96 F. high in the Twin Cities Saturday, 2F away from tying the old record.
82 F. average high on June 25.
82 F. high on June 25, 2015.
June 26, 1982: Cold air moves into northern Minnesota. Kulger Township dips to 31 degrees. Duluth registers 36.
Trickle-Down Technology & Accidental Discoveries
Future grandkids will grow up believing we always had weather apps and radar on our phones. We've come a long way since Amish Doppler (staring out the window).
A race to space following launch of The Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite in 1957 had a Cold War weather dividend: "Tiros-1" began sending back grainy weather imagery from low Earth orbit in 1960.
Radar operators tracking enemy planes during WW II noticed smudges of interference on their screens. They thought it was a bug - turns out they were seeing precipitation, not German aircraft; a happy discovery that has evolved into today's high resolution Doppler radar.
The older I get, the less I take for granted.
Yesterday's 100-degree heat index and severe storms are history; a fresh west wind treats us to blue sky today, with a crisp dew point in the 50s (and no blobs on Doppler).
While the western USA fries a series of Canadian cool fronts flirt with Minnesota into next weekend with highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s. Free A/C.
Amazingly, models hint at a few T-showers on the 4th of July, highs near 80F. What can go wrong?
Photo credit: "West Virginia State Trooper C.S. Hartman uses a boat to navigate the flooded streets of Rainelle, W. Va., on Saturday, June 25, 2016." CBS News.
Photo credit: "This Thursday June 23, 2016 image provided by the Greenbrier shows flooding on the 18th green of the Old White Course at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Severe flooding hit the area that is scheduled to host a PGA tour event in two weeks." (Cam Huffman/The Greenbrier via AP) The Associated Press
NASA Analysis of West Virginia Flood Event.
Another 1-in-1,000 year rainfall event? Once again weather systems
essentially stalled, with training storms dropping repeated bouts of
heavy rain over the same (waterlogged) counties. Here's an excerpt from NASA's Precipitation Measurement Missions: "...GPM
captured this image of the East-West oriented line of storms at 9:41 pm
EDT on Thursday June 23rd (01:41 UTC 24 June 2016). The image shows
rain rates derived from the GPM GMI (outer swath) and DPR (inner swath) overlaid on enhanced IR data from the GOES-East satellite. By this time, most of the heavy rain
was located over southern Virginia along the border with North Carolina
where rates are shown to exceed 50 mm/hr (~2 inches/hr, shown in dark
red). Meanwhile a broad area of light to moderate rain (blue and green
areas) stretches from the Atlantic Coast all the way through southern
West Virginia and back into central Kentucky...."
Atmospheric Scientists Boldly Go Into The Heart of a Tornado. The National Science Foundation has the story; here's an excerpt: "...TWIRL’s
field season ran from May 1 through June 15. That's the time of year
when two ingredients required for tornadoes -- very unstable air and
strong vertical wind shear -- are most common. The TWIRL scientists are
developing 3-D maps of the strongest tornado winds near the ground, and
studying how these winds cause damage to buildings, power lines, trees
-- and anything else in their way. "TWIRL researchers are focusing on
low-level winds flowing into the cores of tornadoes," said Ed Bensman,
program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences,
which funds TWIRL..."
Photo credit: "
Could a United Kingdom Exit From The EU Affect Weather Forecasts? What, if any, effect on ECMWF, the world's leading weather model? Here's an excerpt of a post from Dr. Marshall Shepherd at Forbes: "...I
have no insight on how this vote affects the weather community but a
“common sense” twitch in me suggests there could be some effects. While
that ultimately remains to be seen, there are aspects worth noting about
the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union as they pertain to the
global weather enterprise. It is well-known in weather circles that the
European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) or “Euro”
model is the leading weather forecasting model in terms of numerous
metrics for skill. I am often amused at the passionate discussion about
this..."
* Here's a link to a statement from ECMWF about England's decision to leave the EU.
Hottest Days Come in Mid-July.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the hottest weather doesn't come on
the Summer Solstice, when the sun angle is highest in the sky. There is a
built-in "lag" in the atmosphere, as water takes longer than land to
heat up, and historically the hottest days of summer come 2-3 weeks
after the solstice, in mid-July. Graphic credit: Climate Central.
Here's Where Solar Energy Shines in the U.S. Climate Central has the story - here's a clip: "...The
price paid for electricity varies across the country, depending on how
it is generated and other factors. But according to the Department of
Energy, the average national price of electricity to residential
customers is about 12 cents per kWh. If a home gets 400 kWh a month from
solar, it would cut the annual energy bill for the average home by
around $600. Since 2008, the cost of generating electricity from solar
panels has been cut in half. The number of U.S. solar installations have increased by a factor of 17 over that period, and they now have the capacity topower the equivalent of 4 million average American homes.
With solar panel costs expected to continue falling, solar energy may
become an increasingly attractive proposition to homeowners..."
climate change?
Buy a more fuel-efficient car. But consumers are heading in the
opposite direction. They have rekindled their love of bigger cars,
pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, favoring them over small cars,
hybrids and electric vehicles, which are considered crucial to helping slow global warming..."
The single most effective action that most Americans can take to help reduce the dangerous emissions that cause
After Thousands of Years, Earth's Frozen Life Forms Are Waking Up. Gizmodo reports: "...Cryofreezing is best known for its appearances in science fiction, but self-styled "resurrection ecologists" are now showing the world just how real it is. In 2012, scientists germinated flowers from a handful of 32,000 year old seeds excavated from the Siberian tundra. Last year, researchers hatched 700-year old eggs from the bottom of a Minnesota lake, while another team resuscitated an Antarctic moss
that had been frozen since the time of King Arthur. Bacteria, however,
are the uncontested masters of cryogenics—one bug, at least, was alive
and kicking after 8 million years of suspended animation..."
TODAY: Sunny, less humid. Winds: W 10-20. High: 85
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy and comfortable. Low: 62
MONDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, cool wind. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 73
TUESDAY: Bright sunshine, less wind. Winds: NW 3-8. Wake-up: 55. High: 76
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, still pleasant. Winds: S 7-12. Wake-up: 60. High: 78
THURSDAY: Chance of showers, possible thunder. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 63. High: 82
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, comfortable. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 63. High: 78
SATURDAY: Touch of September. Cool and crisp. Winds: NE 10-15. Wake-up: 59. High: 75
MONDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, cool wind. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 73
TUESDAY: Bright sunshine, less wind. Winds: NW 3-8. Wake-up: 55. High: 76
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, still pleasant. Winds: S 7-12. Wake-up: 60. High: 78
THURSDAY: Chance of showers, possible thunder. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 63. High: 82
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, comfortable. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 63. High: 78
SATURDAY: Touch of September. Cool and crisp. Winds: NE 10-15. Wake-up: 59. High: 75
Climate Stories...
Why the GOP is Trying to Stop the Pentagon's Climate Plan. Politico attempts to explain the inexplicable; here's an excerpt: "...This
is what we ask our military and national security people to do, to
think long-term, look at emerging threats, figure out ways to protect
against these threats,” he said. DOD officials have been warning for
years that climate change could have dire consequences on U.S. national
security. Increased refugee flows, which are already straining Europe,
are likely to accelerate as the climate heats up and have the potential
to destabilize large swaths of the world, including the Middle East and
South Pacific. The “oil wars” of the 20th century could give
way to “water wars,” with countries competing for scarce natural
resources. Higher energy costs may further strain the military’s budget
and rising water levels could force the DOD to adjust locations of
critical infrastructure facilities like ports..."
Forest Fires Can Heat Up The Whole Planet. A story at National Geographic explains how NASA is tracking the accelerating changes: "...Climate
change is playing out twice as fast in the boreal forest than it is on
the rest of the planet. Permafrost is thawing, and vegetation is
changing as climatic zones migrate north faster than trees can adapt. Already, dramatic change can be glimpsed from space: The tundra is turning green, while the boreal forest is turning brown. Some scientists predict the boreal forest may reach a disastrous—and irreversible—tipping point this
century and shift from carbon storehouse into a major source of
greenhouse gas emissions. Others contend that the tipping point has
already been reached..."
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