Staggering Amounts Of Rain. The map above shows
Doppler radar rainfall estimates from the Twin Cities (KMPX) Doppler; as
much as 10" between Northfield and Cannon Falls. To put that into
perspective, that's more than 2 month's worth of rain, falling in 8
hours. Some of these returns may have been tainted by hail in the storm,
but I'm fairly confident at least 7-8" of rain fell over the far
southern suburbs of the Twin Cities, resulting in serious flash
flooding.
Thursday Damage Reports. Here's a
useful link
that displays (on a navigable Google map) the very latest damage
reports, including hail, high winds, even a report of a funnel cloud
near Faribault Thursday evening; map courtesy of NOAA.
* the very latest damage (and rainfall) reports from NOAA are
here. Data available for the USA.
Cyber Pearl Harbor: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
has a dire warning about America's ongoing vulnerability to
cyber-attacks; details below. Image above courtesy of
wired.com.
Freak Dallas Hailstorm. Officials estimate as much as
$400 million in damage from Wednesday's raging hailstorm. Details below. Photo above courtesy of cbsdfw.com.
A Wild Sky. Thanks to Lori Hecamovich who snapped
these photos near Rochester Thursday evening as torrential rains
approached. She described the rain as the heaviest she had ever
witnessed....ever.
Nickel-Size Hail. Thanks to WeatherNation TV
meteorologist Addison Green for sending in a photo, showing hail-size
from Thursday morning's storms - hail the size of dimes and nickels in
Uptown!
Friday Severe Threat.
Things settle downa bit today, but storms may exceed severe limits
from the Black Hills of South Dakota southward to Denver, according to
SPC.
Parade Of Storms.
It seems like we get whacked every other day, a trend that will
continue through Thursday of next week. According to the latest ECMWF
(European) model Saturday and Tuesday appear to be the wettest days.
Weekend Details.
As I've been saying for a few days now, best to have a Plan B for part
of the day Saturday. It won't rain all day, but the ECMWF forecast
(above) shows a high chance of showers and T-storms much of the day.
Sunday looks dry - good news for Dad. Grad party our outdoor wedding
tomorrow? Rent the tent!
Serious Puddle Potential.
We get a badly needed break from monster-puddles today, again Father's
Day. I suspect we'll pick up less than half an inch of rain Saturday,
although - locally - some 1"+ amounts are possible. A series of low
pressure waves rippling along a stalled east-west frontal boundary next
week will mean more heavy showers and storms. The 18z GFS hints at 7" of
additional rain by next Thursday!
A "Best Buy" Tornado Sale. Something good came of
the 1981 Har Mar Tornado that swept through the heart of the Twin
Cities, a "best buy" sale that had such good results that it resulted in
the birth of the company we now know as Best Buy. YouTube video of the
original 1981 tornado is
here; Rick Kupchella's
Bring Me The News has more details: "
The
tornado damaged a Roseville "Sound of Music" store, which led to a
State Fair "best buy" tornado sale. That sale launched a low-price,
no-frills retail environment."
Anniversary Of "Tornado Sale" That Changed Everything. Talk about an amazing "creation story".
The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal has more details on a 1981 tornado that gave rise to a tech empire; here's an excerpt: "
Best
Buy didn’t exactly rise from the ashes, but its name and marketing
strategy were spun out of a tornado 30 years ago Tuesday. Best Buy
founder Richard Schulze
called his company Sound of Music when a tornado whipped through
Roseville on June 14, 1981, destroying the store and littering the area
with merchandise. (See the photos to the right). Employees recovered
the scattered inventory and stacked it on tables in the store’s parking
lot. Sound of Music slashed prices and advertised a “Tornado Sale.”
The sale also was promoted as a “Best Buy,” and people stood in long
lines to buy the discounted goods."
New Mexico "Little Bear" Blaze. You can see the fire
retardant dropped on the "Little Bear" fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico,
courtesy of Kari Green at the U.S. Forest Service.
Did you know:
Most fire retardant dropped from planes is a diammonium phosphate
with a guar gum thickener. It acts as both a flame retardant and
fertilizer after the fire to promote plant growth.
High park fire: Over 1,200 personnel, 46,820 acres burned, 10% contained.
Whitewater- Baldy fire: 446 personnel, 289,478 acres burned, 56% contained
Little Bear fire: 37, 912 acres burned, 40% contained.
* information courtesy of Inciweb and Wikipedia.
Monsoon Awareness Week. Not something we need to
worry about in Minnesota (or do we?) Sizzling heat over the desert
southwest pulls Pacific moisture inland, resulting in torrential rains
and winds capable of whipping up blizzard-like duststorms. More from the
Las Vegas office of the NWS, via
Facebook: "
June 10th through the 15th is Monsoon Safety Awareness Week in Arizona and New Mexico. Today's topic is Winds & Dust Storms."
Freakish Hailstorm Pummels Dallas (Video). Some amazing details (and video) from
Yahoo News; here's an excerpt: "
The
images look like snow, but Dallas residents will tell you it was no
winter wonderland. "Oh my gosh, this is the biggest hailstorm I have
ever witnessed in my life," shouted Hannah Jones while videotaping
chunks of hail pelting her pool and backyard. Supercell storms packing
heavy rain and droves of damaging hail swept across parts of North
Texas Wednesday evening. Some stones were as big as baseballs."
Sitting Ducks. Don't you just love the people who
stop under a highway overpass during a hailstorm, to protect their
precious vehicles, leading to a back-up of vehicles behind them?
Everyone else is a sitting duck. It's an "every man for himself"
mentality. I understand the desire to keep your car or truck ding-free,
but by doing so you threaten everyone else on the highway behind you.
Not good. Here's an explanation of the hailstorm that hit Dallas
Wednesday evening, from the Norman Office of the NWS, via
Facebook: "
This
pic is from the DFW area yesterday, where a hailstorm caused a lot of
damage. This is why we urge you to not park under highway overpasses in
storms. The vehicles you see here are trapped out in the hail with
nowhere to go. It’s a very good thing there wasn’t a tornado with this
storm!"
Local Storm Chaser Risks Life For "Perfect Shot". I enjoyed this article, courtesy of
Houston Public Radio. If you're a storm chaser or interested in severe weather, it's worth your time to dig in. Here's an excerpt: "
If
you’re unlucky enough to get caught in a weak tornado, it would sound
something like this ..."I’m escaping the tornado. Its right next to me …
oh god, here we go. This is the tornado. Oh god, oh help me …" That’s
storm chaser Hank Schyma, scrambling desperately in his 4Runner to
escape a mile wide F1 tornado in Cooperton, Oklahoma
earlier this year. The tornado literally chased him down the road. It’s
hard to imagine Schyma in that situation as he sits in the safety of
his home in Midtown surrounded by cameras and maps, the tools of his
storm chasing. But here’s how it happened: "The tornado just did this
freak figure eight maneuver and it was like your worst nightmare. I
kept moving out of its way and it kept changing direction, it would not
stop chasing me. The whole things on video."
Photo credit above: Hank Schyma
Weather Poetry. Keith Olbermann (yes, that Keith
Olbermann) sent in this photo from Manhattan, writing: "And some of the
sunset playing off the clouds over midtown." Photo courtesy of
Twitpic. Thanks Keith.
"Ask Paul." Weather-related Q&A:
Paul,
"
I was wondering if maps showing yearly precipitation for
Minnesota or the Metro Area are available somewhere. I have attached a
sample of what I'm looking for but it is for average annual precip -
I would like a map of actual yearly data."
Mark Larson
2011 Precipitation. Thanks to Pete Boulay for tracking down this
URL
that has actual precipitation amounts (in map form) for Minnesota,
dating back to 1990. I don't have a map for 2012, to date, but I'l lkeep
looking. Data courtesy of the Minnesota Climatology Working Group.
Mark, I hope this helps you in your quest.
Tropical Storm Carlotta Aims At Mexico Pacific Coast. Details from
Reuters: "
Tropical
storm Carlotta strengthened off Mexico's Pacific coast on Thursday and
was expected to become a hurricane on Friday, the U.S. National
Hurricane Center said. Carlotta, the third named
storm of the Pacific hurricane season, is set to graze the coastline
south of tourist city Acapulco and pass north of Mexico's largest oil
refinery. State oil company Pemex said it was monitoring the
storm and the 330,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery was operating
normally on Thursday. Carlotta's path is far from the Baja California
resort of Los Cabos where world leaders are set convene next week for
the Group of 20 leaders of top economies on June 18-19." Map courtesy of NHC and Ham Weather.
Where Is June? This photo was snapped on June 12 at the Logan Pass, Montana visitor center, in Glacier National Park. Good grief.
Panetta Warns Of Cyber Pearl Harbor: "The Capability to Paralyze This Country Is There Now".
The next wave in military threats: drones and cyber-attacks. When you
consider that a guy, sitting in his underwear somewhere in central
China, could (in theory) bring down America's electrical grid, it kind
of puts other threats into stark perspective. Here's an excerpt of a
must-read article from
cnsnews.com: "
Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta warned a Senate panel today that America faces
"the potential for another Pearl Harbor" launched by enemies who have
the capability to wield a cyberattack that would “paralyze this
country.” Panetta made his remarks under questioning by Sen. Lindsey
Graham (R-S.C.) during a Department of Defense (DOD) budget hearing
held by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Referring
to a potential cyberattack against the United States, Graham asked,
“You said something that just kind of went over everybody’s head, I
think, that there’s a Pearl Harbor in the making here."
"Lucky You." You probably know a few people who have
a sense of entitlement. They went to the "right school". They "paid
their dues". America owes them now, and they will take what's their's
for the taking. If you have a couple of minutes you might want to read
author Michael Lewis's commencement address to the graduating students
at Princeton. He talks about luck. How lucky we all are to have been
born in the USA. Yes, we all work hard, but there's no denying the role
that luck plays in each of our lives. His message: those who have been
lucky in life have a moral obligation to give back to those who have
been unlucky. I'm sure Wall Street bankers, the so-called "Masters of
the Universe" won't especially want to read this, but I think Lewis
makes a very important point. Here's an excerpt of his speech from
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: "
This
experiment helps to explain Wall Street bonuses and CEO pay, and I’m
sure lots of other human behavior. But it also is relevant to new
graduates of Princeton University. In a general sort of way you have
been appointed the leader of the group. Your appointment may not be
entirely arbitrary. But you must sense its arbitrary aspect: you are the
lucky few. Lucky in your parents, lucky in your country, lucky that a
place like Princeton exists that can take in lucky people, introduce
them to other lucky people, and increase their chances of becoming
even luckier. Lucky that you live in the richest society the world has
ever seen, in a time when no one actually expects you to sacrifice
your interests to anything." Photo above courtesy of
bloomberg.com.
These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America.
Business Insider has a great infographic, and some amazing details; here's an excerpt: "
This infographic created by Jason at Frugal Dad
shows that almost all media comes from the same six sources. That's
consolidated from 50 companies back in 1983. NOTE: This infographic is
from last year and is missing some key transactions. GE does not own NBC (or Comcast or any media) anymore. So that 6th company is now Comcast. And Time Warner doesn't own AOL, so Huffington Post isn't affiliated with them."
John Deere's "Tango EF" Autonomous Lawn Mower. Your lawn mowing chores may get easier in the years ahead, at least if John Deere has anything to say about it; details from
gizmag.com: "
The
TANGO E5 will not only mow your lawn without you having to move off
your garden lounge, but it will do so at times when you’d rather be
indoors. This is because the unit boasts all weather capability which
allows it scythe its way through your overgrown greenery no matter how
persistent the precipitation. The unit is powered by a 36 volt, 2600 mAh
lithium-ion rechargeable battery and will mow an area of up to 1,800
square meters. This space has to be defined by a user/specialist dealer
installed boundary wire that helps to keep the mower from heading
across the road and visiting your neighbor’s petunia bed."
New WGN Promo: "We Put The Suck In Succeed". Well, here's a new angle.
TVspy.com has more compelling, head-scratching details (and the video itself): "
WGN,
a station that bills itself as “Chicago’s Own,” unveiled a new promo
this week that urges viewers to tune into the station’s morning show
for its “robots, transvestites, giant vegetables, and lots of
explosives.”
Tornadic Silver Lining
Sometimes bad things have a silver lining, a
good outcome over the long term. The massive F5 tornado that leveled
much of north Rochester on August 21, 1883 left 37 dead and hundreds
injured. But Wikipedia reports "(Doctors) banded together to form St.
Mary's Hospital, which ultimately led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic
and the Tornado Guild, a group dedicated to protecting all Minnesotans
from the ravages of the swirling winds."
The 1981 Har Mar tornado damaged a Roseville
Sound of Music store. A subsequent State Fair "Best Buy" sale was a
success, launching the chain that has lured tech-enthusiasts ever since.
Strange, but true.
"The animals are pairing up and collecting wood
for the ark" reported Northern Trust's Jeff Huybrecht yesterday.
Welcome to June, monsoon season in "Mud-esota"; the wettest, most severe
month of the year, on average.
The weekend outlook has crystallized. Sticky sun
today gives way to heavy T-storms late tonight and Saturday. Have a
Plan B for a few hours tomorrow.
Amazingly, Father's Day looks like the sunnier
day: mid 80s (and a risk of sunburn). A stalled front keeps us stormy
from Sunday night into Thursday.
A free watering for all!
Climate Stories...
The Vanishing North. A warming Arctic will bring new
prosperity to some, opening up waters for drilling and exploration. But
in this article from The Economist, a rapid thaw up north will bring
potential problems and challenges as well. Here's an excerpt: "
NOW that summer is here, the Arctic is crowded with life.
Phytoplankton are blooming in its chilly seas. Fish, birds and whales
are gorging on them. Millions of migratory geese are in their northern
breeding grounds. And the area is teeming with scientists, performing a
new Arctic ritual. Between now and early September, when the polar pack ice shrivels to
its summer minimum, they will pore over the daily sea ice reports of
America’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre. Its satellite data will
show that the ice has shrunk far below the long-term average. This is no
anomaly: since the 1970s the sea ice has retreated by around 12% each
decade. Last year the summer minimum was 4.33m square km (1.67m square
miles)—almost half the average for the 1960s." Image above: NOAA.
Major Cities Already Being Impacted By Climate Change.
CNN.com
has a long look at major metropolitan areas around the world already
seeing the effects of a changing climate; here's an excerpt: "
The
April 2010 storm brought the heaviest rains to hit Rio in decades,
triggering mudslides that crushed shacks in hillside slums and caused
traffic chaos on flooded city streets. At the time, Mayor Eduardo Paes
described the city's preparedness as "less than zero." A little less than a year later, in January 2011, flooding and
mudslides ravaged several cities in the north of the state of Rio de
Janeiro and 1,000 people lost their lives, according to the city. In
the latest CDP Cities report, Rio anticipates climate change will
produce an increase in landslides, flooding and water pollution."
Climate Change To Increase Wildfires. Here's an excerpt from a story at
The Hill: "
A
major new study finds wildfires in the western U.S. are likely to
increase because of climate change. The findings arrive as fires in the
West are forcing federal officials to try and boost resources to
confront the blazes. New Mexico is fighting the largest fire in its
history, while Colorado’s wildfire is among its worst. President Obama
on Wednesday signed legislation to speed up federal contracting for big
aerial tankers to fight the wildfires in an effort to provide help to
states in trouble. The study in the journal Ecosphere suggests a growing
danger for the United States."
Climate Change Drives Researcher. Indystar.com has a fascinating article; here's an excerpt: "
Clutching
his remote control, Steven C. Amstrup watches the news of killer
tornadoes, destructive hurricanes, hot and cold temperature extremes --
and wishes he could put words into the mouths of those reporters and
weather forecasters. "They should add on the end of every one of these
stories . . . 'these sorts of events will continue to increase in
number and severity as the world continues to warm,' " Amstrup said
from his home in Kettle Falls, Wash. "Adding that to the broadcast might
begin to get people's attention." More attention to global warming's
impact on weather extremes can lead to more action. More action can lead
to real solutions."
