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.
May 26, 2008 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports from Hugo, where a severe storm struck the city on May 25th. Wilcoxen interviews residents on what they saw and experienced as intense wind and hail battered their homes.
May 26, 2008 - After a severe storm system traversed over the metro on May 25th, MPR’s Tom Crann discusses tornado science with meteorologist Paul Huttner, who explains the importance in distinguishing between straight line winds and a tornadic storm for climatology analysis.
May 30, 2008 - MPR’s Tom Weber provides an intimate perspective while visiting Hugo, Minnesota in the aftermath of a tornado. It's a painful, difficult week for people in the St. Paul suburb.
November 27, 2008 - Curt Brown discusses his book “So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior,” which chronicles The Great Storm of 1905, also known as Mataafa Storm of 1905. The cyclone storm brought death and destruction for those on Lake Superior during the intense weather event.
March 27, 2009 - MPR’s Tim Nelson spent some time at the weather service's River Forecast Center in Chanhassen today, to follow the floods upstream in the Red River Valley. The story of the floods that threaten southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota started long ago, according to the National Weather Service.
August 19, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on a tornado that touched down in Minneapolis, causing damage to a church and briefly closing Interstate 35W due to flooding.
August 21, 2009 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Mark Seeley, meteorologist at the University of Minnesota, about sudden changes in the summer weather. Areas of the state went form drought conditions to record breaking rainfall in a span of a week. Unexpected tornadoes in the Twin Cities are also discussed.
June 18, 2010 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on the damage, death, and havoc left behind after tornadoes struck areas of southern Minnesota. The severe weather knocked out power and devastated a handful of farms near Albert Lea. For some, their livelihoods were all but wiped out by the storm.
June 18, 2010 - MPR’s Tom Crann talks with meteorologist Paul Huttner about dozens of tornadoes that swept across the state on June 17th. Huttner details what transpired to create the conditions for such an extreme weather scenario.
August 12, 2010 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports from the shore of Lake Superior, where the water has reached record high temperatures during the summer of 2010. Kelleher talks with officials on what is causing the warm water and its potential impact.