Weather odds and ends
It's nice to see the sun peeking out this afternoon. Enjoy more of the same in the coming days.
I get a lot of questions from listeners about weather. Here are some of the more recent and common questions and a few answers.
Q: How do you read a surface weather map?
A: Check out this station model key.
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Q: How do weather balloons work?
A: They are launched twice daily from all over the globe. There are not nearly enough to sample the entire atmosphere. Supplemental data is provided from weather satellites, ship and aircraft reports and the surface observing network.
Q: Did the recent rain help lake levels?
A: Not really. Check out water levels in Minnetonka and White Bear.
Q: How do I read radar?
A: Very carefully. There have been a number of instances of inexperienced weather people reporting things on radar that are not there, or are mountains, insects, birds, inversions or some other anomaly. There's a lot you can learn from radar, but I don't read the X-Rays my doctor takes, and I don't recommend relying on the radar observations of amateurs.
The roses in the weather lab garden are ready to bust with a new crop of flowers. It looks like perfect rose weather in the next week. Sweet corn is emerging from the veggie garden. I wonder if it will be "knee high by the 4th of July?"
Enjoy our improving weather picture the rest of the week and into the weekend.
PH