Good morning at 11:04 with news from Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Greta Cunningham the Minnesota national guard against helping today in the search for Clues into a holic teenager's death Minnesota public radio's. Hope Deutscher reports at the request of the kitchen County Sheriff's Office Governor. Army crawls and has directed about 70 soldiers to assist in the search for evidence into the death of 16 year-old. Juliane Holmquist of how lock the guard units are based in Crookston Thief River Falls and Wilmer Holmquist it disappeared July 29th while inline skating on a rural road north of Hallock during the search for her body. The guard was called in to relieve volunteers for a weekend Holmquist was found last Thursday buy a hundred near Lancaster, Minnesota authorities are still not releasing information on the cause of her death kittson County Sheriff. Ray hunt says the investigation is focusing on several potential suspects. We need to account for where they were the night. She disappeared. I'm hope torture Minnesota Public Radio. Wendy's will make the restaurants more exceptAble to disable customers as part of an out-of-court settlement announced today the Minnesota attorney general's office the justice department and the Attorneys General of eight other states investigated complaints against Wendy's the settlement is the latest in a series of enforcement actions. The Clinton Administration has taken under provisions of the American with Disabilities Act. Northwest Airlines is in the process of setting aside hundreds of Twin Cities hotel room in anticipation of stranded passengers a strike would leave those passengers competing for hotel space estate fairgoers and other end of summer visitors the forecast for Minnesota today the opening of the fair showers and thunderstorms likely Statewide high temperatures near 70 in the far north to 87 in the southwest at this hour Duluth reports clouds and 72 Twin Cities, Cloudy Skies 70°, that is a news update. I'm going to Cunningham.Good morning, and welcome to mid-day coming to you live this morning from the Minnesota Public Radio Booth here at the Minnesota State Fair. I'm Gary eichten glad you could join us we have what should be too interesting and fun hours planned today. Keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain any harder than it's raining right. Now whether Guru Mark Seeley is joined us for the first hour of our program then over the noon hour. Are we talking politics with our political commentators Horner and meek and Jenna second stays if you're out at the fair and listening on your little transistor radio, make sure you stop by our booth at the corner of Judson and Nelson. Otherwise we listening on the radio. Hope you can stay tuned right on through want to A-1 first of all, mr. Weather University Minnesota climatologist. In meteorologist, Mark Seeley is here Mark, of course is featured each Friday on our Morning Edition program. You've heard him from time to time on mid day as well and Mark is here to take all your weather questions, so don't be shy those of you listening.At home if you'd like to call in with your question, so you'll be glad to answer Markle answer your questions or try to those are good here at the fair. If you're interested, we're going to set up a microphone so that you can ask your questions as well. So step right up to the mic and we have a bonus offer for you a bonus opportunity this morning special State Fair Edition. When you ask your question, if you're willing Mark has a weather question for you. So you get a chance to stump the expert and then maybe maybe you're going to get stumped yourself if you're listening at home number to call if you got a weather question for marsili to 276 thousand. That's our Twin City area number to 276 thousand if you're calling from outside the Twin Cities 1 800 to +422-828-227-6004 1 800-242-2828 and again will get a microphone setup here so that the people at the fair all be able to participate as well.Marco welcome to the state fair Booth welcome to the state fair. Glad you can come by. Well, thanks Gary, you know before you invited me to be the midday yesterday. I'm sure it was going to be a dry day. Well, you know it is it's more than coincidence. We haven't had rain out here for a long time Mark. Well, we'll hope it holds off. I think the occasional drops falling now aren't going to bother true minnesotans at all. What's the forecast of increasing chances by the time you get those political commentators on later today? They're probably going to be in for it going to rain on their parade. How how typical is it that we get some rain at the State Fair? Well, it's looking at the history of the weather at the State Fair. It's it's interesting. We've had all the way from a very dry State Fair in 1968 of about I think eight hundreds during the entire twelve days of the fair and we've had years with up to 10 inDuring the state fair put on average. I'd say three to four days out of the 12 days of the fair we get rain is it usually a dry warmth and not a dry rain. That's a warm rain or is it often a little bit like this where it's it's a little chilly. Yeah. We're getting into the time of August early September when we start to get more Canadian air masses move down. So when we do get a disturbance that produces rain quite often we get cool air with it or with Mark Seeley climatologist meteorologist. Again. Those are you listening on the radio if you'd like to join our conversation, if you've got a weather question for Mark, give us a call 227-6002 to 7 6008 side the Twin City area. You can reach his toll-free at 1 800-242-2828 and are those are just standing around if you've got a weather question for Mark. We have a microphone here. So don't be shy just step up and again a bonus.Opportunity State Fair opportunity. We have a weather quiz Mark has a weather quiz and they won't be graded on it either know and good Lord. I thank the Lord because you come up with some tuffies. I don't know. I don't know anybody. That's listen to Morning Edition over the last year probably knows the answers to those questions, but we have a caller on the line first caller from Minneapolis Josh. Go ahead place. I'm curious about the hurricane Bonnie as matter fact in being a thousand miles away. How does the how does it affect weather where we are in the middle of the the country? Do you want to participate in the weather quiz, right. Actually, that's a good point. Although we are not consistently affected by hurricanes when we are it's more typically a strong hurricane in the Gulf rather than off the Atlantic coast and that sometimes Alters the upper air pattern and pulls down Canadian Are Over Us much more strongly than it would otherwise come but I don't think kabbani has altered the major weather pattern across the Great Lakes region and what we might watch for though is if we get a series of progressive series of hurricanes developing for example Danielle, which is out in the Atlantic yet and is supposed to follow somewhat of a parallel path to Bonnie if we get a progression of these than Progression of those strong hurricanes May indeed have some impact on our weather pattern a bit later on pan weather questions from 1 to 10 pick a number and then that will determine which question you get to answer in what year did Minnesota record the greatest number of confirmed tornadoes? Only been here for 5 years and haven't seen any tornadoes where I live in soy. Okay. How about the 1993? Very good. That's one of the two years 1993 and 1997 Minnesota confirmed 47 tornado touchdowns in the state, which is the high for the history of tornado occurrences in the state on average. We usually only have about 18. Thanks Josh terms of damage from tornadoes. Is this I know we started off this year, of course in a very ugly note. What wood was big storm that rolled through Saint Peter and right. Well that remains to be seen we might be assessing 1998 and find that there were more tornado damage claims in the state this year than any previous year. I believe the former record is 1960s. Gary and I can't recall how many tens of millions of dollars that was but nineteen ninety-eight by the time everything is a summed up might exceed that total Josh asked about hurricanes. What is a hurricane or hurricane is a name given to a tropical Cyclone. It's actually instructure. It's very similar to a mid-latitude cyclone. Like we have moved across Minnesota in the winter, except this develops over warm water and intensifies by all the potential energy that's released by condensation is all that water vapor is taken up off the ocean lifted into the atmosphere and condenses out. There's a lot of energy released by that and that feeds the system and creates the strong winds seems like we have pretty much the full range of weather here in Minnesota. Is it possible that we could ever have a hurricane we have earthquakes? Yeah, that's a good another good question. Occasionally. We have a strong enough winter storm that it's Central pressure is low enough and it's wind speeds high enough that it actually does rival hurricane, but it's very very rare Mark Seeley as our guests this our mr. Weather climatologist meteorologist. You hear Marca every week on a Morning Edition program on Friday and we will be on again tomorrow morning. I assume Wright beaten and battered and bruised from the midday of court appearance. Probably totally embarrassed. I might not even be able to talk by tomorrow. If you have a question for Marcus give us a call to 276 thousand is our Twin City area number 227-6001 802-422-2828. And those of you seated here just step right up to the microphone. We've got a question to ask mark question then we have a question for you. Go ahead sir. Whoops, we going to get your microphone turned down there, okay. mark, it looks like the crops in the well, you're absolutely right crops are maturing there about 10 days to two weeks early this year, which is normally a good sign and it might indeed be a very good sign this year because the climate Prediction Center which is made the forecast for this fall September October November says that we're supposed to have a higher probability for colder than normal condition. So we'll have to wait and see him as the previous caller mentioned with his progression of hurricanes. We might see some real cold temperatures drop down here in September and bring it into the growing season, but hopefully this year are crop far enough along that they won't be heavily impacted by that you grimaced sir and worried about your garden. Now do you want to play the weather quiz pick a number 1 to 10 for number for all this will be a good one for you Dan. Who is the current director of the National Weather Service? Probably should be Mark Seeley, but I'm not even going to say that's a good guess but actually the current director is General Jack Kelly formerly head of the Air Force Weather Service who replaced dr. Joe Friday within the last year or so over some budget cut controversies, Joe Friday was our former director of the National Weather Service. How do you like that? Well, it's fun to take a wild guess, isn't it? All right back to the phones Jeff your question for Mark's Daily, please the sun's Rays every time I'm sailing the cloud will come over and they will increase Good point and fundamentally. The reason that happens is because clouds are usually associated with pressure differences low pressure centers are usually associated with Cloud forms. And therefore we have a pressure gradient that's driving the wind. Sometimes the pressure gradient. That is the difference between the high and the low will cause wind speeds to overcome. If you will the normal of progression of heating of the surface during the day causing lifted currents and more circulation. So relieved the pressure gradient overcomes the heating of the surface and that's what we typically experience when we have cloud formations going over Jeff want to play the weather quiz or ten. 5K. I never 7 number 7 what has been the highest dew point measured during the state fair the history of the State Fair. Take a wild guess within 5 degrees dew point at the state fair that occurred, August 28th 1955, and it's 77°. It's pretty darn uncomfortable earlier before I came in. It was about a 63 dewpoint, but it might be on the rise with the approach of this frontal system. We're broadcasting live. If you're just tuning in broadcasting live from the Minnesota State Fair this the first day of the fair the little wetter than you'd hoped for out here, but it isn't bad. It's sprinkling right now, and as long as the wind stays down, and it doesn't rain a whole lot harder, it's it's fine. It's fine Mark Seeley is our gas first hour of our midday program, mr. Weather climatologist meteorologist, if University Minnesota, and if you'd like to join our conversation, give us a call Twin City area number is 227-6002. 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828 and again those of your kind of Milling around here. I've got a mic setup. So if you have a question whether question for Mark's Daily will put you on the air and if you want to play the weather quiz, that's fine as well to 276 thousand one 800-242-2828 and a we have a brave soul coming to the microphone. Go ahead sir from Golden Valley. I don't have any particular question for you about whether I just want to know a little bit about your background. If you could just describe how much time you spend in school would give a degree in meteorology if there's an aspiring are weatherologist out there that might want to be like you what do you do to get to your point of renown in Fame? Probably more years than necessary. But thanks for the question. I I graduated with a bachelor's degree work for 4 years and then became a weather Observer. That's what prompted my interest so it wasn't my intent when I started college. Then I went back to college and earned a master's degree in meteorology, which is course a lot of calculus and physics and computer science and things of that nature and then I went on for a PhD in agricultural meteorology climatology. So I took the field and specialized in agriculture. There's a lot of ways you can specialize in meteorology because meteorologist tied to so many other fields, but fundamentally if you want to start out with meteorology, you need to find an institution that offers a bachelor's degree in meteorology or atmospheric Science Now within the Upper Midwest here. We have Saint Cloud State offers a degree program Iowa state offers a degree program and University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a degree program. So you don't find it at all colleges, but if they What you really want to do? You need to find one of those and apply and get in and get involved in their bachelor's curriculum. Specialized beyond that like you described exactly then you can specialize in other fields from that. So the four years is pretty well-defined like so many other fields once you get locked into it, your course path is pretty well-defined. You don't have a lot of electives. So it's a fairly rigorous for years and I don't know what is fulgurite and this is a multiple choice fulgurite is fulgurite and I'll give you the options answer a is Gary eichtens favorite imported beer. No answer be is a Sandy tube-like structure form from a lightning strike. Answer C is a weather sealant to paint on your deck and answer D is a torch used to illuminate caves. I'd say be right on very good excellent fulgurite. Sometimes we get cloud-to-ground lightning strikes and when they strike us soil that has a lot of silica in it. Sometimes the rapid heating of that fuses the particles and you actually get a tattoo formed in the soil. Thank you. I'd like to know what sort of weather we would have to experience here in order to create a tsunami. That was hit any place in, Minnesota. Oh, that's an interesting question. I have in fact, I've never even even contemplated that of course. It's tsunami is the Title Wave or the huge mass of water that moves primarily as a result of earthquakes. Although as the movie Deep Impact pointed out you could create one from a asteroid impact or something like that. I guess we'd have to have a drastic disturbance in one of our major water bodies Lake Superior, maybe Milacs or the lower or upper red or or Lake of the Woods one of our huge that has quite a large volume of water where a significant disturbance would create a wave of that magnitude, but I don't know what it would be if we're not necessarily in the western Great Lakes here in an area that is prone to earthquakes. So we more or less rule that out, but I suppose we could have a Brett some kind of an asteroid impact someday that might create a wall of water like that. Blake said that did I need the Great Lakes. I'm not aware of any that doesn't that's not an answer because there may have been historically the the only one that I'm aware of that. I had some impact across the Midwest was and this was a nineteenth-century phenomenon. There was an earthquake down in Missouri. I think in the St. Louis area that was of sufficient magnitude that it actually temporarily reverse the flow of the Mississippi. So for a brief time the Mississippi flow north, but I remember reading about it in one of the in one of the historical Publications play the quiz 1. What is the most total snowfall recorded for a single snow season in Minnesota and just take just take a while? Guess I'll tell you it's certainly over a hundred in a hundred and forty-nine in Chino today. If you're going to guess like that, it was 153.9 in at Lutsen Northeast Minnesota. And that was in the winter of 9596 that said a new state record for total seasonal snowfall 153.9 in move on to our next caller also from Minneapolis Violet. I just moved to Minneapolis a couple months ago and I've been enjoying this summer, but everybody I meet you to tell me these wonderful horror stories about the winter and I just want to know what to really expect in and just how cold is it going to get? Boy are winners are exceedingly variable. I'll give you this last winter was practically a non winter in Minnesota. In fact, it was the mildest winter temperature wise of the twentieth century. So that's not a good marker of what are winters are like then again, we've had winners like 81 82 and 82 83 were here locally in the Twin Cities. We had bitterly cold temperatures down around - 25 - 30 with occasional wind chills down around - 62 - 70 + seasonal snowfall accumulations up around 80 to 90 in so we're all over the place. I think typically though Minnesota and start to prepare for the first snow cover in November. We often times get the first permanent snow cover around Thanksgiving time. And then there after the ground against to freeze and we usually have our ground is is solidly Frozen by the first or second week of December when we get to January kind of the heart of Winter. Is there is there a typical temperature range high and low that de Violette in the rest of us can expect. Well, I wish I could say there is a typical temperature range. The truth of the matter is Gary are temperatures are so variable in Winter. That's the most variable time of the year. As far as temperature goes for example two Winters ago up at Tower in Northeast Minnesota. They went from -45 degrees to positive 40 degrees in two days. So they had an 85 degree temperature difference in two days. So I would prepare certainly for the teens for daytime highs and 4 below zero readings in the dead of winter in Minnesota and probably get used to the idea of walking on snow. impacted surfaces that help violet You have a nice warm jacket functional and you will find that when it really gets cold. I think it's fair to say people do set aside their fashion concerns. Now, do you want to play the game number 1010 another snowfall question. What is the greatest amount of snowfall for one month in the Twin Cities? Let's see, maybe like 50 and we have. 46.9 in in the month of November 1991. Of course that was preceded by one of the most famous blizzards in Minnesota History of the Halloween blizzard of which dumped over 28 in of snow on the Twin Cities, but nevertheless we ended up the month of November 91 with nearly 47 in of snow, and that's a whole time monthly record marks sting live today from Minnesota Public Radio booth at the state fair this the first day of the fair some drizzle out here right now, but so far the really nasty weather that we've been fearing hasn't arrived yet markets been able to hold that off, but hopefully at least till 1 this afternoon if you'd like to call in with a question for Mark Seeley, give us a call. 227-6020. Go to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828 and those of you standing around listening if you'd like to get your question in for Mark Seeley, we got a microphone. All you have to do is sneak up here and don't be shy nobody bites. I certainly will win one of those valuable prizes that were passing out to poop while you're out at the fair sometime over the next 10 days. You do need a Pronto pup and maybe some mini donuts for me as well before I make my way out to the fair my question concerning weather phenomenon that I'm starting to hear more and more about talked about on the television on radio reading about it in print Publications. What's been deemed as the evil twin is a Fortis of El Nino La Nina and I looking more specifically what effect that this will have on our Winters up here in Minnesota and the entire Upper Midwest and for however long La Nina is going to last and how is it similar? How was it different from El Nino? Very good question Kelly. This one may indeed have a lot of implications for the coming winter. I have not published research on this phenomena, but I have read quite a bit and I believe my colleagues at the climate Prediction Center who suggests that the laninya phase which is the cold phase of the Southern oscillation that is when we get cold water for dominating in the Central and Eastern Pacific and doing some are having some effects on global circulation patterns. The most information we have is those who've studied its effect on the Northern Hemisphere winter that is to say most of the correlations with La Nina in place in the Eastern Pacific are with patterns of climate that tend to dominate in the northern hemisphere winter and what the immediate effects are for minnesotans. Would be to increase our probability for a colder-than-normal winter and indeed the forecast coming from the climate Prediction Center since about June have been consistently favoring the cold Phase 2 set in this fall and then for us to experience a colder-than-normal winter in Minnesota with perhaps that cold face speaking in January and then starting to dissipate, you know, the life cycle of both El Nino and La Nina is a big mystery. Once it's in place. Once the warm water of El Nino or the cold water of lanina is in place. It has a variable life cycle that may last anywhere from four months up to a year-and-a-half and so they get very difficult to predict in terms of longevity. Kelly want to play the weather quiz, absolutely 1 to 10, please pick a number be 5 or 7 haven't taken. I'll go with number 6 number 6 in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. What is the simplest quickest and most accurate source of weather information other than listening to NPR This is my personal opinion, but I think most meteorologist would agree with me the NOAA Weather Radio. Absolutely, right NOAA Weather Radio What a fine investment. That is for thirty bucks. You take it with you when you travel or you take it with you to the state fair and you get instant weather from our friends at the National Weather Service, but I definitely underestimated are less. We've really got some smart people out there to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828 and we'll get to see more colors in just a moment. It's time for a sound money's annual track to the Minnesota State Fair and your Join us at the NPR both of the corner of Johnson and Nelson. Hi, this is Bob Potter. And if you can't come out for the corn dogs in the mini Donuts landed to an end as fairgoers. Try to stop Chris Farrell and they are at the whipping her Saturday morning at 10 again Sunday afternoon at 5 on Minnesota Public Radio FM 91.1 in the Twin Cities. The official forecast for the Twin City metropolitan area in other words for the State Fair calls for some showers and thunder showers through the afternoon. And in fact, we could get some severe weather may be some heavy rain 75 to 80 is the forecast for the Twin City metropolitan area State fairgrounds right now. We have some light rain and 70° Statewide forecast about the same really showers and thunder showers all across Minnesota with highs ranging from around 70 in the North to the mid-80s in the southwest if you don't like the weather Well, the man responsible is right here our weatherman weather Guru Mark Seeley climatologist meteorologist. Your neighbors give you a lot of heat when the weather isn't very nice Mark. I get plenty of that. In fact, I don't very often wear a white shirt because they often get stained by different things. Let's go back to the phone store our next caller glad place. Grammy winners. Hello. All right, but I had heard that the jet stream is progressively getting lower and I was wondering if that was true and maybe what implications I would have if that was a actual altitude or lower and latitude altitude approaching the surface of the planet. We have such great variation in the winds Aloft that sometimes what we get developing. In fact even over our region is what they call a low level Jet and that that is a stream of rapidly moving air. That's at lower elevation than normal as he normally we'd find the jet stream up quite high in the neighborhood of I don't know 35 to 45. Thousand feet or somewhere in that vicinity, but occasionally we do get what they call a low level jet phenomena that shut down much lower down around maybe 17 18000 feet or even less and. But these are highly variable. So to answer your question directly is I don't think there's any evidence to suggest that we're consistently getting those kinds of wins at lower levels, but they do come and go No, Mark is of course conducting a weather quiz. For those of you who have questions of him. He has a 10 questions here that he put together before the program. I see we just got numbers 3/8 left here Gary that looks like okay number 8. Well, actually we talked about this in the opening of the show based on historical climatology the history of all of the state fairs. During the twelve days of the current state fair. How many days does it typically rain in a fraction 3.6 or something like that, but very good and today is one of them hit your ass the last six in a row here next year. I'm going to have to make this tougher. That's all there is to it. And those of you I was standing by here huddled under your umbrellas bring the umbrella forward. The microphone is dry and come under the roof and ask Mark Celia question. Lots of callers on the line mean while Kevin go ahead. Good morning. Good morning. Considering all the factors in temperature rain chance of mosquitoes humidity a Tetra. What is a nicest day of the year? No, no, do you prefer warm weather or cold weather? That is a very tough question. I would if you if you're asking for a specific date, I would say September 30th, but really I'd give you a range. I think the finest days in terms of comfortable dew point temperatures sunny skies lack of insect activity and unpleasant conditions. It would be late September or early October. In fact my colleague at the University who has researched this for many years. Dr. Donald Baker has found that in fact, there's a singularity. There's a spike in the frequency distribution. If you look at the frequency of clear Pleasant days, you find a much higher frequency from about the 27th of September to the 3rd of October then you do any other week of the year. So I guess I would opt for that if if that criteria meets what you consider to be, you know, nice weather down Ark is there a place in America where it It's like that frequently where you don't then move into the severity. It was severe Winters that we have. That's the only downside seems to me to fall that I got that big animal lurking out there waiting for you. You know, when I've been asked that many times and I think is a climatologist that any location on the planet Earth has trade-offs whatever good it gives you it's going to give you something bad at some other time. So so I don't think you can find anything. That's consistently perfect Alright Kevin quiz, we have a two two numbers left to choose from by my count Mark 2 and 3. Is that right? Yeah. That's right. What is the largest change in temperature recorded within a 24-hour. In the state of Minnesota? Of course, not 60°. Okay. Good. Very good. Guess the all-time record for a 24-hour temperature change in Minnesota is April 3rd 1982 at Lamberton in Southwestern Minnesota when they had an afternoon high of 78 and a cold front swept through and they dropped to a low of 7A 71° change. Id address for good question question in April 3rd. Everybody's probably thought with the 78° high that spring was eminent. 71° spread. Well, thanks for your call Kevin. Let's move on to Karen who joined us from St.Paul you're checking with a friend about tornadoes and they said that 494 and 694 with the cars swirling around with create are that would keep a tornado from coming into the Twin City area and that's silly kind of thing. But I just wondering if there really is some sort of phenomenon that might keep in a bounce a tornado off of the downtown area variation on the heat island Siri Mark, I've heard that before but although there's a lot of speculation and a lot of theories that certain landscape features such as highways river valleys the skyscrapers of downtown's and a whole host of other things that sit on the landscape interact with severe weather in prevent. Needles, but I've never seen proof that any of those theories are valid. So I guess that's my fundamental answer. Is there still a lot of theories out there, but I don't know that any of them have been proven. Want to take the last question Karen? This is impossible, Well, this is this is this is this one's multiple. Guess what is a cult precipitation? precipitation that occurs at night an underground irrigation system Tree sap or the moisture that's deposited from do froster fog. precipitation underground irrigation system know that was that was my my invention. But actually it's the moisture that's deposited from do frost and fog and actually a cult precipitation is the primary form of precipitation in some of the desert regions of the world particularly some of the coastal deserts like Southwest Africa where they don't really get any cloud formations to all they get deposited on the soil. There is from a cold precipitation Karen. Thanks for the call. Thank you. Maybe just tuning in we're broadcasting live from the Minnesota State Fair Minnesota Public Radio booth at the corner of Judson and Nelson this year across from us. There's a giant NBA National Basketball Association display huge basketball. So you'll be able to find us maybe we've had bungee jumping over there from ear-to-ear and various other activities this year. It looks like a sport. Anyway, we hope it to come out to the fair. You'll be able to stop by our booth we have items so that you can buy and look it up and come by over the midday program and seek program done or the noon hour today when talk Politics the full cast of commentators will be here. And so we hope you'll be able to if you're out at the fair stop here. Keep our fingers crossed that the weather holds off. Meanwhile Mark singelais with a few more minutes to go has more than enough answers for your questions. We think he's not been stumped yet. Have you been stumped here? I probably given a few vague. But then again we're trained to do that. So 7 6802 for to 2828 Dan. Go ahead, please. Hi, I was just wondering if y'all are Marcus heard anything about the like the worm the warming in the melting of glaciers down in the end and the Antarctic and if that's going to affect the weather patterns for the world. I haven't heard anything specifically I have heard observational reports that both in the far Northern latitudes as well as the far Southern latitudes the polar latitudes both ends. There has been a measurement of some accelerated melting. I haven't read the or I'm not up to speed on what the implications of that might be. So I'm sorry to say I was at a conference earlier this month where the climatologists from Alaska reported the similar findings that apparently Parts of Alaska are experiencing a significant warming Trend that is inducing a more rapid loss of the ice ice fields and Glaciers and things of that nature the I haven't heard too much though about what implications that might be. I have heard other speculate that the global climate warming the the models. Projections are becoming more fine-tuned and that what they're finding are some Regional differences by that. There's a lack of uniformity across bands of latitude. Some some areas will show a warming some will actually show a cooling so they're getting better and better refinement with some of these models and I think they're starting to see some distinct Regional differences Dan were a lot of questions here, but we could recycle a few of these that were asked earlier in the program. We think we could or I've got actually some of that some of last year we didn't get to and here's one are you doing here is one What is normal a unusual behavior by a meteorologist be a climate station in Illinois, or see the average value of a climate parameter taken over a 30-year. I'll have to try see that's what normal is normal is very specific and it's mandated by the World Meteorological organization that following every three successive decades. All climatologists are to recalculate normals based on the most recent three decades. So we'll be doing that again following the New Millennium here back to the following question, please Hello. Yes. Go ahead Mark. Okay. I had a quick question. I moved here about 6 years ago or so and I was prepared for the extremely cold weather. But one thing I can't acclimate myself to is the wind particularly The Cutting biting wind in the winter and the the violent windrim and thunderstorms in the summer and I wanted to know why is the reason for this terrible wind? The reason we get winds like that is basically because of our location where Mid-Continental and we're we're a lot of different air masses and pressure systems Collide. So these strong storm systems will collide if you will over the High Plains area and move across us and produced these violent winds. They are primarily associated with what we call these mid-latitude Cyclones these large storm systems, and we basically tend to be right in their path during the late fall through the winter and early spring and it is very difficult and I completely agree with you my greatest distaste for Minnesota weather. Although I love it and study it all the time is the severe windshield conditions we can get because it doesn't matter how many layers of clothes you have on when the wind chills - 60 or - 78 you just simply forbid you from going outside. That's all there is. Mark you want to answer a question? You want to answer a question? okay, how about Let's go with. Wind rose what is a wind rose a a circular graphical depiction of the frequency of wind speed and direction be a prairie Wildflower or see a special instrument to measure wind speed. Windrose Lake in the flower like the Prairie Flower is that your guests 00? Yes. It is two words wind rose, right? I'll pick CU special instrument to measure the wind speeds. Well, it's it's actually given this name for the graphical depiction of the frequency distribution of wind speed and direction because it gives a the graph of that which is a circular graph actually gives a depiction that looks somewhat like a rose with different pedals on it for the different frequencies. Thanks very much. Thanks for your call. Unfortunately, the rain is starting to pick up a little bit here. The wind is to speaking of when keep our fingers crossed. We got another hour to come from our state fair Booth Minnesota Public Radio booth at the state fair. Not a lot of time left for questions for Mark silly, but let's get at least one more call. Patrick I had a mother hurricane question for you and what happens to a hurricane when it gets caught between a high and low pressure system. Well, it depends. It depends on the strength of the high or the strength of the law, whether they rival the strength of the hurricane and so a variety of things going to happen if there's a strong enough high pressure system as they're typically might be say over a land mass as a mid-latitude landmass that may serve to fill in the hurricane more rapidly that is dissipated more rapidly than it would otherwise dissipate. So but it again it's a it's kind of a scale question Patrick. It depends if you're talkin about real large-scale high pressure or low pressure system. It looks like Bonnie by the way, if you've been following the reports is beginning to feel in this morning as it's past Overland in the wind speeds kind of wind down. It's now a tropical storm not a hurricane and expected I guess to gradually dissipate over the next 24 to 36 hours, but it is nevertheless dumping an awful. The rain because it was so large. Can you have time for a quick question for Patrick? Sure. Okay, Patrick. Let me ask you what a snow pillow is. Hey a frozen cocktail served in Anchorage Alaska be a snow drift in the shape of a pillow or see an instrument for measuring the mass of snow on the ground. I have to say B. Be a snowdrift in the shape of a pillow that I thought that was pretty creative answer, although they're the real answer is it's the instrument for measuring the mass of snow on the ground. They're buried in the soil, and then they literally measure the weight of snow falling on them. So, thanks. Thanks a lot for your call. Thanks for your call time for one more. Call her. When do you get the last question? Go ahead place. Wendy I got a question for you. Where does rain come from rain come from rain comes from the fact that our atmosphere holds water vapor and water vapor eventually mixes with the air and it gets to a high enough altitude that the air temperature up. There is cool enough that it condenses out much like the condensation. You see when you pour yourself a nice cold glass of pop or water and you watch the outside of the glass and you see the condensation form, but that's because the glass temperature is cool enough. It's taking the water vapor out of the air. Well, that's what happens to the air when it goes Aloft and it condenses and then it eventually gets too large enough droplets that they fall down on us Wendy. Can I ask the question your question here. Do you want to be a weather forecaster just interested in where rain comes we need many more good weather forecasters Wendy, so Give it some consideration. Thanks for calling in. Thanks Mark a quick review hear the forecast for the fall. colder-than-normal for Minnesota I mean, we're talkin Halloween blizzard cono just that could be a matter of just a few degrees. But the whole pattern for September October November right now is favored in colder than normal conditions and the winter then and winter favoring colder than normal conditions at least through February. I don't like to say that that's unhappy news. But I guess that's what the official Outlook is in the forecast for the noon hour when we come back and talk politics. You will politics obviously it's going to heat up around here warm up. The rain might not go away but it's going to heat up. All those guys are clouds apart when they appear on the stove Mark. Thanks so much for coming. Okay. Thanks Gary. Really? Appreciate it Mark seal a climatologist meteorologist at the University of Minnesota joining us here at the Minnesota State Fair were broadcasting our midday program today live from the Minnesota Public Radio Booth. Thanks to all of you been with us and stay tuned. We're going to be Through the Moon hours. Well What questions do citizens have for the gubernatorial candidates? What are you going to do about the waiting. For child? Daycare. Are you feel about concealed weapons? Why so much to text. Spent on freeways homeless people needed more members of the Minnesota citizens Forum to ask question to the candidate join us Saturday at noon at the Minnesota Public Radio State Fair Booth or catch it live on the radio channel W FM 91.1 in the Twin Cities. Or somebody talking politics over the noon hour hear it from the fair today right now. It's time for The Writer's Almanac. And here is The Writer's Almanac for Thursday. It's August 27th, 1998. The Minnesota State Fair begins today in St. Paul the New York State Fair in Syracuse and the Oregon State Fair in Salem. It's the birthday of the founder of Smith college Sophia Smith, Hatfield, Massachusetts 1796. She and her two siblings were left with a large inheritance when their father died and when her two siblings died and left their money to her she decided to establish a school Smith college, Northampton, Massachusetts founded in the 1870s. It's the birthday of Theodore Dreiser Terre Haute, Indiana 1871. He was the ninth of 10 children. The family was impoverished. They moved around Indiana looking for some way to get out of poverty Dreiser whose novels were based on his Indiana years sister, Carrie 1900 Jennie gerhardt and an American Tragedy 1925. It's the best day in Philadelphia 1890 of Emmanuel rabinovich who was better known as the surrealist artist Man Ray. It's the birthday of c s Forester 1899 in Cairo Egypt who created the British naval officer Horatio Hornblower the hero of a dozen the beginning with the uniting 37 beat to quarters. It's the first aid near Stonewall, Texas 1908 of Lyndon Baines Johnson the 36th president of the United States sworn into office aboard Air Force One after President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963 and the next year elected in the biggest Landslide ever 15 million votes and it was on this day in 1912 that Tarzan first appeared in a story by Edgar Rice Burroughs who was in advertising writer in Chicago the story of an English nobleman abandoned in the African jungle and brought up by Apes. It was so popular Burroughs quit his day job and went on to write 27 Tarzan books. Here's a poem by Lisa Lewis from girls who love horses. For girls who grow up loving horses, there is no hope nothing will break you of love for power yet for small things newborn Kohl's on stilt legs. You have a soft heart and a fine touch your whole life you take in Strays building you're hungry Empire ruling whatever love you if love means to follow on padded paw answer commands in your voice only. Young girls are indulged in their passion. It's thought to be a phase, but they don't grow out of it. When at horse shows. I watch girls ride their eyes trained sharp ahead strong handset or soft if they have talent. I believe as they do there in Mortal then I remember I live through that it's gone horses belong to other people. I feed the cats change the paper in the parent cage fall asleep on the sofa. I don't have everything. I wish I had I have enough but it wouldn't hurt if some things mattered the way they had the give in the fingers the wrist held straight and knowing knowing now this matters. A poem by Lisa Lewis from girls who love horses from her collection silent treatment published by Penguin Books used by permission here on The Writer's Almanac Thursday, August 27th, made possible by primedia whose Publications include fly fisherman and in fisherman magazine coordinated by Patricia McFadden be well do good work and keep in touch. It's 12 noon. You're listening to midday coming to you on Minnesota Public Radio going to catch up on some news headlines. And then we will be talking politics here at the Minnesota State Fair. One of the real Traditions at the fair will get to that right after some news headlines. Are you guys this is Kevin Kling hoping that you listen to my stories on all things considered All Things Considered weekdays at 3 on Minnesota Public Radio know 91.1. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. We have a well light rain now or heavier rain depends on where you're standing at 70° at NW FM 91.1 Minneapolis and st. Paul showers and thunder showers are likely in the cities today. Maybe some severe weather is a matter of fact with a high approaching eighty 40% chance for rain tonight.