News Cut Category Archive: Weather

Left out in the warm

Posted at 9:02 AM on August 22, 2009 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

For an area that loves to talk about the weather as much as we do, Minnesota has a right to feel positively left out when it comes to Hurricane Bill this weekend. Imagine, with our experience at these things, how much hype we could bring to the occasion!

Massachusetts and Cape Cod are the primary targets of Hurricane Bill. If you're interested, here are Webcams along Cape Cod. We can pretend.

So far, the Weather Channel is all live hype from the Cape. The Webcams suggest normality at the moment.

Here are some other hurricane-tracking links:

Stormpulse
HurricaneTrack.com
National Hurricane Center

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The lightning show

Posted at 9:45 PM on August 8, 2009 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Summer made its grand reappearance this weekend. Up to 5 inches of rain fell in the storms Friday night into Saturday morning. Then, after an afternoon of muggy weather, tornadoes reportedly dropped in sections of Anoka County. Trees were downed in Plymouth. From Twitter, we heard reports of wedding receptions hurriedly being moved indoors.

The picture above was the leading edge of the storms.

I shot this video of lightning in the distance -- over Anoka and Washington Counties -- from the safety of the News Cut Woodbury bureau. The lightning didn't illuminate anything particularly foreboding.

Here's some YouTube video scanning the sky of Plymouth as the sirens blare. No tornado spotted on the tape, however.

Is our drought over, yet?

If you see any damage when the sun comes up, shoot us a picture.

The boys on Updraft are doing the heavy lifting on the weather.

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Random weather photos

Posted at 6:30 PM on July 22, 2009 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

We got a late start on summer but this week has been a heck of a week for cloud watchers. This behemoth east of St. Paul -- not expertly captured here -- could've easily led to more rear-end accidents on I-94 during the rush hour.

Deep thoughts while waiting for the traffic light to change to green: If rainbows only exist in our brain (because of the way our eyes interpret light), do they really exist?

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All or nothing at all

Posted at 12:23 PM on July 21, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

In a matter of minutes on Tuesday, the Twin Cities went from a drought to a flood. Here's a scene on Dawn Way in Inver Grove Heights.

Of course, we're still in a drought but the heavy rain didn't hurt, especially for those of us who have been close to taking our gardens and lawns off life support and letting them die with dignity.

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Live-blogging: Severe weather season forum

Posted at 5:45 PM on May 6, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

How appropriate that a few severe weather warnings are up for the "flyover country" this evening, for we are partaking in one of our most beloved traditions: talking about Minnesota weather.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer is hosting a discussion in the UBS Forum with meteorologists Paul Huttner, Craig Edwards, Mark Seeley about tornadoes, floods, straight-line winds and other public safety threats that come with warm weather. We'll discuss how accurately storms can be predicted, how storms are formed and how to protect yourself and your property.

And I am live-blogging the event. Follow along, ask a question, maybe even make some Hot Dish. The forum will be broadcast on the radio during Midday on Thursday.

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A blizzard on the prairie

Posted at 12:02 PM on March 10, 2009 by Bob Collins (12 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

If a blizzard doesn't hit the Twin Cities, is it still a blizzard?

This is a tough time for the news media which, understandably and justifiably, gets criticized for making things sound worse than they really are. "Mother Nature is going to throw everything she's got at us," KARE 11's anchor announced last night, shortly before throwing it to the weatherperson standing outdoors with an umbrella even though it wasn't snowing or raining, and ignoring that earthquakes, volcanic disruptions, floods, tornadoes, and drought weren't in the forecast.

So when we look out the window in the Twin Cities and see gray skies and drizzle, it's easy to give them a little shot for their hyperbole. The problem is, it's a big state and -- cover your ears, Twin Cities -- there's more to it than just the metro. And this particular blizzard really is bad -- and I guess newsworthy -- for the people in the northwest and west-central part of the state. For example, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol have closed Highway 210 from Fergus Falls to Breckenridge in the last few hours. I-94 from Moorhead to Fergus Falls is closed as is the stretch from Fargo to Jamestown, and Highway 10 from Moorhead to Lake Park. (See other road closings)

It doesn't appear the blizzard is going to affect the Twin Cities, leaving those of us who lamented the prospect of another snowstorm feeling just a little -- admit it -- left out of the excitement.

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The vanishing signs of spring

Posted at 8:49 AM on March 7, 2009 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Energy, Weather

The vanishing signs of spring.

When I was growing up, the New England Flower Show was the unofficial declaration of hope during that part of the winter -- the tail end -- when one more helping of snow would often be enough to send people over the edge.

Now, the New York Times reports today, flower shows across the country are the latest victims of the bad economy. They have wilted in the face of reality.

Last week, my wife went in search of bulbs to force. All she could find was "paper whites," the smell of which instinctively makes us look for an electrical fire in the house. She had no luck finding regular old bulbs.

Need more? For baseball fans, pouring poring over the small agate type box scores of spring training games from exotic places like Port St. Lucie and Winter Haven, has always been the "hope" to hang onto. The Star Tribune, and many other places, this year have eliminated out-of-market spring training linescores. Getting them via the Web is not the same.

This weekend it's supposed to snow again.

Hope is getting harder to find.

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Live-blogging: The storm

Posted at 12:41 PM on February 26, 2009 by Bob Collins (12 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

4:41 p.m. -- Minneapolis has now declared a snow emergency. Get the particulars here. Please don't make me do one of those "let's talk to people at the impound lot" stories. Unless there's new info coming in, I may retire the live blog at this point to keep the snow emergency info up top. Observation: For a storm that hit at a bad time for commuters, things appear to have gone relatively well this evening. Frustrating, yes, but nowhere near as mind-boggling as earlier, smaller, storms. Talk about your commute below. I have to go blow some snow now.

4:31 p.m. - Here's the particulars on the St. Paul snow emergency:

On Thursday, February 26, 2009, beginning at 9:00 P.M., all NIGHT PLOW ROUTES will be plowed. Included are all arterial or main streets posted with signs that say "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE" and one side of all north-south residential streets posted with signs that say "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE-THIS SIDE OF STREET".

On Friday, February 27, 2009, beginning at 8:00 A.M. all DAY PLOW ROUTES will be plowed. Included are all non-posted east-west residential streets and the non-posted side of north-south residential streets.

Parking is banned until streets are plowed full width to the curb. There will be tagging and towing ahead of the plows starting immediately at 9:00 P.M. and continuing throughout the Snow Emergency. For more information visit our website at http://www.stpaul.gov/snow

4:14 p.m. - The snow has stopped in the metro, which is great news for the commute. The final total via garage-door-cam is 4 1/2" which, in the big scheme of things, isn't that big of a deal.

4:10 p.m. - A better picture. This is looking at the westbound side of 494 over the Wakota bridge. The jackknifed truck was on the westbound side, not the eastbound side. And it's now been moved to the side and only one lane is blocked now.

4:00 p.m. - Uh oh. This MnDOT camera picture of westbound 494 at Carver Ave in Woodbury tells me there's another big problem in the other direction too, from the one where were that jackknifed truck is blocking things. Searching.

3:56 p.m. - This picture from Julia Schrenkler near the News Cut World Headquarters (7th and Cedar in St. Paul), shows the person everyone hates. He/she tried to get through the intersection, didn't make it, and now everybody going in the other direction is blocked for a light cycle or two.

3:49 p.m. - St. Paul has declared a snow emergency. So far, nothing for Minneapolis but keep checking here.

3:37 p.m. - The biggest traffic disaster godawful mess typical metro commuter nonsense chance-to-scare-you area is in the east metro on I-494. A truck has jackknifed at the Concord St. exit of I-494 eastbound before the Wakota Bridge

You can see the mess.

3:34 p.m. - The Weather Channel person doing live shots from downtown Minneapolis notes, "They don't mess around here," when it comes to snow plowing. His disappointment as the snow tapers off seems detectable.

3:27 p.m. - Some flights arriving at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport are up to an hour and 45 minutes late. Many are being held on the ground at departing locations, according to the Air Traffic Control Management Center. Northwest has issued a winter waiver. You can rebook without fees.

3:22 p.m. - Garage-cam hourly update shows it snowed at a 2-inch-per-hour rate in the last hour.

2:58 p.m. - Paul Huttner says it has stopped snowing in Mankato. Flakes are larger (which usually means it's ending.... why is that?) in Woodbury.

2:52 p.m. - The Uptake's Jason Barnett reports via Twitter: "40 miles south of Twin Cities I35 is blocked. All northern traffic stopped. Me among them. :( "

Also via Twitter, Matt Abe reports the snow is tapering off in Hopkins.

Meanwhile, I have a shovel-ready project.

2:39 p.m. - OK, here we go. The rush hour is underway, and very badly misnamed today. (h/t: MPR's Tim Nelson)

A quick check of MNDot's Web page shows 5 stalled vehicles closing lanes on various stretches of the main highways.
2:37 p.m. - U of M cancels evening classes.

2:20 p.m. - Paul Huttner says the late start of the storm should keep the total accumulation at 7 inches tops.

2:11 p.m. - Paul Huttner, MPR meteorologist, says southeast metro is getting hit the hardest. He includes Woodbury. Let's go there now as part of our exclusive News Cut coverage of Snowmaggedon. Here's the garage-door-cam.

Almost 2.5" in two hours. Now our only-on-News-Cut coverage has this exclusive footage from bird-feeder cam.

More as it happens. Back to you in the studio.

2:00 p.m. - Snow totals so far:
New Market - 5.4 "
Carlos - 9" (good thing I canceled my trip to the area today)
Hastings - 1"
Faribault - 3.1"
Zumbrota - 2"

1:51 p.m. - This picture of the MPR News Cut World Headquarters by Dan Olson ...

... has got me wondering. I wonder what it would've been like if the Republican National Convention in St. Paul were held in February?

1:33 p.m. - Interesting "tweet" from a person who says his son's high school has canceled this afternoon's ski and snowboard trip due to snow.

1:21 p.m. - "What hath God wrought?" Everybody's got a video stream pointing a camera out the window. The Star Tribune is the latest. Naples, Florida? Are you out there watching this?

1:12 p.m. - Live video from Moorhead (h/t: Than Tibbetts)

12:50 p.m. - Latest from MnDOT:

The Minnesota Department of Transportation advises no unnecessary travel in the following counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, LeSueur, Martin, Nicollet, Nobles, Rock, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan . Windy conditions and heavy snow are creating reduced or zero visibility in some areas and snow compacted roads. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate throughout the day with high winds predicted.

12:40 p.m. - Via Twitter. A live video feed of snow falling somewhere in the Twin Cities. This is the advantage of the Web, of course. Looking out the window just doesn't cut it, anymore.

12:38 p.m. - 41st St. NW in Rochester:

12:21 p.m. - Now that the snow is falling, the meteorologists say it will snow quite heavily. Today's thing to think about when you're sitting in traffic on the way home: If it rains cats and dogs, what does it snow...?"

12:09 p.m. - Snow starting, innocently enough, in Woodbury.

12:05 p.m. - Matt Wells looks out the office window in Eagan and sees, well, nothing:

11:52 a.m. - Confirmation from Greg Boone that it's snowing at Gustavus in Mankato St. Peter.

11:22 a.m. - Weather Channel won't make the same mistake three times. Drops the live shot from the guy standing in downtown St. Paul (with his hood on his parka up. What's up with that?) and does a phone interview with a weather in Mankato who describes the small fall. It's always difficult to subscribe snowfall without visuals (as radio folks know). But it's snowing in Mankato. Save yourselves while you still can.

11:20 a.m. - MPR's Craig Edwards, writing on the Updraft blog says the commute home will be no fun.

As predicted, the snow held off for the morning rush in the metro. But heavy snow, falling faster than an inch per hour, has reached west central and southwest Minnesota. We expect heavy accumulations, of up to an inch per hour, from around 11am to 6pm in the Twin Cities.

I don't know, Craig, so I can't kid with him but predicted? Predicted when? Because I got up at 2 a.m. based on one prediction on heard on (gulp) MPR.

11:16 a.m. - Twitter reports it's snow in St. Peter. You know the drill as thing swallows us, right? Send pictures.

11:12 a.m. - The Weather Channel has a guy doing live shots from downtown St. Paul (looks like near Landmark Center). He's apologizing that nothing is happening. "Any minute now," he said a few minutes ago, repeating what he said a few minutes before that.

Studio host, trying to make something out of nothing, offers him a lifeline. "Mike, is Minnesota doing anything to prepare for this?"

10:51 a.m. - This is going to be the second-cousin-twice-removed of all snowstorms, from what I've heard over the last few hours. It's changed my News Cut plans.

The plan was an overnight in Moorhead after yesterday's News Cut on Campus, and then I was to spend the morning in Pelican Rapids. I wanted to meet the imam of Minnesota's smallest mosque (it was going to contrast nicely with the story today from Minnesota's largest mosque. Pure genius, really.)

But the meteorologists -- and a News Cut friend in Pelican Rapids -- suggested scurrying back to the Twin Cities was a better idea. So after a short nap, I left I awoke in a Moorhead motel and turned on the local weather on the TV (something I can't do in Woodbury anymore, thank you very much, Channel 17). There were pinks and whites all over the screen. It seemed I missed my avenue of escape.

The backup radar (looking out the window) revealed dry pavement. The forecast said an inch by sunrise, so I drove, accompanied by the radio beating forecasts in three-quarter time and telling me the snow would start in the Twin Cities by the morning commute and when it did, "it would be very heavy." I drove faster.

After arriving home at 6:45 this morning, I took another nap, and prepared to live blog the day because surely this storm will wreak havoc. So, far, it just reeks.

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The rodent has spoken

Posted at 10:31 AM on February 2, 2009 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

And so have the people of Northfield. The groundhog era is over.

The 2nd annual Defeat of Groundhog Day was held Saturday night. (Pictures via flickr)

If only there were a way of getting to spring without going through mud season.

(h/t: Doug Bratland)

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Notes from the freezer

Posted at 11:02 AM on January 25, 2009 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

MPR's Tom Weber, purely for the fun of it, stopped by the Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis on Saturday. There were, from the looks of things, plenty of people staying warm by playing, but not a lot of people freezing by watching.

It was the same story in St. Paul where about a dozen floats and their participants dropped out of the Winter Carnival Parade on Saturday because of the cold. And the sidewalks weren't exactly crammed, although you really have to admire the people who stood and watched (good pictures here).

The Winter Carnival Marathon distance was cut in half. Two octogenarians ran it -- and completed it. Where did you say you were, again?

Meanwhile, in Bemidji, the classic snowmobile races went on as scheduled.

And so did some indoor things to do.

If we make it through six more days like this, we'll have gone the entire month of January without the thermometer getting above freezing. That hasn't happened since 1979, according to meteorologist Craig Edwards. Much of our super-warming winter clothing hadn't been invented yet.

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Where winter still rules

Posted at 1:54 PM on January 22, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Today was the annual March for Life Day at the Minnesota Capitol. Traditionally, I try to compare the crowds from year to year. MPR's Tim Pugmire took the picture above.

This is last year's march:

2006...

2004...

2003...

What can we conclude from these? There's significant climate change taking place.

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Frozen in time

Posted at 8:48 AM on January 16, 2009 by Bob Collins (19 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Paul Douglas and I clearly don't run with the same crowd. In his blurb in the Star Tribune today, Minnesota's go-to guy for weather notes that no matter how cold it gets, we don't care:

Thursday was, in all probability, the coldest day of the year with a low of -21 and a "high" of -6 F. Here's a virtual high five - you just survived/endured the coldest day in 5 years. You made it. Think about that - most schools were open, people went to work, mail got delivered, people shopped, worked out, went about their business. Anywhere else in America they would have declared martial law and activated the National Guard. Here in Minnesota we just shrug our (frostbitten) shoulders and mutter "no big deal."

You weenies in Michigan or Massachusetts simply wouldn't understand the depth of our disinterest in how cold it is.

Coincidentally, the top story on the Star Tribune's Web site this morning was about the weather:

Crushingly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills kept their grip on Minnesota making roads slippery and forcing some schools to close.

The temperature in the Twin Cities at 6 a.m. was 21 below zero, but that was almost balmy compared to other spots in the state.

Not that anyone cares.

James Lileks, the funniest columnist in the Twin Cities (in the category of those columnists who are trying to be) appears more rooted in reality, possibly because he's frozen to it:

If you're lucky, your car's heater can be set on "Blast From the Gaping Maw of Hell" and it thaws your orbs by the time you hit the highway. But I pass people whose teeth are chattering like wind-up gag dentures, and it's obvious their heaters are incapable of emitting anything warmer than penguin flatulence.

These people need an advocacy group. These people need a spokesperson. Someone who will stand up and say what millions of us believe: THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I'M TIRED OF PRETENDING IT MAKES US BETTER PEOPLE.

By the way, some of us are going skating over at the Landmark Center outdoor rink at noon again. See you there? Or are you from Nebraska or something?

Update 2:18 p.m. - Courtesy of Kevin Hendricks

You have to like the pluckiness of MPR's Tom Weber who didn't need a coat.

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Talking weather

Posted at 11:04 PM on January 13, 2009 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

James Chatto of Faribault is feeling the "Embrace winter" vibe I've been referring to from time to time this winter.

Chatto wants to close the 300 block of Central Avenue in his city starting Jan. 25 to create a temporary ice rink and host ice sculptures, the Associated Press reports. It would take three days to build and give the city four days to ice skate on a main drag in town. A coffee shop owner isn't so sure it'll be good for business. But look at it this way: I'll drive to Faribault to skate down the middle of downtown (and obviously document it here). I only have to go across the skyway to get a cup of coffee.

We're not the only ones having a tough winter. So is Europe. On Tuesday the head of the World Meteorological Association muted a sudden enthusiasm for the pleasantries of global warming saying it's not the answer for those who are tired of snow.

If you're looking to beat the winter blues, the Weather Channel has put together a list of the best places to go. Number one on the list: Antarctica.

update 9:01 a.m. - Via The Current's Barb Abney, we learn about the 1st Annual Rowdy with the Rubbers Downhill Benefit for Winter Depression (facebook).

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Winter. Embrace it!

Posted at 8:34 PM on December 22, 2008 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

You can fight it, but winter always wins. You might as well embrace it.

Take these lads at Chicago's Soldier Field on Monday night:

The temperature was near zero in Chicago as Vikings fans wondered whether the Packers could help them to the playoffs by beating the Bears. I, on the other hand, found myself wondering why we don't hear more about emergency room cases of people with frostbitten chests.

I, on the other hand, spent the evening making ice lanterns. Several Current listeners sent me tips on how to make them. In the end, I chickened out and just bought a mold.

Let's see south Florida top that!

The floor is open for your tips on how to enjoy winter.

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Snow scenes

Posted at 11:21 AM on December 21, 2008 by Bob Collins (5 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Rachel Knudson of Heartland, Minn., has sent along a lovely photograph. " I took this photo off the very snowy balcony of my farmhouse. The picture is looking to the southeast across a field where you can see the drifts and the blowing snow of this weekend's snowstorm. In the branches of the trees in the upper right you can see a snowdog reflecting in the blowing snow.," she said.

Seriously, Florida, aren't you a little jealous?

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French Toast Alert System

Posted at 7:58 AM on December 18, 2008 by Bob Collins (17 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Oh great, it's going to snow again. I'm not against snow, per se. In fact, I like the stuff. I also would take the freezing-cold weather before the 100-degree, high-humidity, not-a-breath-of-a-breeze August day. What I detest -- almost violently, I've noticed -- is the sudden inability of Minnesota drivers to know what to do in it. This latest blizzard -- up to an inch is predicted before it all ends -- looks timed to mess up tomorrow morning's commute.

I can't explain what's happened to us but something has happened to us. On three-lane highways (yes, I'm talking about you, I-94), people drive slow in the "high-speed" lane, the middle lane, and the right-hand lane even though, as was the case earlier this week, the tire lanes were clear. Why didn't they move over and eliminate the rolling blockade? Because they would've had to go through an inch of slush separating the lanes. The situation recalls a favorite expression of a former colleague that might fit the winter-time in Minnesota meteorological discussions at the water cooler: "it's not the heat, it's the stupidity."

Meanwhile, in Boston, it's going to snow again and a Web site there has developed a wonderful new "alert system" : The French Toast Alert System. Surely there's a way we can steal that idea. Perhaps we can use walleye?

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Idling thoughts

Posted at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2008 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The Current's Barb Abney asked me a question a few minutes ago for which I had no answer.

Is the Minneapolis no-idling law in effect when it's cold as all getout?

Yes and no, the News Cut research department reports. The law, which bans vehicles from idling for longer than 3 minutes, carries this get-out-jail free card:

There are exceptions to the three minute idling restriction for cars and most other gas or diesel powered vehicles.

1. Vehicles may idle when stopped in traffic.

2. Police, fire, ambulance, public safety or other City vehicles may remain running to operate lights, circulate water in tanks or maintain accessories needed during emergency or enforcement activities.

3. Police K9 or Animal Control vehicles may remain running to maintain a safe climate for animals.

4. City vehicles may remain running at job sites during inclement weather if a supervisor grants authorization.

5. Idling is allowed to diagnose repair needs.

6. Idling is allowed if needed to operate defrosters, heaters or air conditioners to prevent a safety or health emergency.

7. Vehicles may idle up to 15 minutes in a one hour period if the outside air temperature is less than zero degrees or higher than 90 degrees.

One might argue that #6 would trump #7 and allow unrestricted idling.

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Weather beauty

Posted at 7:48 AM on December 15, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Jeremy Breiner of Alpha, Minn., sent this picture along this morning. Alpha is in southwest Minnesota along the Iowa border. It's actually a picture he took in 2007 at sunset. But, like the pictures our news team are assembling of the weekend blizzard, it's a reminder of the beauty of desolation.

Weather pictures, in particular, are like that. The natural occurrence that can lead to misery, is -- at the same time -- beautiful. Take this picture for instance.

This is from southern New Hampshire where an ice storm has caused plenty of misery in the northeast, and yet, it's beautiful in a Raiders of the Lost Ark ("don't look at it or your face with melt") kind of way.

(Photo by Getty Images)

My sister sent this picture to me this morning.

It's from north central Massachusetts. She and her husband hauled a generator down from Maine to my elderly mother's house, and also rescued my disabled brother from his powerless mobile home. They were without heat and power for 50 hours.

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Storm info

Posted at 12:48 PM on December 14, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

From the sound of things, there's really no point travelling in northern and northwestern Minnesota today. Highway 10 has been closed between Detroit Lakes and Moorhead. I-94 is closed in Moorhead. Here's the road report for that area.

Locally, at last check, delays at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport are less than 15 minutes. Northwest is allowing rebooking without penalty.

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The storm

Posted at 6:41 PM on December 12, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Dogs fed? Check. Ice house on the favorite spot? Check. Snow sleds gassed up? Check. OK, from what I could tell this afternoon, Ely is ready for the big snowstorm. We'll be looking for photos from northern and western Minnesota once things start, so kindly send them along.

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Bulldogs hope for championship, warmer weather

Posted at 2:11 PM on December 12, 2008 by Than Tibbetts (0 Comments)
Filed under: Sports, Weather

Sure enough, the UMD Bulldogs football team heads to Alabama for the NCAA Division II championship game and what do they get?

Snow.

It shouldn't bother them, though. Most of the kids figure to be ice-hardened alums of the Minnesota and Wisconsin gridirons.

Still, I have to imagine that a few of the Mighty Mutts were hoping for a reprieve from the cold. They should get it.

Game day figures to be partly sunny, with a high near 53 degrees according to the National Weather Service.

"Say the word 'snow' down here, and people panic," North Alabama senior Adam White said. "But in the summer we have tornado warnings two or three times a week, and people just blow that off because we're used to it."

Then again, a little snow might be an advantage against Northwest Missouri State.

(Photo by Brett Groehler / Minnesota Duluth for the Duluth News Tribune)

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Sningo!

Posted at 4:21 PM on December 8, 2008 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The snow is falling and so is the sky! We're having our first major snowstorm of the year. We interrupt this blog post for this important announcement: Minnesotans are not fazed by the weather.

And it's time for Sningo!

---------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

---------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

Feel free to post any instances of the above in the official Sningo comments section below. Also, you can follow the storm on MPR's Updraft blog.

Update 4:52 p.m. - We have our first photo of us being unfazed of the winter season. This is on some side streets -- side streets! -- outside the News Cut World Headquarters. Note the way we have adjusted into gridlock without having to relearn this from last year. That person walking will be home before any of them.

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Peak color

Posted at 10:14 AM on October 11, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

I'd love to have your pictures of an autumn weekend in Minnesota, where the fall colors are said to be at their peak. Send them in, please. I'll organize them and present them just as soon as I finish raking.

You'll also find some gorgeous pictures on the Department of Natural Resources Fall Colors page.

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Hurricane Ike victims arrive in Minnesota

Posted at 12:32 PM on October 1, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The remnants of Hurricane Ike hit Minnesota today. Fifty-nine dogs who were abandoned or otherwise made homeless by the hurricane along the Gulf Coast arrived in the Twin Cities this morning and will be put up for adoption in a few weeks. Another 60 will probably arrive next week. Northwest Airlines has donated the space to fly them here.

Laurie Brickley, a spokeswoman for the Animal Humane Society, told me this afternoon that a few weeks ago a team from the Society headed to Texas to help with wildlife in the aftermath of the hurricane. "They were approached by a woman who runs a shelter who said, 'I've got 200 dogs and I'm at my wit's end. There's no power and we're living in tents.'"

Thus, the airlift was born. Minnesota has one of the five largest Human Societies in the country.

"They (the Gulf Coast) don't have the cat overpopulation in that area that we do here," according to Brickley. "They have a dog overpopulation and we don't."

The dogs will be checked for temperament, sterilized, and microchips will be implanted. "They look really healthy," she said.

"Is the clock ticking on these dogs?" I asked.

"Absolutely not," Brickley said. "It's one of the biggest misnomers out there." The Humane Society keeps the dogs until they're adopted. They're not euthanized.

When the dogs are ready for adoption, pictures of the dogs will be posted on the Society's Web site and it'll be noted that they're "Hurricane Ike dogs."

Not directly related but still interesting: This video of a rescue crew during Hurricane Ike, rescuing a dog.

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After Ike

Posted at 8:50 AM on September 13, 2008 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Energy, Weather

Hurricane Ike has come ashore in Texas and done its thing. Now, the rest of the country waits for answers for two questions: (1) Is everybody OK? and (2) Will the price of gasoline go up?

The largest oil refinery on the continent is in Galveston and it's shut down. Later today, inspectors will take a look at it to see how soon it can be restarted.

The Oil Drum Web site has been trying to estimate the effect at the pump based on the shutdown and damage. It has a Flash map which shows Ike's path, and what was in its way. The red area below shows area of damage.

All of the icons are some facet of the oil infrastructure. The area produces 6 percent of the world supply.

The Twin Cities' gas prices are already heading up, according to twincitiesgasprices.com -- about 3.5 cents locally since Friday and about 8 cents nationally.

Update It appears the major gas stations have increased prices 30-40 cents a gallon today.

It's worse in other parts of the country where drivers rushed to fill up their cars, figuring there'd be a gasoline shortage.
Some gas stations in the southeast raised their prices by more than $1 a gallon, although much of that was because of the panic more so than the law of supply and demand.

Until the wind and the fear subsides, we won't know for sure how much Ike is going to hurt.

In the meantime, hurricanetrack.com is an excellent resource for following Ike. This webcam is mounted in an SUV patrolling the region.

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From the northerners, with love

Posted at 9:46 AM on August 31, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Randy Fischer of Fergus Falls sends along this snapshot -- taken on Saturday in Texas.
"Ringdahl EMS strike team in Texas assisting with emergency medical needs and medical evacuations. Five ambulances from Ringdahl EMS sites in Fergus Falls, MN, Pelican Rapids, MN, Jamestown, ND, and Lisbon, ND were sent to Texas along with 15 medical personnel, support truck and disaster trailer."

Hurricane Gustav has everyone's attention today.

Says a release from the EMS firm:

In an effort to position emergency vehicles and respond to health, medical and ambulance needs in the Gulf states, Ringdahl EMS was placed on "standby" alert last Thursday morning at 7:00 am for possible deployment of a strike team. At 7:10 PM Thursday evening Ringdahl EMS, under contract with American Medical Response (AMR) was notified to mobilize their strike team. A "strike team" consists of five advanced life support (ALS) ambulances and 22 emergency personnel, according to Randy Fischer, Operations Director for Ringdahl EMS. Fischer said, "the crew was ready to go within hours of call-up, and left for San Antonio, TX late Thursday evening. They arrived and have since been reassigned to Beaumont, TX for evacuation assistance at hospitals in the area. They may be assigned for up to 30 days to various disaster response locations. The crews will stay at their assigned location prior to hurricane Gustav hitting the gulf, and will take shelter and respond to emergency medi cal needs as assigned. "

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Remember Rushford?

Posted at 11:33 AM on July 17, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Here's a tip: If you get up at 5 in the morning to drive to Rushford, Minn., for a look at how the town has fared since a devastating flash flood a year ago, make sure you check your calendar to make sure you're doing so on the right day. Ask me how I know.

It turns out my appointments with some fine folks for a tour of the town are tomorrow.

No matter. It's a nice town and a beautiful area and I'll be happy to go back again on Friday.

In the meantime, I had the opportunity to look around today. If you want to have a flash flood, Rushford is the perfect place to have it. It sits at the bottom of several hills, and while you wouldn't think Rush Creek would be a threat to the town...

... it most certainly was a threat back on August 18, 2007 when a flash flood killed six people in Southeast Minnesota.

The town still needs help, but help has pretty much run out. The volunteers that are left are soon going to pull out. On Saturday, the town will thank the volunteers who helped put the town back together.

It's not hard to figure out where the flood waters swept through. Look for either a new home, a FEMA trailer, or an empty lot...

Construction boomed during the spring, but has tapered off now. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll give you a little multimedia guided tour of the community.

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Blogging the weather

Posted at 7:01 PM on July 11, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

We'd love to have your pictures of any weather phenomena in your region. Send them to me here.

9:52 p.m. - Via Twitter, hearing of some power outages in St. Paul.

9:33 p.m. West Central Tribune in Willmar has the story of a couple who survived. Also features an unbelievable image. (May require registration). Here's the large photo. Isn't that something?

9:32 p.m. - Warnings should be going up for the Rochester area shortly, as well as Austin and Albert Lea.

9:30 p.m. Air temperature dropped from 84 to 68 with the storm's passage.

9:20 p.m. The storm has now mostly passed the Twin Cities. But there's still a trail to the southwest. It's just clearing Mankato. Resume the party in Mankato, folks. A Twitter post from @PrinceJvstin says:

Very nasty trip back from my friend's Condo in Bloomington up to Circle Pines. Heavy wind, rain, a bit of hail.

9:05 p.m. - Rain in Woodbury but thunder is obviously north. Lights flickering. But so far, I'm not too impressed. Dish Network signal just went out because of rain interference. So long, Belinda!

9:04 p.m. - Matthew Foster has sent an image of the storm hitting Lowry Hill East, near the Walker in Minneapolis.

8:57 p.m. - I almost never want to work for a TV station. The exception is when I'm looking for photos from the audience. People think TV first and only during those times. Enough of that. Here's KARE-11's photo gallery from Willmar.

8:47 p.m. The severe thunderstorm warning for the next half hour or so has now been issued for Chisago County, northeast Washington County, and Polk County in Wisconsin. So far the Woodbury bureau of News Cut is escaping this mess.

8:37 p.m. - Second verse, same as the first for Goodhue and Rice County. Severe thunderstorm warning for the next half hour or so.

8:34 p.m. - St. Croix County Wisconsin has a severe thunderstorm warning until 9 p.m.

8:24 p.m. -- KSTP and KARE 11 are wall-to-wall. WCCO sticking with CBS programming for now.

8:21 p.m. - Scott and Le Sueur County, you're next. A severe thunderstorm warning has just been posted.

8:19 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning posted for Western Carver County and Eastern Sibley County.

8:11 p.m. Associated Press quoted West Central Tribune newspaper. The tornado hit a farm. Also caused heavy damage on the south side of Willmar. Severe thunderstorm warning just posted for the area around Gaylord and Norwood Young America.

7:50 p.m. MPR's Than Tibbets, who operates out of Moorhead, just sent this picture from the Thursday night storm.

7:46 p.m. - Mamatus clouds arrive in Twin Cities.

7:41 p.m. - Updated damage info (thanks to Paul Huttner)

Waite Park [Stearns Co, MN] trained spotter reports TSTM WND DMG at 07:20 PM CDT -- power lines toppled, multiple trees downed.

Sw Little Falls [Morrison Co, MN] trained spotter reports TSTM WND GST of M62 MPH at 06:53 PM CDT -- 62 mph gust recorded with dozens of trees down in vicinity.

4 Nne Hutchinson [Mcleod Co, MN] mesonet reports TSTM WND GST of E62 MPH 07:26 PM CDT -- 62 mph wind gust measured at hook lake rd.

7:30 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning around Hutchinson area.

7:25 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning posted for Wright County. Stockholm is specifically mentioned.

7:20 p.m. The weather radio pops off for the first time tonight to tell me -- and you -- that the storms are bearing down on Foley, Waverly, Becker, and Fosston. Winds near 70.

7:07 p.m. Paul Huttner reports two houses have been heavily damaged in Willmar:

MPX: 4 Se Willmar [Kandiyohi Co, MN] law enforcement reports TORNADO at 06:45 PM CDT -- 2 houses heavily damaged on sw 26th ave near 40th st se. (7:04:23 PM) iembot: MPX: Se Willmar [Kandiyohi Co, MN] trained spotter reports TORNADO at 06:32 PM CDT -- near intersection of county road 8 and 19.

7:02 p.m. Looks like we're in for a wild ride tonight. Several tornadoes have already been reported in the region. MPR meteorologist Paul Huttner has already sent along one damage report:

MPX: 1 S Willmar [Kandiyohi Co, MN] trained spotter reports TSTM WND DMG at 06:46 PM CDT -- shed flattened. small trailor turned on its side. several farm tractors turned on their sides. occurred at 23171 s. wilmar road and county rd. 19. damage resulted from tornado.

At the moment it looks like this initial band is going to slide north of the Twin Cities. But it doesn't look like the folks up at the cabin in northwest Wisconsin are going to have much fun this evening.

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Minnesotans pitching in

Posted at 11:21 AM on June 16, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

There's certainly a Minnesota flavor to flood recovery efforts in Cedar Rapids.

According to a news release today from the Hennepin County sheriff and the Minneapolis Police Department:

In the early evening of Saturday June 14th Chief Greg Graham of the Cedar Rapids Police Department placed a personal call to Chief Dolan asking for whatever law enforcement resources the City could provide. Chief Dolan immediately committed one Lieutenant, two Sergeants and six officers to respond. Sheriff Stanek also committed an initial 10 deputies and supervisors. By 1 a.m. Sunday MPD Deputy Chief of Patrol Rob Allen was in Cedar Rapids coordinating our response. By 12 p.m. Sunday the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Sheriff's initial response teams were at work in Cedar Rapids. The officers and deputies are working in areas of Cedar Rapids where the flood waters are receding to allow residents to return to their homes on a limited basis. Our personnel are working to prevent theft and other crimes in those areas.

The Minneapolis police chief also authorized another 20 officers and Stanek, the sheriff, authorized another 10 deputies. Since the Cedar Rapids police department communications center is underwater, the locals ("our" locals) are sending down a mobile command post, too.

Meanwhile, according to the Twin Cities Red Cross, 11 area volunteers have been dispatched to assist in flood efforts in the Upper Midwest.

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Flood images

Posted at 2:50 PM on June 12, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Finally, images of the flooding in southeast Minnesota are emerging. The Winona Daily News this afternoon has an excellent slideshow of images along the Root River. Up to now, for some reason, images in the area around Lanesboro have been hard to come by.

If you have any you'd like to share, send them along here.

Meanwhile, in Iowa, things are even worse as these images from Getty Images show.

Also find some intriguing pictures of the Iowa flooding on the Gazzetteonline Web site (Hat tip: News Cut reader Joel Federer)

At least one death is reported on the flooding in Minnesota. County Highway 34 in Albert Lea was washed out and one car was washed away. Rescuers recovered a person -- alive -- from a car, but then the driver reported his/her car was actually atop another.

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Blogging the weather

Posted at 9:33 PM on June 11, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

There's more serious weather in the region tonight, so we're patrolling in search of tidbits.

9:39 a.m. -- Via Twitter, Twin Cities Red Cross reports three more disaster volunteers are heading for Iowa.

9:29 a.m. - Flooding in your area? How about taking a picture and sending it?

9:18 a.m. MPR listeners Mike Jorgenson and Kathy Draeger write:

We farm in Big Stone County Minnesota on the western edge of the state. We had flash floods here yesterday. 1/3 of our farm is still under water. Crops are lost.

SE Minnesota isn't the only place suffering from extreme rainfall events. Big Stone County saw the most flooding yesterday that this area has seen since the 1960s.

Our community is tuned in to MPR--Appleton station. Please keep our news in the news. pictures at Resettling Big Stone County .

8:59 a.m. -- Courtesy of MPR's Tom Weber, here's a link to the Sioux City Journal blog on the Boy Scout camp deaths. Solid information provided.

(Thurs) 8:12 a.m. -- Worthington Daily Globe has a few pictures of tornado damage at a farm near Fulda. The Rochester Post Bulletin has a single picture from Lanesboro flooding; kids in a youth mission group helping a family clean up a mess. Fillmore County has posted flood information here.

10:34 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warnings dropped for western 'burbs. Looks like Twin Cities have been spared. Looks like the Wisconsin Dells are going to get hammered overnight, though.

10:33 p.m. - Looking back at the Old Farmer's Almanac prediction for Upper Midwest weather from last November to this October:

Summer temperatures will be near normal, on average, with much-below-normal rainfall.

It predicted rainfall here 2" below normal in June. Also it said June 7-17 would be "sunny and seasonable." How's that working out where you are?

Nice try.

10:29 p.m. - Rainfall so far today in St. Paul: .68" . Rainfall so far this month in Caledonia: 4.86". Average monthly rainfall for June in Caledonia: 1.38".

10:04 p.m. - WCCO viewer submitted an interesting "sideways" tornado picture near Sleep Eye. A very similar series of pictures, this time from Springfield, shows up on KARE Web site. The same person also submitted the images to KSTP. Clearly showing no favorites. Did I mention News Cut would love to get your weather photos? We're partial to pictures of bocce-ball sized hail.

9:59 p.m. - Twin Cities Red Cross Twitters (Tweets?) that they're standing by in case their services are needed. Three local volunteers were dispatched to the floods in Iowa today.

9:56 p.m. - Sound of thunder emanating from the cities hits the Woodbury bureau. Faithful dog gets "dryer sheeted." Again.

9:52 p.m. - Paul Douglas' blog says 1" hail in Carver County but no tornadic activity. Given all the hubbub when Douglas was fired at WCCO, does anyone else find it odd that nobody ever seems to comment on the blog and when someone does and asks a question, Paul never responds? Oh, and I still don't "get" what I'm looking at when I look at the graphics.

9:40 p.m. - What would it take to cause flash flooding in the Twin Cities? According to the National Weather Service, about 3 inches of rain over a 6-hour period ought to do it.

9:36 p.m. -- Storms are moving into the western 'burbs. A tornado watch is up, a severe thunderstorm warning is up, too. See the National Weather Service Twin Cities page. And we're going to get some heavy rain.

9:34 p.m. -- Fulda, Jefferson, Sleepy Eye have all reported tornado spottings this evening, but the most distressing news is coming out of western Iowa where a Boy Scout camp apparently was hit by a tornado. At last report, four are dead and 40 hurt.

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The lost summer?

Posted at 10:30 AM on June 11, 2008 by Bob Collins (5 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

It's raining -- again -- in the Twin Cities and we're near ready to throw in the towel and declare the summer is going to be a lost cause. Too bad. Resorters, for example, had a chance to have a great year thanks to the high gas prices keeping people "close to home." But, perhaps, people will decide it's cheaper to watch the rain fall from the homestead than a couple of hundred miles away.

In Wisconsin, though, it's even worse. On Lake Delton, resorters have a real problem. Their lake is gone... and so are some of the houses on it. Would-be guests have been canceling their reservations because a lake without water is merely a quarry.

It's not just tourists who are being affected by the weather. On America's largest sewer the Mississippi River, barge operators are preparing for delays because of flooding. Flooding... like what's happening in Iowa. (Really good pictures from Decorah here.)

Meanwhile, the inbox reveals a fascinating series of pictures today. The rain and thunderstorms that look so cruddy here on terra firma, look pretty nifty from above.

(H/T: Michael Wells)

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Mailbag: Forgotten Wisconsin

Posted at 11:43 AM on June 9, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Things that are puzzling, Weather

A News Cut reader, specially imported from the state of Wisconsin, picks up on my riff last week about why Twin Citians are so quick to ignore Wisconsin. It's 18 miles away as the crow flies but we'll pay attention a story 200 miles away before we'll pay attention to what's going on "over there" on a daily basis.

"Look, Bob, there was bad weather in Wisconsin! Before this weekend, even." she writes.

She's right, sending along the link to the New Richmond News, which details stories of damage on the old sod at the same time a tornado was ripping up Hugo.

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Blogging the weather

Posted at 4:39 PM on June 5, 2008 by Bob Collins (9 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

(Latest up top)

This is certainly one of the most hyped weather events in the region since last December's first snowstorm of the year.

2:21 p.m. - The danger has now passed, so this will be the last post in the topic. Here's the National Weather Service look at the storm. Highest rainfall amount seems to be about 1 1/2" in St. Cloud.

Most of the damage in the Twin Cities -- and there wasn't much -- was from the wind. Panels from the News Cut World Headquarters in St. Paul came loose, prompting the closing of Cedar Street, expertly handled enough police officers to also nab the occasional felon on the run, should one walk by.

12:08 p.m. - Says City-Data.com:

Hubbard County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Minnesota state average. It is 15.2 times below overall U.S. average.

Meanwhile, one woman writes to us:

Two of my children are on a 4-H camp outing to Northern Pines Camp near Park Rapids. When I heard reports on MPR of tornado damage near there I called camp out of concern. When I spoke to the 4-H staff person with the kids they were in the storm shelter singing songs and playing games by flashlight as they had no electricity. They were all safe. They were aware of tornado activity both north and south of camp with damage estimated to be about 5 miles from camp. Thank you for alerting me to severe weather in the area where they are camping.

10:38 a.m. - Tornado -- or tornadoes -- spotted in Hubbard County. MPR's Tom Robertson is heading there.

7:26 a.m. - High winds knocked down trees in southeast Minnesota, but no significant damage is reported.

11:31 Sump pump? Check. Doors locked? Check. Dog? Check. Check of WCCO's Good Question in search of possible mention of News Cut? Check. Over and out unless things kick into a higher gear in the early morning.

11:17 p.m. - Watching the big red splotch move up from Iowa, crossing I-35 and heading for SE Minn, and I'm thinking of the people in the Rushford area.

10:38 p.m. - Tornado watch. A whole lot of watchin' going on this evening. This watch is until 5 a.m. for : Carver Dakota Dodge Fillmore Freeborn GoodhueHennepin Houston Le Sueur McLeod Mower Olmsted Ramsey Rice Scott Sibley Steele Wabasha
Waseca Washington Winona counties.

and in Wisconsin: Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Richland, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, and Vernon.

Another big line of storms -- after a break -- is just hitting I-90, heading north, just to the west of I-35. Should be getting noisy in Austin and Albert Lea soon.

10:25 p.m. - Gate holds and taxi delays at the airport are running 15-29 minutes behind. FAA says the delays are decreasing. I spot checked several flights that were due to arrive during the middle of the evening and they were running about an hour behind schedule.

8:59 p.m. - Dryer sheet/scared dog experiment update. Dog wiped down with Bounce sheet. Dog is the most unnerved in a storm, ever and a thunderstorm just rolled through Woodbury. Mythbuster verdict: Fact! Many thanks to the Current listener who passed along the tip.

8:54 p.m. - St. Cloud Times reporting 3,421 Xcel customers are without power. How are they going to power the sump pumps?

8:50 p.m. - Who among you has a rain gauge? Let's hear what you've got.

8:48 p.m. National Weather Service/Twin Cities storm report shows the path of hail.

8:44 p.m. Paul Douglas' blog says some 3/4" hail has been spotted in SW 'burbs. But no tornado activity. His graphics are positively gobbledygook to me.

8:34 p.m. Most shameful newspaper weather headline of the day comes from the Wichita Eagle. "Last time it looked like this, 22 died." It's based on some weather data from 1974.

So far there have been some tornadoes spotted in Kansas but the only incidents reported are that some circus elephants got spooked. So the next time it "looks like this," does the headline read, "Last time it looked like this some circus elephants got spooked?" The readers are letting the paper have it in the comments section.

5:50 p.m. - Paul Huttner tells Tom Crann a tornado watch is up for tornado alley... the SW Minn/NW Iowa/SE South Dakota region until 1 a.m.

5:46 p.m. - Ready to transfer to News Cut Bunker in Woodbury to monitor the situation. If you listen to the Current, perhaps you know Mary Lucia and I have been considering the assertion that rubbing your dog with dryer sheets will ease his/her anxiety during storms. I've been trying it and while the dog is still scared to death, in recent storms he hasn't been so bad. This animal hospital Web site gives some credence to this. So does this one.

5:39 p.m. - "Not done yet by a long shot," Paul Huttner says to ATC producer Jeff Jones. He says tornado watch may be posted later for NW Iowa and that system could move into Minn. and the Twin Cities later tonight. Still, some of the natives are getting restless.

5:05 p.m. - A question to ponder while waiting for something to happen... or not: Wisconsin is only 18 miles from downtown St. Paul. So why do we think of a storm as "gone" once it leaves the geographic boundary? Hugo, by contrast, is also 18 miles from downtown St. Paul, yet we don't consider weather as "gone" when it hits Hugo? Hastings is 20 miles away. That's still considered "us." Why isn't Hudson considered "us"?

5:03 p.m. Quiet. Too quiet. Overblown-media-frenzy quiet.

4:54 p.m. "Get your cars in the garage," blares the Star Tribune. Hail, you know. I admit to still be impressed by the pictures of damages in the paper Sunday at used car lots and by learning there's a company that dispatches teams to fix them and it will take months. Browsing the 'net, we learn that it costs about $1,000 to fix "severe" (61-80 dents) half-dollar-sized hail dents. Interesting pictures from a body shop in Colorado here, although I think the damage caused by a bear attack on that same page is even more interesting.

And how do you know you may have hail damage on your asphalt shingle roof? Check the vents, this document from Canada says. Also features an interesting take on how some of the "stormchaser" companies fake the damage.

4:51 p.m. - The Worthington Daily Globe is live blogging weather there, where there's flash flood possibilities. So far, the only evidence of pending disaster is the writer has a cold and has run out of Kleenex.

4:49 p.m. - Paul Huttner, MPR meteorologist, says storms will die down in next couple of hours, although central and northern Minnesota may be in for a busy night. Metro area severe thunderstorm warnings have expired.

4:46 p.m. - The first hail picture has arrived:

Thanks to Don Householder of Mound, who says he took this picture around 5 p.m. Got a picture or story you want to share? Send it to me.

4:41 p.m. Sirens reportedly went off in Minneapolis. Red Cross posted via Twitter that they were huddled in stairwells. No sirens in St. Paul although one person I'm following just posted, "Who else in St. Paul just saw the sky explode?"

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From Rogers with love

Posted at 12:03 AM on June 3, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

This is the second of several posts. The first is here.

Dustin Sims grew up in Oklahoma and remembers a tornado hitting his grandparents' home -- twice. But when the sound of your own home coming apart at the seams serenades you as you huddle with your pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter, that's a unique experience, even for tornado veterans.

Dustin wrote me last week saying there were things he and his wife, Kelly, learned from the September 2006 tornado that struck Rogers, Minn., that can help the residents of Hugo, who are just now clearing the debris and beginning the reconstruction from last week's tornado.

Only seconds to get to safety, "You kind of sit there in the dark and the glass breaking, and you can hear this huge noise. It lasted about 45 seconds. You could hear the wind starting to creep up under the foundation. We sat there in the dark and we said, 'we're alive and breathing,'" Dustin told me Monday evening.

Then they got to work.

Their house was full of glass and pieces of somebody else's roof. A Frisbee embedded itself in a wall. Kelly found later that even pieces of debris had worked their way into the plastic sleeves of their photograph albums. The garage was gone. Putting on a jacket was useless; they were riveted with shards of glass. (Listen)

They grabbed pictures, financial records, and whatever clothes they could and escaped their now uninhabitable house.

They've learned the lessons they want to share with the residents of Hugo. Here's one, though, for everybody: Don't wait to come up with a plan. (Listen)

"Downstairs now we keep flashlights, a hammer, shoes, and cellphones," Dustin said. "Whenever a storm is coming through, we make sure that stuff is down in the basement where we're going to hide. We keep credit cards we'd need and when we go and hide, we've got everything we need to communicate with the outside world and at least fund ourselves to get to a hotel room so someone can help us."

In a small room downstairs (see picture) , the Sims have created a small bedroom, and selected its location as the least likely to collapse. When a tornado hit Parkersburg, Iowa 10 days ago, 7 people were killed; all were in their basements.

"The day after, we stopped by Menard's and picked up some brooms and plastic bags and we said, 'oh, well, we'll just clean it up,'" Kelly Sims said. "I think we were in a state of shock."

Another lesson: It takes more than brooms and plastic bags. That's when the insurance people showed up and gave them directions -- and money -- on how to clean up. Get a good insurance company, they told me. Theirs, American Family, got high marks from the Sims. "They were always here to give us help on what to do next," Kelly said.

What don't the people of Hugo know yet? "When we started out, we didn't understand the concept of the contractors, of who you're going to have to hire to rebuild your life. And that choice is very, very important," said Dustin. "You can make a bad choice right off the bat and make this whole recovery very miserable. The people who came to our house the first days were very shady people."

"They would show up and say, 'Here's a tarp and the only thing you have to do is sign this so we can get reimbursed by the insurance company," he said. The city of Hugo, at first, decided to require contractors be registered with the city, ostensibly to avoid a similar situation, but the credentialing requirement has since been rescinded, according to the city's Web site. (Listen)

The Sims recommend establishing a system to track finances and paperwork from all of the work that needs to be done. "Foster that relationship with them (insurance companies) right off the bat," Dustin said. "We established that trust with them and documented extensively. The ability to pass them the receipts in some sort of organized manner made everybody's life easier."

When it came to selecting a contractor, "we probably should've gone with a larger company that's used to building houses," Kelly said.

"We overtaxed our local builder," said Dustin. "He brought in quality people to rebuild our house. It was a struggle for him and he suffered because of that. We would probably go with a larger company that we're sure is going to be in business for the next 10 years."

Some residents in Rogers have been paralyzed by legal problems since the tornado. Subcontractors weren't paid by contractors and liens were placed on the homes. "We researched extensively about how to do this, and we put in the contract to rebuild our house that before he (the contractor) received any money, we had to have the mechanics lien in our possession, so that anybody that he hired, they had to sign off that they had been paid before he got paid."

It didn't hurt that Kelly, who, like Dustin, is an engineer at BAE Systems, has worked in law firms. She found pro bono legal advice on the Web, and also found trade associations for the building industry here were able to provide assistance. "That's why they say you pay the builder up to 80 percent done. We've heard some stories about people paying all the money up front and then they ask, 'Why isn't it getting done?'" (Listen)

When the Sims were looking for a place to live during the rebuilding of their home, they found property owners tried to increase the rent and deposits. "When they found out there's insurance involved, they tried to triple the prices on us, and sign a year lease," Dustin said. He said insurance companies will help with that, but you have to ask. "They (landlords) have you at an emotionally vulnerable time. After the first time it happened, we got mad about it. If they steal from my insurance company, they're stealing from me." (Listen)

By now, you know it's a good time to take a look at your insurance policy and home inventory, right?

The Sims also advise not to forget the kids. "Our little girl had a hard time with it. She still tells the story of the night her house got broke. And she'll line her stuffed animals up and tell them the story of the night her house got broke," said Dustin. "On the anniversary of the tornado, we took her to DisneyWorld, and we're trying to establish memories other than this. These people (in Hugo) are going to have to try to establish memories other than this tornado as soon as possible." (Listen)

And one final message from Rogers for Hugo: It'll get better.

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The lessons of the Rogers tornado: The Paulsons' story

Posted at 8:41 PM on June 1, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

This is the first of several posts this week on recovering from tornadoes.

September 2006

June 1, 2008

Christy Paulson of Rogers, Minn., was upstairs after putting her sons to bed, watching TV and not paying much attention to the darkening weather outside on September 16 2006. Her husband, TJ, knew a late summer storm was coming and, because he "always liked storms," he went downstairs to watch. (Listen)

"All of a sudden it hit pretty hard," TJ, told me Sunday afternoon, both sitting in the dining room of their home which was in the path of a tornado that destroyed several homes in the neighborhood and killed a girl a few doors down. "All of the furniture on the deck went across the deck and just flew off. That was about the same time we felt the house shaking and we said, 'OK, we've got to get to the basement.'" A 250 pound grill was launched off the deck and onto the back lawn.

"All of a sudden my ears plugged up," Christy said. "I jumped out of bed and he was already running up the stairs. We each ran to a different kid's bedroom. I could barely open my son's door. We ran down the stairs as fast as we could. "

"Right after we reached the bottom of the stairs," TJ continued," that's when the windows in the back of the house here blew out."

"That's when I thought we were toast; I thought we were never going to make it," Christy said.

Seconds later, by the time they reached the basement, it was over...

Continue reading "The lessons of the Rogers tornado: The Paulsons' story"

Death toll climbs in Hugo

Posted at 11:02 AM on May 30, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

A second person has died as the result of the tornado in Hugo.

Sgt. Wayne Johnson of the Washington County Sheriff's Office says a woman in her 50s or 60s was cleaning up the remains of her house yesterday when "she walked out into the yard and called for help twice, and then just sat down and just fell backwards. So she was unconscious and not breathing at that time."

If that is considered by authorities as a storm casualty (I would so characterize it), it makes the tornado the first tornado in Minnesota since 1993, when two people were killed in a Littlefork tornado.

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A pause in Hugo

Posted at 11:37 AM on May 29, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

MPR's Tom Weber has paused in his coverage of the tornado in Hugo to tell you what it's like to cover a tornado.

Meanwhile, MPR's Paul Huttner passes along that the National Weather Service has now determined that the damage survey show a fourth tornado touched down near Marine on St. Croix and crossed into Wisconsin Sunday. It is rated EF0 and caused primarily tree damage.

Details are here.

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Hugo (cont'd)

Posted at 12:57 PM on May 27, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The Salvation Army has posted some more photos of the damage from the tornado in Hugo on its Flickr photostream.

As we look at these and other images, it's impossible not to wonder what we would do if those were our homes? When you have to rebuild your lives, where do you even start?

The Red Cross, meanwhile, has updated its Hugo-themed Web site, including an interesting "Coping with Disaster" article that might be worth reading now, while things are fine.

The city of Hugo is looking for volunteers for a cleanup day on Saturday. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Washington County Service Center located off Highway 61, north of town. Bring work gloves.

Update 2:14 p.m.

Tom Weber passes these along:

A day in Hugo

Posted at 8:39 PM on May 26, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Here are some images taken by MPR staffers in Hugo on Monday. (10:26 p.m. - Five more pictures added.)

A couple of things to pass along:

Hail, Minnesota!

Posted at 9:26 AM on May 26, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Jeff Jorgenson, a News Cut reader, sent along this photo, which he took yesterday along Lake Sylvia (3 mi west of Annandale, MN) at 3:35 p.m., about an hour before the system spawned the presumed tornado in Hugo.

How fast is a golf-ball-sized hailstone traveling when it hits the ground?

This site says it's about the speed of a major league fastball, which leads, naturally, to the question of why more people aren't killed by hail?

The Internet being what it is -- a series of tubes -- the answer (or at least an answer) is easily found... like here.

Hail is rarely big enough to be dangerous, and even if it is, a big chunk is unlikely to knock you out. Brooks mentions that most big hail falls in the underpopulated West, which reduces the probability of human injury. Also, when you compare houses getting damaged by hail to people getting damaged by hail, a couple other key differences come to mind: First of all, houses and buildings are much larger than people; the old cliché "it's as easy as hitting the side of a barn" certainly applies to a real barn. Secondly, during a hailstorm, most people tend to seek shelter, usually inside a house or a car. But the house and the car have nowhere to hide, so they're left to withstand Mother Nature's onslaught

Which leads to another question: What about birds? Why aren't they killed by hail? And the answer -- an answer -- shows that they are.

Flickr has some photos from the Hugo area worth viewing. Find them here.

By the way, if you want to see some lovely shots of post-tornadic Minnesota...

... check these out, shot over the northwestern suburbs last night by local pilot Pete Howell. (Used by permission)

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Withstanding the wind

Posted at 8:06 AM on May 26, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The typical suburb is no match for a tornado. Few trees have reached maturity so there's nothing to absorb the wind energy before it reaches the home. And the houses themselves are drywall, plywood, and 2 x 4s. Cathedral celings are big these days. Knock out a wall, and the ceiling comes down. Suburban homes, when it comes to tornadoes, are the new mobile homes.

In 2005, an F3 tornado hit Utica, Illinois, killing 8 people. Afterwards, insurance companies and homebuilders worked on a better design according to a Chicago area TV station.

The walls are eight inches thick and consist of a pair of two-and-a-half-inch reinforced concrete sides, separated by three inches of high density foam. In laboratory tests, the difference in durability between this concrete sandwich-style and typical building materials is quite dramatic.

The stronger house, according to the story, costs about 10 percent more.

In Canada, the "Three Little Pigs Project" has created a lab for testing the ability of suburban homes to withstand wind.

It was created after 300 homes were destroyed in a tornado. Investigators found that one of the main reasons for the damage was the builders didn't use a washer on bolts and nuts that anchored the frame of the house to the foundation. Most of the injuries in tornadoes, the project found, occurs when the house is lifted up and then smashed to the ground.

Still, when you look at the amazing video in Oklahoma Saturday when a tornado hit a barn, you realize it's going to take more than washers.

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Imponderables: The tiny TV weather maps

Posted at 7:52 AM on May 26, 2008 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Why do the TV stations put the little tiny maps at the bottom of the screen during weather alerts? Minnesota is a big state and unless you put your nose right on the screen, you can't tell where the little splotches of red and green are. For many of us, we have a hard time even making out that it appears to be a map of Minnesota

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Your weather eye

Posted at 6:06 PM on May 25, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

The tornado warnings that sprouted in the north metro late this afternoon, were enough to make us wonder whether the fancy TV weather equipment gives us a false sense of security. The flashing orange and red maps on TV do a great job of telling us where the threat is, but they can also imply -- falsely -- that there are no threats elsewhere.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday, the TV weather guy announced that "all of the activity that suggests rotation" had moved well into Wisconsin," and that Minnesota was out of the woods. Two minutes later, a heavy wind hit New Cut's Woodbury bureau, and we -- and a lot of the neighbors who also wisely decided to check the sky for themselves -- spied a rotating series of clouds above us.

A few minutes later, I checked the weather radar loop on the MPR site and, sure enough, a little finger of orange -- I guess that's bad -- developed over my city just before it all moved over to Wisconsin.

In the end, all we got was a blizzard ... of apple blossoms...

... and a reminder at the start of the summer season that it's wise to put at least as much stock in what you see in the sky, as what you see on TV.

We understand there was plenty of hail and some damage in the Hugo area. Send us your photos and we'll post them.

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The sting of spring

Posted at 8:54 AM on April 26, 2008 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

Minnesota politicians are dumbfounded. Why wouldn't the execs of Delta Airlines want to locate their headquarters in Minnesota? Today's forecast for Atlanta? 79 with a late-day thunderstorm.

In the Strib today, a columnist remembers former Minnesota Twin pitcher Joe Mays, who -- given the choice of anywhere to live -- chose to move the family to Minnesota. How'd that work out, Joe?

We gave it a shot, but we can't handle it,'' Mays said. "Back to Bradenton [Fla.] at the end of summer. We're done.''

In Pelican Rapids today, they've got 18 inches of snow on the ground and, no doubt, dozens of suicidal pelicans about town. In Duluth, it's freezing fog.

Wouldn't mind seeing pictures of the weather out your window -- or your winter trip to the Caribbean. Your choice.

Contributions:

Yeah, Dave Jungst of Morris, you pushed the season:

In Pelican Rapids, according to this picture from Jim Christianson, a bird waits its turn near a feeder. I guess the pelicans get to go first. And what's the deal with the shovel? They don't put snow shovels away in Pelican Rapids until July.

(More under the fold)

Continue reading "The sting of spring"

Earthquakes in Minnesota?

Posted at 9:52 AM on April 18, 2008 by Bob Collins (8 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

There was an earthquake in the Midwest today. The epicenter was in southern Illinois and apparently caused only minor damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey, keeper of the cool instruments that tell us the numbers, has a great idea: an online space where people can report how violent -- or not -- the earthquake was in their area. Unfortunately, at this point, it's all about the numbers, and there's no "community" space yet where people can share their stories, but the possibilities for quickly getting the information and then being able to plot it all on a map are enormous.

How common are earthquakes in Minnesota? Not very. The last one was February 9, 1994, a rip-roaring 3.1 centered in south-central Minnesota. In November 1968, another earthquake in south-central Illinois was strong enough to be felt in the Austin-to-Rochester area. The last strong earthquake in Minnesota was a 4.6 quake that cracked foundations in Stevens and Morris counties in 1975.

So I'm probably wasting my time asking you for stories of any time you felt an earthquake. I was in San Francisco last October for our 25th wedding anniversary. A fairly strong earthquake -- at least by Minnesota standards -- struck the San Jose area. We didn't feel a thing although everyone on the street was talking about it. On the day after my first son was born, a 5.3 earthquake struck nearby Armonk, Minnesota New York (Westchester County). I felt that one, and took it as a sign.

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Lukewarm on the weatherman

Posted at 10:19 AM on April 13, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Media, Weather

Even more than a week later, the News Cut entries (and here) on the Paul Douglas firing/layoff at WCCO TV are among the most heavily-trafficked pages, a testament, I guess, to the popularity of Douglas.

The Star Tribune has carried a daily blurb from Douglas since he returned from his misadventure in Chicago and people have wondered whether he'd still have that gig after exiting WCCO.

Keep wondering.

Here was Strib editor Nancy Barnes' assessment in her Sunday column today:

We are working with Paul to determine the future of that column, and I'll let readers know where we end up. For now, the column will remain.

It's just business, dollars and cents - I get it. My only real regret: not saying goodbye to viewers and radio listeners, who I am indebted to for a glorious 22 year career in this market. I leave with fond memories, having worked with the best anchors, reports, producers, directors in the industry, people who I count as irreplaceable friends as well as colleagues.

Justin steered clear of examining the Douglas-Star Tribune relationship.

Unrelated, by the way, in the same Barnes column is a story I guess I missed (I generally avoid both C.J. and Hartman's stuff) when it happened. But Barnes apologizes for the botched apology regarding gossip columnist C.J. apparently following conjoined twins she spotted at the Mall of America.

"Now, there's something you don't see everyday," I remarked to Walker, returning to our previous conversation as the twins walked by Barnes & Noble. Seconds later, they came into view for Walker, who instantly became the personification of flappable: "Did I just see that? Did I just see what I saw?"

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Surf's up

Posted at 10:31 PM on April 10, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

I usually cringe when I hear the "only in Minnesota" stuff (usually it's from Paul Douglas citing some weather factoid that actually happens in about 18 other states).

However, I think Minnesota really is the only place people go surfing in a blizzard.

(Hat tip: Perfect Duluth Day)

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It's quiet. Too quiet.

Posted at 10:43 AM on April 10, 2008 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Weather

This meeting of the "I already drained the gas in my snowblower and put the shovels back up in the crawl space above the garage" club is now in order.

As you might have overheard, a storm bigger than the Winds of Hell is heading our way, the first blizzard in the post-Paul-Douglas world.

It's quiet out there. Too quiet. Well, except for the cacophony of bird calls that hits you like a bucket of water in the morning when you go out to fetch the paper out of the bushes. Bird brains. They think it's spring.

Paul Huttner and Craig Edwards are blogging up a storm. They're in charge. It's snowing at Pipestone, Windom and Jackson.

My job? Keeping your eye on the prize.

The azaleas were out this morning in Augusta.

The cherry blossoms are blossoming in Washington.

The bluebells are up in London.

The corpse flower is stinking up the Como Conservatory.

And the Minnesota Wild are losing playoff games.

All the signs are there. Just keep hitting refresh for the next two days. On the other hand, send me your pictures of the great white death and we'd be delighted to share your misery.

(Photos from Getty Images. Corpse flower courtesy of Marjorie McNeeley Conservatory)

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