Updraft: March 19, 2008 Archive

Spring, sort of

Posted at 7:07 AM on March 19, 2008 by Paul Huttner

You'll notice a touch of spring in the air today.

The bright morning sun will warm us nicely into the 40's before a batch of clouds dims the sun later this afternoon.

Spring begins astronomically at 12:48am Thursday morning. At that moment, the sun crosses the equator and begins the march northward toward the northern hemisphere summer solstice in June.

Spring sun angles are easy to remember here in the Twin Cities. We live at 45 degrees north latitude. When the sun is over the equator like today, the solar noon (1pmCDT) sun angle is about 45 degrees above the horizon.

The sun rises almost directly in the east, and sets directly in the west. When I was a kid we lived on an east-west oriented street. I used to watch the equinox sunsets directly in the middle of the road to the west. In the coming days, you will notice the morning and evening sun begin to peer into some of those north facing windows on your home that haven't seen direct sun in months.

Spring is a fickle season. That will be evident in our weather pattern over the next two weeks. After a fine spell of weather today and Thursday, the next wet sloppy snow system takes aim for Thursday night and Friday. The forecast models are cranking out another .46" of liquid with that system. That could put a swath of 4"+ somewhere in central Minnesota and Wisconsin, possibly including the Twin Cities.

Snow potential

We may see a big warm up by the middle and end of next week with upper 40's to near 50 degrees. The last days of March may feature our first 60 in southern Minnesota, followed by our first thunderstorms along about April 1st.

Get ready for a wild weather ride as spring takes hold!

PH

It's in the air

Posted at 12:35 PM on March 19, 2008 by Craig Edwards

In less than 24 hours three inches of snow vanished before our eyes and now the atmosphere is exuding the essence of spring. Oh, if only we could find time in this hectic world to embrace a few moments of this evolutionary transition from winter to spring.

Recent studies are presenting data that suggests our fast paced schedules and attachments to electronics are distracting us from immersions in the beauty of nature. We are deprived of witnessing the awakening of the nature hibernating from the winter chill.

Last evening I attended the Twin Cities Chapter meeting of the American Meteorological Society. Speaker Julie Westerlund, Education Coordinator for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, presented an informative program on the value of natural wetlands during extreme weather events. She ignited the room with enthusiasm of how thoughtful planning between business and government can preserve the ecological system and yet be very cost effective.

Wetland and buffer zones

Nature is very resilient if we can resist the temptation of messing with it.

By the way, this journey from winter to spring will be interrupted by a reprise of snowflakes Thursday night and Friday.
CE