Minnesota weather is part of daily life, and it brings with it many “extremes.” This collection presents some of those…from the floods of the Red River Valley, the blowdown in the BWCA, the Halloween Blizzard, to the devasting tornado in St. Peter. But were a state of many meteorological dimensions, not just tornadoes and blizzards. Below are memories of oppressive drought, the creep of flood waters, nature driven fire, and those glorious 50-degree December day anomalies. While these stories may attempt to explain the why, where, and what of various weather events, what is striking is the undeniable power of the human experience in the face of it all.
September 18, 2006 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on residents and city officials working hard to clean up parts of the northern suburb of Rogers, after tornado level winds ripped through the town on September 16th.
March 1, 2007 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher details the weather in Duluth as a second storm in week begins to pound the city. The storm is predicted to be particularly intense inland from Lake Superior, where the lake is expected to enhance both winds and snowfall.
March 2, 2007 - MPR’s Mark Steil talks with a stranded traveler and a state official about the dangers of whiteout conditions during blizzard in southern Minnesota.
March 2, 2007 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on how Twin Cities residents are reacting to the large snowfall to hit the metro. Schools closed, state workers stayed home, businesses hung signs saying they're closed for the day, and the University of Minnesota cancelled classes for the first time since September 11, 2001.
March 2, 2007 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer and Sea Stachura discuss areas in southern Minnesota that are dealing with massive amounts of snow after a storm dumped as much as 30 inches of snow. This was followed by a second storm bringing more snow and wind. The impact in cities of Winona, Albert Lea, and Mankato are highlighted.
July 23, 2007 - Morning Edition presents listener recollections on their watery experiences during the “Storm of the Century” in July of 1987.
July 23, 2007 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews meteorologist Bill Togstad about the science behind “The Storm of the Century” in Twin Cities on July 23, 1987. Togstad details how an unusual atmospheric condition brought massive amounts of moisture that lingered over the metro. He states there is nothing before or after that has matched this weather event for the Twin Cities.
August 13, 2007 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Art Blakey, chief of police at the Minnesota State Fair, about the damage assesment after a storm wreaked havoc on the fairgrounds, knocking down trees, damaging concession booths, and tearing off part of the Grandstand.
August 20, 2007 - MPR’s Sea Stachura reports on more than 10 inches of rain that scoured parts of Olmsted and Houston counties. But the real damage followed the rivers as they gushed through towns like Stockton, Goodview, Minnesota City, Houston, Rushford, and La Crescent.
August 24, 2007 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer chats with climatologist Mark Seeley about the record rainfall in southeastern Minnesota and the drought conditions along the North Shore.