At least one rainfall record was broken this weekend from the heavy rain that moved through Central Wisconsin.

Rain began moving into Wisconsin from the southwest early Saturday morning and lingered in the area through Sunday evening. 

Communities in Adams,Portage and Wood Counties picked up the greatest amount of rain this weekend. 

According to the National Weather Service Office inGreen Bay, Saturday’s 1.32” inWisconsin Rapids broke the Oct. 13th rainfall record for the city.  The old record was only one year old, set in 2011 of .88”. 

Based on data supplied by the National Weather Service and Newsline 9’s collection of  Weather Watchers, weekend rain totals met or exceeded three inches in Stevens Point(3.44”), Scandinavia(3.45”), Big Flats (3”), Plover (3.21”) and Arkdale (3.1”).

Communities picking up over two inches of rain include Wisconsin Rapids(2.92”), Lindsey (2.15”), City Point (2.76”), Necedah (2.47”), Almond (2.95”) and Kronenwetter (2.7”). 

This weekend’s rain provided 1.89” in Wausau and 1.83” in Rothschild.

Posted under Rainfall Reports, Records, Seasonal Items, Weather NEws

Today was the everything weather day! It rained hard overnight, then it was dark, gloomy with heavy mist through most of the late morning. By early afternoon the clouds broke and sunshine came out and it felt warm.  Tonight we are seeing mainly clear skies and them temps are already dropping.  I tell you, if today didn’t make everyone somewhat happy then I don’t know what could.

Speaking of today we had the 9 Iron challenge.  It is a tournament played by most people who work at Channel 9 and other folks from the community.  It is different from most golf tournaments because you are only allowed to use your 9 iron, a wedge and a putter!  Just imagine how many strokes it takes to get down a par 5 fairway with a 9 iron.  We had a blast playing and I have to say was an easy golf game for me because my hardest decision on the course is which club to use ( I need a catty!)!  I played with Sean in Jayson in sports and with Mike in news and I think we all enjoyed playing even if the weather started out on the crumy side.   

I also went to Dells of the Eau Claire for the first time this past week and was so bummed I had never went in two years of living here!  It is a gorgeous place and a perfect place to take a hike or a walk.  I highly suggest going there if you haven’t been.  It is not to far outside of Wausau, probably 20 min, and it is well worth the drive. 

I am sure it will be even prettier in the Fall!  This year should also be a good one for fall colors.  If you will remember last year was not so good.  We had a very warm Sept and then Oct it was wet and cool so the leaves either fell off or didn’t change before the drastic change in weather.

In the tropics we have Igor which is almost at hurricane strength. There is also an area in the Caribbean that could strengthening.  So far the Caribbean has been quite this year, only once storm has tracked that way.   The area in the Caribbean has a 60% chance of forming and if it does could be something we keep a close I on.  For now it looks like Igor could take a similar track to recent storms, especially Earl and turn towards the north and brush the eastern seaboard.  This is still many days out though and could change.

Last year I blogged about the weather on 9/11 and how it impacted the attacks on US soil.  Of course since  weather and flying go hand in hand it played a big roll in weather the terrorists could execute their attack.  Check out this link for it.

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Fall Color, Science, Summer, Trails, Travel, Tropics, Uncategorized, Weather NEws

It is about that time of year when we start to get stronger fronts move through that actually play a role in roller-coaster temperatures.  We received our first taste of Fall last week when we went from 84 degrees on the 14th to 73 degrees on the 15th.  That is not even that bad, just a 9 degree drop.  The coldest that we have been this month is 70 on the 17th for our high.  Out coldest low was also on that day when we started off at 53.

When looking at the seven day forecast what I noticed most was a dry spell.  We are going to have consecutive days of no rain and I am not just talking about a couple.  I am talking about 4 to 5 days or even more.  I went back and looked at the past months to see how long it has been that we have went this many days straight with out any rain.  The last time we had 6 days with out any rain was May 15th to the 20th.  This was really when summer began for us.  (We did see that short heat spell in early April.  )

If we want to see the last time that we had 5 straight days with no rain, well actually we don’t have to go far, last week. However! This was just in Wausau ( the 15th through the 19th).  We did have rain around the area and the days were not exactly pleasant like this upcoming week, they were Mostly cloudy with scattered storms we just lucked out in Wausau.   I think the last period that can count, meaning a similar pattern to what we will be in now- high pressure was from June 28th to July 3rd.  The reason I am using this as the example of 5 and not 6 is because on the 28th there were still scattered showers in our viewing area.  The point is it has been abnormal for us to see long periods with no rain this summer.  I would say the average amount of dry days has been around 2 or 3 in a row. 

This week I think we will see plenty of dry days, in fact I would say we are going to be getting close to that 5 to 6 straight.  We will see a sharp drop in temps from Monday into Wednesday when the cold front moves through.  It is this front that will bring us our only chance of rain on Tuesday. 

I know we need rain but I surely think we saw plenty this summer and have made a great dent in the drought, lets enjoy the sunshine and the rest of summer while it last.

Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under forecast, Heat, Monthly Recap, Records, Storms, Summer

It has been a busy few days.  We again are seeing storms fire up again this evening mainly around the twin cities, they are pushing toward the east, southeast and will eventually bring rain to our western counties.  Clark and Monroe area already seeing storms and they will continue to spread in through the late evening and early overnight.  A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 2 am for Clark, Taylor and Monroe counties.   We are seeing gusty winds and small hail but the rain is the biggest nuisance.  We could see flooding from the heavy downpours embedded in the storms.

On the note of rain I wanted to list some of the higher totals from last nights storms.  Unbelievable that several areas saw over 2 inches!

Marshfield  2.57″

Prentice 2.50″

Plainfield 2.50″

Tomahawk 2.07″

Elton  2.04″

Polonia 2.03″

Scandinavia 2.00″

Rib Mountain 1.94″

Almond 1.90″

Stevens Point 1.84″

Whiting 1.80″

Merrill 1.62″

Weston 1.60″

Here in Wausau we have picked up atleast 1.63″, the exact total for the day will not come out until official records are posted after midnight.  However I do know that we broke our daily record of 1.47″ set back in 2000.

Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Drought, Storms, Summer

Yesterday we covered a few different angles yesterday on the abundance of rain we have seen across North Central Wisconsin.  Since I saw the stories this morning I thought I would put the links to them on our blog.  I think these stories show us how the rainfall has been helping peopleeven though many people are yearning for it to stop.

One major way the rain has helped our area is related to crops….here is a story that we covered about the corn crop and how it is ahead of schedule.  One thing that stood out for me was that they haven’t had to water once! I am sure that most save them tons of money.  Unfortunately though not all crops thrive on the abundance of rain, smaller crops like snap beans and peas are being washed out from to much rain.  I believe this is related to the standing water and the roots not being able to breathe.  In the video it says about an inch a week is good.  Considering we have seen from about 6 to 9 inches in areas that is almost double what the crops “need” a week.

From work to play the rain is allowing some people to enjoy their summer a little more when the sunshine is out.  The Big Eau Pleine Reservoir is now up to normal levels after being in a drought for seven years! In the past seven years they have dipped as low as 40 inches below normal in that area.  They estimate they have seen 15 inches of rain so we are still 25 inches below normal.  As Sam Morgan, Manager of Operations with Wisconsin Valley Improvement says it, ”This year we’ve actually seen enough rain that the Wisconsin River is flowing at a sustainable rate all by itself and we don’t have to release any water out of our reservoir or at least we haven’t so far for the last two months, so we’re seeing reservoirs fill up.” Of course if we see the rain come to an abrupt stop, or if next few summers are like last summer then the reservoirs would end up back to below average. 

We are going to see another round of showers and storms today.  Showers are already moving into Wisconsin by early this morning and will continue to increase through the day.  It looks like it should spread from mainly Northwest to the Southeast.  A few showers/storms through the morning will be possible in Ashland, Iron, Price, Taylor and Clark and then everyone has a chance by the afternoon and evening.  A cold front will move through overnight ending showers and storms mainly by Wednesday morning.  A few showers will still be possible mainly south of 29 through Wednesday morning.  There is the possibility of strong to severe storms so we will watch them closely for large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Posted under forecast, Severe Weather, Storms, Summer, Weather NEws

Today was a nice day to start off the holiday weekend.  If you like it hot I am sure you enjoyed it, if not well there is no other word to describe it!  It was surely one to be on a boat or atleast taking a dip in a pool. 

I was actually in Escanaba the past couple days for my weekend.  I had a nice time catching up with old friends.  This morning I ran the Gladstone Firecracker 5 mile race.  I have to say even at 9 am it felt sweltering hot running! There was no breeze for the whole run, well except the last bit when we ran along the water.  No wonder races start early in the summer, especially July.  I am sure there were lots of races across the area today- I know the 4th is a big race day for many cities too. 

Since we are talking about the 4th lets talk about the weather for it… Unfortunately it looks like rain will hamper some peoples plans.  Right now it seems that the majorityof it should hold off till after 12. If we look at two main graphical models there is only light scattered showers before and around noon.  The bulk wants to come by  afternoon through the evening.  If this does occur there is the possibility that some cities could get there fireworks off!  I think the best chance would be mainly west of I 39 because the rain should move with the front from west to east.   Therefore they will see the rain the earliest.  Overall totals should be from a quarter to a half inch.  Isolated spots that see a heavy down pour could see over an inch.  Lets just hope that the rain moves out for the fireworks for your area!  I think the biggest threat with the rain will be heavy downpours.  Right now it looks like thunderstorms will be more isolated since we will be fairly stable.  There is still the possibility for a few embedded thunderstorms but I think it will mainly be a rain event. 

Once the rain moves out Sunday evening we should get a short break before another round Monday afternoon into Tuesday.

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under forecast, Summer

It seems we got our wish- Rain! As Justin and Brian both have mentioned we are above average for the month, still below for the year but it sure seems like we have been seeing our fair share the last few weeks.  We again have the chance for showers and storms overnight and through Wednesday.  We could pick up another good inch in some areas if we see the heavy downpours like we saw last night.  After that we should dry out for Thursday and Friday, that will be good news for the gardeners and farmers.  Although I am not savvy in that area I believe they need a few dry days to get their crops picked. Check out both there blogs for more info on the rain!

Just a couple other things I wanted to mention… Brian blogged about the “United We Can”… although it ended up soggy they did luck out with a fairly dry morning and early afternoon.  I know many of them were up before the real rain began.  I talked to one of the organizers Monday morning and said that there was a chance and they made accommodations by putting up tents which was a great precaution.  The other good news.. they surpassed their goal for raising canned goods!  There goal was 3000 pounds and they gathered approx 5138!  Just goes to show rain can’t scare everyone away!

I also had the chance to visit the Nekoosa library today.  They have a program going on all summer long for kids not only in Wood county but all counties.   Over the next couple months Justin and I will be visiting them and giving weather talks.  I will make sure to post the pictures that they took when I get them. 

Last but not least it is ‘Lightning Awareness Week”.  “When thunder roars, go indoors!”  On average 58 people are killed by lightning, so far in 2010 we have had 9 killed.  It is a serious danger, and one that strikes year round although most people associate lightning with the summer months.  For more information check out the National Weather Service Lightning Safety Page!

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Severe Weather, Spring, Storms, Summer, Weather Safety

Wow… the rain just keeps coming for the month of June.  After this evening’s downpour, we are up to 1.30″ inches for the day in Wausau!  This puts us at 5.43″ of rain for the month, which is 2.51″!!!  This of course is great news, but we want to make sure that we also get some warm sunny days in between the rain so the crops grow nicely.

Today’s rain was also bad timing for a favorite downtown event in Wausau.  Today’s Marathon County ”United We Can Food Sculpture Contest” still turned out to be a huge success.  Area made various creative sculptures out of donated food items.  Then anyone could come by and vote for there favorite at the cost of $1 per ballot.  The event raised over $1200 and 4900 pounds of food for area shelters.  I was lucky enough to be one of the official judges.  My favorites where M&I banks American flag peace sign made with soup cans, and Marathon County’s Farm Scene.

Here are some soggy pics from the event…

Click here for more info on this fund raiser.

More rain is in the forecast….well have a slight chance of a storm tomorrow and storms likely again on Wednesday.

Meteorologist Brian Niznansky

Posted under Drought, Storms

So we had a warm and dry spring but it seems mother nature is making a change for our summer….

 If I learned one thing this weekend it was just because rain is in the forecast doesn’t mean you change your plans!  When we talk about rain that usually doesn’t mean it will rain all day everyday.  It means there is a chance that showers could affect plans at certain times usually. 

On Saturday I participated in constructing a “Born Learning Trail” at 3M here is Wausau.  We made a nice dent in the work before the rain moved in, unfortunately it did make us postpone our painting.   ( Hopefully going to finish this week!) If you have a child this will be a great activity to do with them this summer!  Emerging Leaders, a group of the United Way of Marathon county, put the trails up this past weekend at 3M in Wausau and at Machmueller in Weston.  The trails are for kids from 3-6 to learn early childhood skills such as shapes, numbers, animals.  These trails have been put up all across the nation and we are lucky to now have two in our own back yard.  For more information on what the trail is you can check the born learning website.

Also check out the story that Newsline 9′s Elizabeth Fay did this past weekend on the trail.  

Here is also a map of 3M and of Machmueller to help show the locations.

Also if you haven’t heard they are going to close the road to Rib Mountain.  You can still get to the park and trails by climbing up the face of the mountain.  I have to say I love hiking Rib Mountain in the summer, it is one of my favorite places that we have in Wausau.  Like I started this blog with, even if the sun isn’t shining sometimes it is still nice to get outdoors and do something you enjoy.  Yesterday I went hiking and went to one of my favorite spots, Sunrise lookout.  I thought I would share the view from their! If you get the chance to get to the park try and check out the view!

Have a great Monday! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Summer, Trails

Good Evening! What a warm and sunny day we saw.  Today we hit our first 80 of the season here in Wausau, average for this time of year is 70 so we are well above normal.  It looks like this trend is only here to stay for the next week of so.  The good news is we will introduce a few showers in the forecast of Friday.  Even though we finally saw some rain next week we are still in a considerable drought.  At the NWS seminar we went to  and they did mention that we are back into severe drought across the Northern section of Wisconsin.  You can see from the graphic below.

Brian did a great blog before mine about the NWS seminar. We discussed many topics from the December Blizzard, the April snow ( affected Green Bay area), and the last severe event on May 4th.  They went through the forecasting of the events from their perspective and reevaluated how accurate they analyzed the models.  We also discussed severe weather statistics and reports from 1950 through present. For more info check out Brian’sblog.  Another topic he noted was how viewer input has really impacted news, which was a whole discussion and really one to note.  Pictures of severe weather are great but NOT worth risking your life for.  First and for most people need to be safe especially if a Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm warning is issued for your area.   

Lastly, I discussed in my wonder series the phenomenon of “Double Rainbows” and how they happen.  We received many reports of rainbows and double rainbows from the severe weather event that occurred on May 4th.  Maybe if you get lucky you will see another one soon!

Have a great night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Drought, new media, Severe Weather, Spring, Storms, Technology, Weather History, Winter Weather