The outer limits
In the past couple of days NOAA websites have proudly posted the news of the next frontier for environmental study. Space Weather, according to NOAA, has now become part of our concern for economic and homeland security. Their press release raises the awareness of communication calamities that can result from solar activity. Read it for yourself.
Since MPR is fortunate to have an online podcast devoted to weather and climate, under the banner of Jet Streaming, Paul Huttner and I spoke with a leading scientist from NOAA on today’s program. After you read the press release, take a few minutes to listen to the interview with solar physicist Douglas Biesecker of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
In regard to life back on planet Earth and the ever changing weather and climate, I can report that our friends in southern Wisconsin, who last Monday were dealing with EF3 tornadoes, arose to temperatures in the single digits this morning. Snow will add to the frontal assault of winter for this area on Thursday.
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This morning I spoke with Todd Krause, NOAA’s warning coordination meteorologist for the Twin Cities. On a visit to Milwaukee over the weekend, he learned that several residents in the path of last Monday’s tornadoes were placing calls to the 911 dispatchers questioning why the tornado sirens were blowing.
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, Easy to Ignore, unsuspecting folks could have easily been caught off guard with these rare winter season strong tornadoes.
For now, nothing that life threatening to rile Minnesotans; just good old fashion cold and perhaps a little snow to spice up the forecast the remainder of the week.
CE