TOO MUCH RAIN

Except for when I was sick, I don't remember ever spending an entire day in my pajamas but that's what I did yesterday.

 

What was the use of getting dressed?  I sure wasn't going out in the rain that just would not go away!

 

It's so sad.  It's so dry in Texas, and the other southwestern states all the way to California.  And, here, the damn rain won't stop!

 

I hate to tell you but there's more on the way today.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI TODAY WITH FLASH FLOODS POSSIBLE.

 

Along with the rain we could get wind gusts to 45 MPH.

 

The storms will continue tonight into Wednesday, mostly south of I-90..

THE WEATHER IS TOO GOOD TO LAST

Finally, for a change, a sunny day, a light breeze and temperatures in the 60's.

I made a "pill stroll" over to Walgreen's and it felt so good being out in shirt sleeves.

But, it's too good to last.  There are some scattered thunderstorms moving our way from Iowa and we could see some of that this afternoon and tonight.  We could see some storms with small hail and gusty winds.

IF YOU LIKE RAIN YOU'LL LOVE LA CROSSE

The weatherman says there's a GOOD CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM TODAY INTO MONDAY.

A few of the thunderstorms, tomorrow night, could be strong to severe through Northeast Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS will be the mail threats.

Travel Wisconsin wants to know:

TWEET US: What are you looking forward to most about spring and summer in #Wisconsin?
— Travel Wisconsin (@TravelWI) April 23, 2014

I'd just like to SEE a little spring and summer.  So far, all I've seen is wet, cold, clouds and wind and I'm getting a little pissed. 

COLD AND WET

It's been raining most of the afternoon and tonight it will change over to snow.  One to two inches is expected with 40 MPH wind gusts.

SOME HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP.

Spring arrived on a gust of wind this morning.

In fact, the winds were strong enough to blow a power pole down at the corner of Sand Lake Road and Main Street in Onalaska.

Heavy rain, at times, came with the wind.  Believe me, it was great sleeping weather!!

SPRING FEVER....HERE I COME!

I made a run over to the Co-op.  The time and temp sign on Cass said 55 degrees!  This would be a really beautiful day if the wind wasn't blowing so hard.

WEATHER WARNING

SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE TODAY WITH GUSTS RANGING FROM 30 TO 40 MPH. THE COMBINATION OF THESE WINDS ALONG WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RESULT IN POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON.

YES, IT WAS A WINDY DAY

Highest wind gust in La Crosse County was early this morning at 49 MPH.

NASTY WEATHER MOVING OUT

The National Wather Service says we got a half inch of snow but the parking lot is completely clear.  Maybe I'll see some on the grass when it gets light.  We're not going to get the snow they predicted but we are getting the wind.  Nearly 50 MPH gusts were reported around 5 AM.

NASTY WEATHER FOR NEW YEARS EVE

It sounds like the new year is going to blow in.  Wind gusts will be in the 45 to 55 MPH range, tomorrow night, with some snow falling to add to the miserable night.   The rest of you can fight that weather to get to the party.  Thunder and I will be nestled, all snug, in our bed.

HIGH WIND REPORT

Gusty winds plagued the area all day.  Some of the higher gusts included Barre Mills at 33 MPH, La Crosse, 32 MPH and Viroqua at 33 MPH.

HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT

There's one good thing about being bald. You don't have to worry about your hair when the wind blows. It looks like those winds will be pretty brisk around here today.

By this afternoon will see the wind blowing at 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts to 40 MPH on the bluff tops.

SNOW GONE BUT STILL A MISERABLE DAY

I walked over to Co-op around 10 and most of the snow had already melted so now everything is just wet and slushy with a cold wind.

They called from the clinic and said my glasses are ready.  I told them I'd be in first thing in the morning.  I don't want to go out into the elements again today.

AN UPDATE FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE:

WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT...
AHEAD OF A STRONG LOW LIFTING NORTH ACROSS THE DAKOTAS. SOUTH WINDS
WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 30 MPH TODAY WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. THE
STRONGER WINDS WILL BE ACROSS THE OPEN COUNTRY AREAS OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA...AND OVER THE RIDGE TOPS ALONG AND EAST
OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. WINDS TONIGHT WILL REMAIN IN THE 15 TO 25
MPH RANGE WITH SOME GUST OF 30 TO 35 MPH DURING THE EVENING.

WIND DAMAGE

It looks like those high winds caused problems all over Wisconsin yesterday. In Door County so many trees and power lines were blown down that they've had to close all the state parks and trails until they can get the mess cleaned up.

WIND GUST

The National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 51 MPH at 2:36 this afternoon at the airport on French Island.

WINTER COMES TO THE DAKOTAS

Temps are falling into the 40's in the Dakotas this morning with wind gusts of 40 to 50 MPH. Gusts of 60 MPH are possible for Rapid City.  The good news for us is that the cold front that's bringing the nasty weather is heading more south than it is east. It shouldn't lower our temperatures all that much.

A couple of notes on this day in history.

Rosalynn Carter is celebrating her birthday with Jessica today.  Rosalynn has celebrated a lot more birthdays than Jessica, however.  She's 84 today.

On August 18, back in 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into Galveston and Houston.  Maximum winds of 125 MPH were reported along with 23 tornadoes with 14 of those reported from Galveston to Hobby Airport.

Rainfall amounts totalled more than 7 inches in Galveston and Houston got between 10 and 11 inches.  They need that rainfall NOW more than it was needed back in 1983.

The remnants of Alicia continued to move up north and even brought light rains to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

ANOTHER DROUGHT NOTE FROM TEXAS
The town of Llano, near Austin, has set up plans to truck bottled water into town.  If it doesn't rain soon the town will be bone dry.  Imagine trying to take a shower with bottled water.

HEAT AND STORMS IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Extreme heat and storms were reported across South Dakota this afternoon.  In the west a huge storm brought large hail, heavy rains and a wind gust of 79 MPH at Faith.

In the east, late this afternoon, Sioux Falls reported 109 degrees, it was 112 in Mitchell and 118 in Aberdeen.  We're not talking heat index here.  We're talking real heat.