87 F. high in the Twin Cities Friday.
83 F. average high on August 1.
83 F. high on August 1, 2013.
August 1, 1831: Cold outbreak across Minnesota with light frost reported at Ft. Snelling.
Maybe I'm Amazed
Weather
is the pond in which we live, an atmospheric aquarium in which we're
all bewildered spectators. As in life, weather is cyclical - the
background hum of daily changes the soundtrack of our lives.
Which
is a long, poetically-tortured way of saying I'm looking forward to
hearing Paul McCartney rock Target Field tonight. The man is prolific
and hopelessly gifted. And thinking about the arc of his amazing career
made me consider all the songs ever written about the weather.
Hundreds? Thousands? From classical to jazz, blues & country - artists write about their experiences.
We
change our minds, our jobs, even our friends & spouses, but we
can't come close to changing the rhythm and rhyme of the weather.
Personally, I find that humbling...and reassuring.
Oh yeah, odds
favor a dry sky this evening; today the drier, sunnier, warmer day of
the weekend. An irritable warm front sparks swarms of T-storms next
week; southern Minnesota will see the heaviest rains by midweek.
So,
my love, listen to what the man said. With a little luck this band on
the run will temporarily control the elements floating overhead and
we'll all be treated to a few more silly love songs.
Sounds good.
Photo credit above: "
Sir
Paul McCartney performs with his band during the "Out There" Tour at
the Times Union Center on Saturday, July 5, 2014, in Albany, N.Y." (Photo by Hans Pennink/Invision/AP).
Spotty Weekend Storms, Especially Sunday PM.
Long-range guidance shows a lake-worthy weekend, a few isolated
T-storms can't be ruled out today (due to lingering instability aloft).
More numerous storms are likely to bubble up late tomorrow ahead of a
slightly cooler front. That front stalls, sparking another wave of
potentially heavy showers and T-storms late Tuesday into Wednesday
morning, especially over southern Minnesota. The latest ECMWF model run
shows cooler weather by the end of next week.
Stagnant Pattern = Carolina Flooding.
60-hour NOAA WRF accumulated rainfall amounts are impressive from the
Carolinas into Washington D.C., Wilmington and Philadelphia, with some
3-6" amounts possible over thhe Carolinas, maybe 2-3" from D.C. up I-95
into the Delaware Valley. Monsoon storms flare up over the southwestern
USA with a scattering of storms across the Upper Midwest. Animation:
HAMweather.
Jet Stream So Weak Winds Are Running From Pacific To Atlantic Across North Pole.
Yes, the jet stream is confused, and I still suspect it has something
to do with differential heating from the equator to the poles, and rapid
warming of the arctic and far northern latitudes.
Robert Scribbler explains: "...
But,
during recent years, temperatures in the far north have been rapidly
rising by in some cases as much as 0.5 to 1.0 degrees Celsius per
decade. This heating of the polar zone, together with land and sea ice
loss, has resulted in a weakening of the circumpolar wind pattern called
the Jet Stream. This weakening has collapsed the wall keeping southerly
winds from rushing over the Arctic as we see today. The current pattern
involves an extreme weakness and high amplitude wave in the Jet Stream
extending from the Central Pacific and into the Arctic, extending well
above the 80 degree North Latitude line..."
California Breaks Drought Record as 58% of State Hits Driest Level.
The same perpetually "stuck" jet stream configuration that sparked
record floods in the eastern USA is holding fast with a stalled ridge of
hot, high pressure straddling the western USA and western Canada,
resulting in a rash of early wildfires and some of the driest conditions
on record. Here's a clip from
The Los Angeles Times: "...According to the
U.S. Drought Monitor report,
in July roughly 58% of California was considered to be experiencing an
"exceptional" drought -- the harshest on a five-level scale.
Photo credit above: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times. "
Brandon
Arthur, 10, crawls out of the gooey muddy tailings left by his father
Steve Arthur's water well drill site in Terra Bella."
Record-Setting Drought Intensifies in Parched California. More perspective on the slow-motion natural disaster playing out on the left coast from
Climate Central; an excerpt: "...
While the drought can’t be directly linked to climate change, the warming of the planet is expected to make already dry places drier.
And future droughts could be even worse. The current drought — which
rivals the terrible drought of the late 1970s — has been 3 years in the
making, as three successive winter wet seasons went by with below-normal
rainfall. The paltry snowpack this year really intensified matters, and
the persistent pattern of heat in the West and cold in the East has
kept much of California baking all year. In fact, the state had its warmest first six months of a year on record this year. July has followed suit with, for example, San Francisco registering an uncharacteristic 90°F on July 25, a full 12°F above normal..."
Image credit above: "
The
progression of the drought in California through the spring and summer
of 2014, as the two highest categories, extreme and exceptional drought,
grew."
FDA Offers Hurricane Preparedness Tips. Long Island's Newsday has an article with some good reminders for preparation, especially as it relates to water and food; here's an excerpt: "...The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued its hurricane preparedness
fact sheet for 2014. Among the recommended tips: Store a three-day
supply of bottled water for each person in your household; one gallon of
water per person per day. Also, now is a good time to inspect the cans
of food in your pantry. Replace any rusted or swollen cans..."
Image credit above: "
The
FDA advises storing a three-day supply of bottled water for each person
in your household -- one gallon of water per person per day."
(Credit: FDA).
Where Do Hurricane Names Come From? This question comes up from time to time, and I thought
KBTX.com in Bryan/College Station, Texas did a good job answering it; here's an excerpt: "...
There
are six rotating name lists for the Atlantic Basin," said Dr. Rick
Knabb, Director of the National Hurricane Center. "Every six years you
come back to the same list of names that you had 6 years ago, minus any
names that were retired after a particular storm caused a level of
damage, a scope of human suffering or some other notoriety that made it
insensitive for us to hold onto that name," explained Knabb. Storms like
Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans and Sandy that impacted the East
Coast and Andrew that forever changed how we prepare for hurricanes.
Those names have all been retired..."
Image credit:
NOAA NHC, which adds: "
Since
1953, Atlantic tropical storms had been named from lists originated by
the National Hurricane Center. They are now maintained and updated
through a strict procedure by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization.
The six lists above are used in rotation and re-cycled every six years,
i.e., the 2014 list will be used again in 2020. The only time that
there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that
the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate
for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by
the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the
offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to
replace it. Several names have been retired since the lists were
created. Here is more information the history of naming tropical cyclones and retired names..."
NOAA's Hurricane Hunters Due For Overhaul.
Imagine your worst flight ever. Now multiply that by 50. That's what
flying into a hurricane is like; unimaginable turbulence. Here's a clip
from an interesting story at
SunSentinel: "
After
pounding through 183 hurricanes over the past 38 years, two Lockheed
WP-3 Orion turboprops are almost ready for the junk heap. Yet new
hurricane hunters could cost a prohibitive $300 million. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
has another option: Revive both planes with new wings, engines and
avionics at a cost of about $15 million per aircraft. That should keep
them flying through 2030, or for more than 50 years..."
No Record, But Arctic Sea Ice WIll Be Among 10 Lowest. Here's the introduction to a story at
Climate Central: "
The extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean at the end of the summer season likely won’t surpass the record low of 2012,
but 2014 will still likely rank as one of the lowest minimum extents
(or areas) in the record books. That’s according to Julienne Stroeve, a
scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. “It’s likely that it will be among the top 10 lowest,” Stroeve told Climate Central in an email..." (Image credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO.)
Picture This: Eerie Wildfire, Stirring Rainbow & Sharknado! Climate Central has a grab-bag of interesting weather nuggets and photos, including this beauty; here's an excerpt: "...
It would be hard to find more stunning scenery as the backdrop to an ethereal double rainbow. Double rainbows,
like single rainbows, often form after storm weather when the sun’s
light is reflected off the back of a raindrop, only in this case, it is
reflected twice. This rainbow was photographed above Oregon’s
awe-inspiring Crater Lake in the eponymous Crater Lake National Park
after thunderstorms swept through the area. (Those same storms spawned
lightning that ignited many of the wildfires that have burned across
Oregon in recent weeks.)..."
Image credit above: "
A spectacular double rainbow photographed after a thunderstorm over Crater Lake in Oregon." Credit: David Grimes/Crater Lake National Park
How "Into The Storm" Built a Better Tornado on a Budget.
I know it has no resemblance to reality (anytime soon, God-willing) but
I am looking forward to seeing this film. A worthy sequel to "Twister"?
I'm keeping an open mind. Here's a clip from
The Hollywood Reporter: "
While
visual effects budgets on summer's biggest movies can push $100
million, New Line's upcoming tornado pic Into the Storm defied the odds.
Despite unleashing dozens of CG-rendered twisters, it was produced for a
thrifty budget of $50 million. Of that, only about $23 million was
spent on visual effects, the key selling point of Warner Bros.' Aug. 8
release..."
Image credit courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Crude Gamble: Oil-By-Rain Threatens Safety of People and Planet in Pacific Northwest.
EcoWatch has the story - here's the introduction: "
With
an estimated 9 million barrels of crude oil moving over rail lines in
North America at any given moment, it’s no wonder that safety and
environmental ramifications of oil-by-rail are top of mind for many. In
the wake of the one year anniversary of Quebec’s Lac-Mégantic fatal
train derailment explosion, it’s imperative that more people become
aware of the dangers of unprecedented amounts of oil being transported
through the heart of communities and cities in the U.S. and Canada. Bomb Trains: The Crude Gamble of Oil by Rail, a video produced and published this week by VICE News, investigates the rapid expansion of oil-by-rail transport..."
File photo credit above: "
This
July 6, 2013 file photo shows smoke rising from railway cars carrying
crude oil after derailing in downtown Lac Megantic, Quebec. A string of
fiery train derailments across the country has triggered a high-stakes
and behind-the-scenes campaign to shape how the government responds to
calls for tighter safety rules." AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson, File.
NASA Validates "Impossible" Space Drive.
Wired UK has the intriguing article; here's the introduction: "
NASA
is a major player in space science, so when a team from the agency this
week presents evidence that "impossible" microwave thrusters seem to
work, something strange is definitely going on. Either the results are
completely wrong, or Nasa has confirmed a major breakthrough in space
propulsion. British scientist Roger Shawyer has been trying to interest
people in his EmDrive
for some years through his company SPR Ltd. Shawyer claims the EmDrive
converts electric power into thrust, without the need for any propellant
by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container..." (Image credit: NASA).
Poison Yourself - It's Good For You. Here's a headline I thought I'd never see; an excerpt from
Outside Online: "...“
Everybody
thinks oxidation is bad, and that antioxidants are good,” says Dr.
Philip Hooper, an endocrinologist at the University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus. “That’s bogus. A little bit of poison is good.” That
poison can actually come from plants, especially those that have
survived harsh conditions.
In this Nietzschean diet principle know as
xenohormesis, foods that have survived harsh conditions make us stronger
by stressing our bodies, not because they’re rich in antioxidants..."
Photo credit above: "Ditch the multivitamin and grab the good stuff."
Photo: mythja/Thinkstock.
TODAY: Warm sun, isolated T-storm. Winds: SW 7. High: 83
SATURDAY NIGHT: Clearing, warm and pleasant. Risk of a Beatle. Low: 65
SUNDAY: Sunshine thru afternoon. Late-PM storms likely. High: 86
MONDAY: Partly sunny, slightly cooler. Wake-up: 63. High: 80
TUESDAY: Some sun, heavy T-storms late. Wake-up: 59. High: near 80
WEDNESDAY: Heavy T-storms southern MN. Sunshine north. Wake-up: 61. High: 78
THURSDAY: Intervals of sun, sticky. Dew point: 61. Wake-up: 59. High: 82
FRIDAY: Unsettled, Risk of T-storms. Wake-up: 60. High: 79
Climate Stories...
New Study Indicates Dramatic Fall-Off In Global Crop Yields By The Year 2050.
The reason? Warming temperatures increase low-level ozone production,
which is even more harmful to crop yields. Here's an excerpt from
Gizmag: "...
For
example, an estimated 46 percent of damage to soy crops previously
believed to have been caused by global warming was reportedly actually
due to air pollution. However, whilst the two phenomenon damage the
crops in their own right, they are also inextricably linked. The rising
temperatures caused by global warming is itself the catalyst that leads
to an increase in the creation of plant-damaging ozone. Furthermore, the
study highlights that while individually air pollution or global
warming would be damaging to global food production capabilities,
together they pose a much greater threat, working in concert to
detrimentally affect a much wider range of crops than either one could
harm on its own..."
File image credit: Shutterstock.
Construction Industry Preparing For Climate Change.
The smart companies are already getting out ahead of the curve and
going on offense, not waiting to play defense 5-10 years from now.
Here's an excerpt from
The Star Tribune: "
There’s
little question many architects and builders are convinced of the
threat of climate change and are urging clients to plan for a future of
weather extremes. Those who design and construct buildings are required
to look decades into the future and are expected to provide owners with
their best advice on how and where they should proceed with their
projects. Those considerations can include everything from what kind of
materials to use that can best withstand more frequent downpours to
whether to build in an area that might become a flood plain in a future
with rising sea levels..."
Michael Mann: Public Opinion Critical for Climate Change Fight. Here's an excerpt of an Op-Ed from climate scientist Michael Mann at
The Morning Call: "...
Natural
gas may not be the panacea some see it as, however. The ramp-up of
natural gas development in Pennsylvania, either as an outgrowth of the
EPA plan or the continued exploration of the Marcellus Shale, raises the
specter of methane emissions from well pads and compressor stations,
and methane leakage along the natural gas distribution and delivery
chain. More significantly, an uncertain but potentially quite
significant additional amount of so-called fugitive methane might escape
into the atmosphere during the process of fracking and natural gas
recovery. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, as much as 84
times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its
release into the atmosphere..."
Reason in a Dark Time. Why The Struggle Against Climate Change Failed, and What it Means for Our Future. Here's an excerpt of a book review that caught my eye at
Times Higher Education: "...
He
then conducts a thorough review of the ethics of climate change,
emphasising the degree to which the whole problem has an ethical
character. Advantaged people today are benefiting from practices – such
as air travel – that cause environmental harm and store up very serious
future problems. But his surprising conclusion is that it is
extraordinarily hard for current ethical reasoning to express this
problem precisely and in a way that has clear implications for
individuals’ or groups’ actions. He deduces that ethical reasoning
itself needs to be refined for a climate-changed world..."
John Lennon Said It Best: "Living is Easy with Eyes Closed".
The expression (oxymoron?) "sustainable capitalism" keeps rattling
around in my tired brain. Can we have it all, growth, jobs, (more of
everything!), economic success and lower international carbon
footprints, consuming less fossil fuel as we transition to renewables
and cleaner ways to keep the lights on? We're all complicit, but
excessive consumption as a mechanism to help others?
EcoWatch has the story; here's a clip: "...
But
it is not altogether fair to single out Mr. Jones as our whipping boy.
We are all, in the developed world, complicit in a lifestyle that, when
analyzed objectively, is immoral, given the carbon budget truth we must
face up to, and the inequities of our current economic system. This
truth hits harder as the assets we have the responsibility to steward
grows. All outlets have inescapable consequences, whether the money is
channeled into consumption, investment, or philanthropy. Welcome to the
new meaning and awesome responsibility of financial stewardship in the
21st century..."
Photo credit above: "
The $34 million that Dennis Jones paid for his yacht was equal to the $34 million he had donated to charity since 2000." Photo credit: Thomas Caradonna.
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