Updraft®

If you live downtown, you saved a little on heat this morning. It was 42 in Minneapolis, 43 in St. Paul and 34 in Hutchinson. That’s 9 degrees warmer in St. Paul than Hutchinson. Today ‘s classic urban heat island effect brought to you by clear skies, light winds and yesterday’s sun. As that sun…

Mark Twain said it takes a flood to end a drought. We’ve had two in the past month in parts of Minnesota. First 10 to 17 inches of rain in southeast Minnesota in August. Now 4 to nearly 9 inches on the Iron Range last Friday morning. The deluge washed out parts of Highway 1…

We pine all winter long for summer in Minnesota. Then in September, when the first fall cold front blasts in we take a big deep breath, let out a sigh and say; “Ahhhh, it really was a great summer this year.” We know full well what’s ahead, and it consoles and convinces us that we’ve…

From Tropical Storm to Category 5 in 51 hours. That’s what Felix, a hurricane on steroids did last week, setting a record for the fastest intensification for any hurricane on record. Vortext Link: Why computers failed on Felix It’s been a record setting year for hurricanes. Not so much for the number of storms, but…

When the Hurricane Center uses these words, it’s time to get out of the way if you can. Hurricane Felix made landfall as a dangerous Category 5 storm on the northeast corner of Nicaragua this morning with winds of 160 mph. This is the 2nd category 5 landfall in 2 weeks, and the last one…

Well you can’t do any better than this. The unofficial last weekend of summer for Minnesotans will be picture perfect. Warm sun, a bright blue sky and pleasant temps will make for a spectacular finale for Fairgoers and weekend cabin warriors. Speaking of the Fair, consider this as you stroll around munching your Sweet Matrha’s.…

Welcome to the wettest month in 17 years. We’ve had a whopping 9.32″ of rain at Twin Cities airport this month. We eeked out the record passing the 9.31″ from August 1977. The last time any month dumped more rain on the Twin Cities was June 1990 with 9.82″. New Rainfall Record Stats A fresh…

They call it “The Great Minnesota Get Together.” And like everywhere else in Minnesota when we get together, we talk weather. This year at the Fair, the talk is drought, floods and wind damage from recent summer storms that downed about 60 shade trees on the Fairgrounds. I talked to a cattle rancher near Cambridge…

Enough already. We’ve gone from drought to monsoon in southern Minnesota in less than a week. Some tragic but amazing numbers. 7 dead in flash floods 141 years since the only flood to take more lives in Minnesota 7.69″ at MSP airport this month 5 years since we’ve had a month this wet 15.10″ in…