October 11, 2002 - Making of the wettest year. Many communities, including the Twin Cities, have reported an unusually wet 2002. Currently MSP airport reports nearly 37 inches of precipitation for the year, a figure that would rank as the 6th wettest year in history even if it was bone dry for the rest of the year. Many other communities have reported similar values.
October 14, 2002 - The first wind-monitoring tower in the metro area was erected today at Wayzata High School. The suburban school district is considering installing a wind turbine to generate its electricity and will use the monitoring tower to gather data. The Spirit Lake Community School District in northwest Iowa has been powering its schools with wind energy since 1993 and now has two turbines on its property. The school district was the second in the nation to purchase a wind turbine and the first to use the wind as its primary energy source. School Superintendent Tim Grieves says the decision to install the first turbine was a natural one:
October 15, 2002 - Habitat for Humanity is trying something new. For years, Habitat has built individual homes using volunteer labor. The homes are sold below market rates to low income families. Now some Habitat chapters are working with commercial developers. In Duluth, Habitat is pairing with a private builder to create an entire development. The new neighborhood will be a mixture of Habitat homes and houses that'll be sold on the open market. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
October 18, 2002 - The Sierra Club's National Executive Director is in Minnesota to draw attention to today's 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Carl Pope says that 40 percent of America's lakes, rivers and streams still do not meet federal clean water standards and that more than 75% of the population lives within 10 miles of a polluted waterway. Pope is also in town to encourage voters to support candidates committed to protecting Minnesota's lakes, rivers and streams. He says the Clean Water Act was a milestone in the efforts to protect water in the United States:
October 18, 2002 - People are debating where Minnesota should get some of its electricity. Xcel Energy wants to continue buying hydro power from Canada. Company officials want a new ten-year contract to buy electricity from Manitoba Hydro. The billion dollar contract would begin in 2005. Environmentalists oppose the contract. They say Manitoba Hydro's dams cause serious damage to the environment. A Cree Indian band is also fighting the plan. They say the hydro-electric dams have destroyed their way of life. The Public Utilities Commission is accepting comment from all sides beginning Monday. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
October 18, 2002 - Record reports this week. Cold and snow produced some daily records in Minnesota and across the region this week. On Tuesday, October 15th, International Falls reported a record-tying low of just 18 degrees F. On Wednesday, October 16th, Watertown, SD reported a new record snowfall of 3.0 inches, while Rochester reported a trace of snowfall, typing the record for the date. Also on Wednesday morning, Embarrass, MN reported the coldest temperature in the nation with a chilly 8 degrees F. On Thursday, October 17th, several locations reported new daily snowfall records as well.
November 8, 2002 - On this date in 1870, the first storm warning was issued by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the precursor to the National Weather Service.
November 27, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on The Peshtigo Fire, which wiped out the booming mill town of Peshtigo Wisconsin, just north of Green Bay. About two thousand people died.
December 5, 2002 -
December 6, 2002 - I will be calling in from Finland, MN on Friday morning since I am attending a meeting of snow observers up there ..also I am stopping in on the Wurzers at Knife River to talk about making snow observations there......