Cold Wisconsin Weather! There will be a few flurried or snow showers around possibly Wednesday, but especially on Thursday and Friday, but it really doesn't look much accumulations, Maybe little to none, Which is not the best news because many people are now starting to look forward to a snow pack, one thing is for sure though, area lakes will Likely Freeze over with this air mass, and the Ground will also likely be frozen after the next few days. Daily Forecast Below.

Wednesday, Much Colder, Highs likely taking place early in the day before falling, A small chance at flurries, Highs in the low to mid 30s, with Cold Northwest winds breezy at times. Wednesday Night Colder, Cloudy with a chance of flurries or snow showers, Lots in the low 20s to upper Teens.

Thursday, Coldest day of the season so far, Cold! A chance of flurries or snow showers, Highs in the mid 20s. Thursday Night, Cold! A chance of flurries or snow showers, Lows in the middle to upper teens.

Friday, Cold, A chance of flurries or snow showers otherwise Cloudy, Highs in the mid 20s. Friday Night, Cold, Cloudy, Lows in the low teens, upper single digits are possible.

Looking Ahead Forecast. Looks to Remain cold with highs in the 20s from Friday through next Monday, lows remaining in the 10s. ever farther ahead It still looks cold, and It also looks like a fairly Dry few days ahead, with only small chances at snow through Dec 9th Dec 10th a nice looking system passes south on the forecast models, if this were to chance Then we would be looking at a nice snowfall chance but at this time only light snow chances.

My Picture of this mornings snow made area news!

a home video of the clip of my picture being shown on KSTP news.

Shortly after 4AM this morning I sent a snowfall report into NWS While Watching the news over the Internet, I saw my report had made the list, ( video of the report being shown here) I thought this was pretty interesting to see. so I decided to send KSTP a picture of the snow, I sent the meteorologist in this video the email, also mentioned to her I was the person who reported the snow at 4AM and she sent me an email right away and said she would put the picture on the air! and they actually posted it to there web cast online so I was able to view it! so it was Extremely excited to see that my picture, first and last name and community name were all shared on live news! I thought I would post this to my blog for future reference for myself and to share with family and friends.

A Snowy Surprise. Snowfall totals across the area Sunday morning.

Snowy scene this morning November 29th



Most people woke up this morning surprised this morning and may have said " this looks like more snow then a coating!" I was one of those people, Snow started about 11pm-12am last night/this morning, Snow was mainly light, with a few moderate burst, Many places definitely picked up more then a coating, Some areas got as much as 2 inches of white dry fluffy snow!

Snowy Balsam Fir and White Spruce Trees.

I spoke to soon in yesterdays post! because this snowfall does break our snow less November that we were heading for, But I find this as a good thing, It really didn't feel much like November with out snow! Right now the places that got the most accumulations seem to be centred over Northeast Barron County Through Polk County, The more farther north and south you go the numbers drop off. places like Downsville and Menomonie and up north in areas like Minong may have just picked up a coating to a Trace. Cool temperatures today should allow for at least some snow to last through the day to evening, with highs only forecasted to reach the mid 30s, I will be watching how much snow melts during the day. Snow Reports below.

Cameron,WI 2.0"

6 M NW Rice Lake,WI 2.0"

Clayton,WI 1.50"

Chetek 1.20"

Boyceville,WI 1.0"

Grantsburg,WI 0.70"

Hammond 0.60"

Roberts 0.20"

more snow reports will be added if more are added.

Well Above Normal nearly Snowless November- Late Ice over for many area lakes.

Ice less Lake Magonr November 28th!



Today was another beautiful day of very mild temperatures Highs made it to the mid to upper 40s, Which is 15 to nearly 20 degrees above normal for this time of year! On average highs are normally in the upper 20s and low 30s about 30.F this time of year! and Averages lows are about 20.F which is hard to believe with all this warm weather!





This November it has been very mild from normal values, 27 days out of the past 28 days have been above normal! and 10 of those days were Well above normal. The highest temperature I recorded this November was 62.F both the 7th and 8th of this month the coolest High so far this month was November 26th with a high of 32.F but even this was above normal for that day! Another thing we've haven't had any of is Snow! We have not has any accumulation of snow even once this month. I did report snow flakes once but it was melting on contact and it came in a rain/snow mix, No accumulation of snow is abnormal since the Averarage Snow for November in this area is nearly 7 inches. with Average rain at 2.09" for November, for Preip in November-so far, I've picked up 0.75" of rain and 0.00" of snow.

The well above normal temperatures have resulted in late ice over for area lakes. Typical from my views of the past and judging by average high and low temperatures Ice normally begins to form on area lakes around the 14th of November. because I do remember a lot of times when I was younger The ice was thick enough to play on by the week of Thanksgiving. Comparing to Last year by Thanksgiving this Lake above was already iced over and even snow covered by this time! Ice started forming last year about the 15th, This year it is already the 28th and not even a little ice has yet formed on large lakes. but with highs the in the 40s and 50s in the middle of November has kept this lake warm enough to keep ice from forming! Small lakes and ponds Do have a small layer of ice from resent cold nights like Mash Lake and Lake Camila have a bit of ice over them. but today was only there 2nd day in the entire month that it has had ice on it.

Much Colder weather is forecasted to come in by Sunday and even cooler weather late next week, So I do have a feeling that very soon it will be ice covered, The sun angle has been getting very low in the sky and it is hard for the sun to work off ice on small lakes!

Nice weather Saturday cooling off again Sunday.

Regional weather map for Saturday Sunday and Monday.

Saturday, Mild air ahead of some colder air to the northwest will be overhead, Sunday a weak weather system will pass North. Behind this system some cooler air will work back in Dropping temperatures.

Local View.

Saturday we will have Sunshine and mild temperatures, Highs will be in the lower 40s Saturday. Sunday colder air will move in, a weak system will move through as the colder air works in, This will increase clouds and may produce a few flurries if any, in our local area but it would be light with little or no accumulations. Colder air behind this will drop our highs to the middle 30s. Monday will be mainly cloudy or partly sunny, Monday Night things may start to clear out, This might make for some cool temperatures lows will be in the low teens Monday Night, but I would not be surprised if some places fell to the upper teens, Daily forecast below.

Saturday, Nice, Sunny highs in the low 40s. Saturday Night, Partly Cloudy then increasing clouds lows in the upper 20s.

Sunday, Partly Sunny and Cooler, A small chance of some flurries, Highs in the mid 30s. Sunday Night Mostly Cloudy lows in the low 20s.

Monday, Partly Sunny, small chance at flurries early. Highs in the mid 30s. Monday Night, Cool, lows in the low 20s with possible upper teens north.

Looking Ahead forecast. Looks like our Cool weather pattern will continue through next week, looks like high temperatures through the entire week will stay in the upper 30s! I actually see a mainly Dry week ahead at least until Thursday December 3rd. late week, There may be some lights snows, one thing if for sure, The models have been holding onto some even colder air coming for Next weekend, We may have below freezing highs! Sunday and Monday Dec 6Th. the models show a snow system moving in from the west but it's too early to tell if the models will actually hold onto this.

New Map

My new map.

I am adding a new map to my forecasting posts. This is a map that I've taken the time drawing myself to use at my blog, It will show more Regional conditions for a wider view to show how large systems effect the area. I will begin using this map in my next forecasting post which will be issued today.

Up and Running! & Update about my health.

New Rain Gauge November 26Th.

This is a post showing everyone that I am now using my new Rain Gauge. This is a more professional one then I was using for the past summer so this one will guarantee I wont have overly high readings like I did with my old rain gauge. This gauge will also be used for measuring water content of Snow. I especially want to Thank OSN of Oshkosh,WI Weather for helping me make this possible. The gauge is really working out nicely!

Thanksgiving Center piece with Thanksgiving and a Christmas Cactus on our table!

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving! I kinda wish Yesterdays snowy system would have turned out, I'm kind of in to mood for some snow now, But it just didn't happen. I did see some rain/snow mix but that was it, The system just didn't turn out like I thought it would, We had no snow accumulations anywhere, One thing that sure happened was the cool air! It's a chilly 29.F right now and it's almost 12pm noon! Most people when they went outside were like Wow it's cold! but the interesting thing is, We've cooled down Normal late November highs! It's just been so warm for so long it feels cold to most people!

One of the things that's interesting is, lakes are completely ice less due to the warm weather over the past month. I've always remembered a thing layer of ice at Thanksgiving but I guess it differs from year to year! Now that's it's cooled off I would expect ice to form soon.

Health Update.

I wanted to let my viewers know that, After going back to the Doctor for another visit, I've been diagnosed with Under Active Thyroid, I will have to take Thyroid pills for the rest of my life, This goes along with High blood pressure medication and Asthma Medication. But I'm just happy all of this is getting figured out so I can be healthier, and I also think it's good that I'm getting this figured out now rather then not finding it out.

Turning Much colder, a good chance of Snow Thanksgiving looking Cold with some snow- Updated

Updated Forecast for Wednesday, Thanksgiving Day and Friday, with a Thanksgiving Theme.

Chances were made to my forecast, Models are now showing something different then what I saw yesterday read below to find out.

It Will be turning Much Colder for the middle of the week, A Strong Cold and low pressure system will move through the Low Pressure will drag in some Much Colder air, and it looks like this colder air will stick around, The colder air, will turn rain to Snow, This change over will take place later then I first thought, The cold front slowed and "warm" air is sticking around this means it probably wont turn to snow until late now, Highs on Wednesday will still likely be early in the day, Highs will top out in the upper 30s before falling to the mid 30s. Wrap up preip behind the low pressure will spin down from the north, . Light rain will be off an on Wednesday, but the best chance of heaviest snow appears to be late Wednesday and overnight, Winds will also increase late Wednesday, gusting to 25MPH or higher. Thanksgiving Day we will have a good chance of Snow early, Before tapering, Total system Snow accumulations will be held down to lower amounts since the change over is being delayed to .50" to 1" is now what I'm thinking, it will be Windy and Cold, on Thursday, Highs will only make it into the Mid 30s. Friday it will be partly cloudy, but even the sun wont help us warm up much, highs will still only be in to upper 30s, Night lows will be well into the 20s. possible low 20s Friday Night Daily Forecast Below.

Wednesday, Rain early, changing to Snow late in the day, with off and on light rain lasting through the day, Much Cooler, Highs in the upper 30s. Wednesday Night, A good chance of Snow, turning Windy, Winds will gust to 25MPH lows in the upper 20s.

Thanksgiving Day, Cold, Windy, A good chance of snow early Before tapering, Total system Accumulations 0.50 to 1" Otherwise Cloudy, possible some clearing skies late, Highs in the mid 30s. Thursday Night, Cloudy turning Partly Cloudy Late. lows falling into the mid 20s.

Friday, Remaining Cool, Partly Cloudy with highs in the upper 30s. Friday Night, Partly Cloudy, lows in the low to mid 20s.

Looking Ahead Forecast. Longer range forecast are showing a slight warm-up for the first half of weekend but it wont be a huge warm up, It also looks Dry for the weekend first half of the weekend. Sunday & Monday, a small weather system may bring some light snow, it will also drag in cold air once again so Sunday & Monday will likely be cold. look even farther ahead, Tuesdays through Wednesday looks Dry but still cool, I don't really see much in the way of any warm ups any time soon. Late Next Week around Friday and Saturday, The models are picking up on a possible Stronger system, It looks like with cold air already in place it would come as all Snow, It will also bring in another shot of cold air behind it. This System will need to be watched as we go through the next week because if the models hold onto this hitting our area it could be our 1st real snowstorm of the season. It really looks like a more wintry couple weeks ahead especially for temperatures!

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Record overnight warmth Monday.

Warm Hazy conditions November 23rd.

We have been having mild conditions the past couple days but Especially over the weekend. Highs were in the low 50s on Sunday and Lows overnight Sunday Night and Monday were recorded breaking. lows only fell into the mid 40 upper 40s! Average highs for this time of year are in the upper 30s and averages lows are normally well below freezing. A large area of low pressure over the middle of the country help surge up warmth and moisture and this is what brought us the mild condtions.

A list of some Lows and Highs reached Monday.

The mild condtions we have expereince will come to an end, A big cool down is expected just in time for Thanksgiving, Snow looks to be possible, mainly light accumulations it looks like at this time, highs falling into the mid 30s, More on this later.

Frosty Foggy and Cool night.

Frost early morning the 21st.

Saturday Morning we had a very still calm air mass overhead, This lead to Fog and dropping temperatures below 32.F This made for some frosty conditions Saturday morning. Some spots had fairly Dense Fog. which lifted later in the morning. lows Saturday morning fell into the upper 20s to low 30s.

This picture shows more of the foggy Detail of our Saturday Morning. Saturday was mild for Mid November Temps rose into the upper 40s! The average High for this time of year is 38-39.F! Sunday morning lows are expected to be much warmer Very mild for this time of year in the upper 30s.

Enjoy the mild temperatures over the next couple days because It will not last too much longer. by Tuesday things will cool off and things will really cool down by Wednesday. A system might pass which could bring us some snow. It will depend on this system if we have a White Thanksgiving of not!

Thanksgiving Cactus blooming!

Yellow Colored Thanksgiving Cactus.

It's 6 full days until Thanksgiving and all Thansgiving Cactus but 2 are blooming! Even my Christmas Cactus is blooming early. It is a very pretty sight expressally when everything is brown outside.

Red Thanksgiving Cactus.

This Red colored Thanksgiving Cactus I bought at last minute last January is in full bloom!






This is a Christmas Cactus my aunt gave me as cuttings from her plant. It has really grown! this is it's frist time blooming.
Heres a close up picutres of the Christmas Cactus bloom.

Pink Christmas Cactus

I still have 3 plants which have not yet opened up there flowers! I will show picutres of those when they open.