Unsettled weekend ahead; How should news organizations describe climate change?

May 17, 2019 12:09 PM

Our long-advertised and mostly unwelcome weekend weather pattern is moving in.

A strong and slow-moving low pressure system brings several waves of rain this weekend. The latest model trends suggest the system may not be quite as wet as it looked a couple days ago. Still, soaking ran between 1 and 3 inches look common for the southern two-thirds of Minnesota. And temperatures will run about 15 degrees cooler than average.

The system

Our inbound low-pressure system tracks from Nebraska through Iowa into Wisconsin this weekend. It won't rain all the time, but the dry hours will be punctuated by several hours of showers. Here's NOAA's GFS model this weekend.

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5 17 gg55 — NOAA GFS mode from Friday evening through Sunday night via tropical tidbits.

Soaking rains

The rainfall does not look quite as heavy as it did a few days ago. Still, many rain gauges across Minnesota will have multi-inch totals by Monday. Here's the Canadian model's rainfall output by Monday.

Severe risk

The risk of severe weather is not high this weekend. But a few storms could approach severe limits (58 mph winds/ 1"-diameter hail) in southern Minnesota.

Milder next week

Highs in the 50s will feel more like April this weekend. Temperatures recover next week. Another wave of showers arrives late Tuesday.

Memorial Day weekend in flux

I'm hesitant to jump on any nice weather bandwagons this spring. But most models suggest a milder and nicer Memorial Day weekend. NOAA's temperature outlook divides Minnesota between cooler and warmer than average temperatures by next weekend.

How should we communicate climate changes?

I'm truly curious about your views here. Is "climate change" descriptive and urgent enough given current trends? Is "climate catastrophe" too alarmist?

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is seen in this undated NASA image. Vast glaciers in West Antarctica seem to be locked in an irreversible thaw linked to global warming that may push up sea levels for centuries, scientists said on May 12, 2014. Six glaciers including the Thwaites Glacier, eaten away from below by a warming of sea waters around the frozen continent, were flowing fast into the Amundsen Sea, according to the report based partly on satellite radar measurements from 1992 to 2011. REUTERS/NASA/

Check out how the updated Guardian style guide is phrasing climate change in its reporting.

The Guardian has updated its style guide to introduce terms that more accurately describe the environmental crises facing the world.
Instead of “climate change” the preferred terms are “climate emergency, crisis or breakdown” and “global heating” is favored over “global warming,” although the original terms are not banned.
“We want to ensure that we are being scientifically precise, while also communicating clearly with readers on this very important issue,” said the editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner. “The phrase ‘climate change’, for example, sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity.”
“Increasingly, climate scientists and organizations from the UN to the Met Office are changing their terminology, and using stronger language to describe the situation we’re in,” she said.

What do you think about how we should talk about climate change at MPR News?

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