From Science @ NASA.gov
The upper Midwest was hit by a powerful winter storm this past weekend as more than 17 inches of snow brought down the roof to the Metrodome football complex (link added by WUWT) in Minneapolis. NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the upper Midwest the next day and captured an image of that snowy blanket left behind.
When NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the upper Midwest on Sunday, Dec. 12 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured an image at 17:20 UTC (12:20 p.m. EST). The MODIS Image was created by the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Have a look:
The image clearly shows the snowy blanket on the ground that covered South Dakota, southern Minnesota, eastern Iowa, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and Indiana. In the satellite image, northern Minnesota appears darker because there was less snowfall. The snow storm mostly affected the lower half of the state, which appears as a brighter white in the image.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that 17.1 inches of snow fell in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday. Some of the suburbs of the twin cities reported as much as 21 inches of snow. NWS also noted that 60 mph wind gusts caused high snow drifts there and the Minneapolis airport was even closed for several hours on Dec. 11.
On Sunday, Dec. 12, the National Weather Service had issued blizzard warnings for northwestern Illinois, eastern Iowa, northern Michigan, and southeast Wisconsin. Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and South Dakota reported road closures due to snow and accidents this weekend. On Monday morning the cleanups continued.
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Ahh global warming at it’s best. It brings out the “A few cold days doesn’t disprove AGW is happening” crowd
The people in the heavily affected states should be hoping that “man-made warming” is true and not fiction.
Well, I think I’m in for an excellent ice-fishing season! All this climate disruption DOES have some upside, after all!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/travel/escapes/15icehouse.html
Geez, thanks. Just what I needed another perspective on the Hi-Res view I’ve been enjoying out my front window. I WANT MY GLOBAL WARMING BACK!!!
The warmists have got this all sorted. It’s called Climate Chaos. Anything that is even vaguely out of the ordinary can be put under this tag and blamed on AGW.
“Marcus71 says:
December 14, 2010 at 1:44 am”
Exactly! What (Temperature) is not out of the ordinary (Normal)? In every conversation I have with an AGW supporters I ask what IS normal (For Earth)? The answer I normally receive is the “norm” for planet Earth is the 1960 – 1991 average. Which is of course Mannufactured and totally meaningless.
What don’t you people understand about “precipitation”? Water from the sky, be it rain, hail or snow, are different aspects of the same issue, and cause the same manner of problems to the Postal service.
Anthropogenic Gloal Warming causes an increase in global precipitation, as well as an increase in hurricane numbers and intensity, teenage pregnancies, and a whole host of other scientifically attributed effects of carbon pollution.
It is time to ignore the Big Oil shills, and save our childen and grand-children.
Actually, northern Minnesota is darker as that is all forested, mostly different varieties of Pine (southern portion of the Taiga). The trees, although assisting in keeping the wind down for some brutal morning temperatures will, because of albedo affects, allow that area have some of the warmer afternoon temperatures then other areas. That influence is most pronounced in late January through early March.
This graph of the seasonal NAO speaks volumes.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/pna/season.JFM.nao.gif
“Kaboom says:
December 14, 2010 at 2:32 am”
Explain the 1940’s and 1970’s cool periods with increasing CO2 concentrations.
Interestingly a scientist in the German Met Office has said that the evidence of the last three extremely cold winters suggests a mini Ice Age may be on the way…
Won’t it be fun watching the AGW mob explain that if it happens?
*Yawn*
Very nice. Already had 2 – 3 feet plus of snow this month and it’s up and started again with about another foot and a half coming to the area near Buffalo where I’m stuck.
Is it Spring yet?
Kaboom, you might want to do a bit if research before repeating AGW dogma like “…an increase in hurricane numbers and intensity…” You can start with this:
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-there-are-no-trends-in-normalized.html
Since 1900 there has been NO trend in hurricane damages, intensity, and frequency of landfalls in the United States.
While you weatherman are getting your Santa tracking radar setup and calibrated this year, do you think you modify it to track Big Al?
The snow makes the impact crater about 160 miles south of Lake Superior show up nicely.
Hmmm. What I called an “impact crater” is not on the database. There is a small one, “Rock Elm” which is 6km in diameter a few miles to the northwest, but the big ring about 100 km diameter is not in the database (nor are the two fainter rings).
Does anybody know what these structures are if not impact craters?
Patrick Davis, check out Kaboom’s blog; I think you’ll find the answer there (parody, irony is sometimes the best retort to AGW)
.
Kaboom says:
December 14, 2010 at 2:32 am
I was ready to write it off as another AGW rant, then I read the “teen pregnancies,” and almost ruined my keyboard!
The Gray Monk says:
December 14, 2010 at 3:25 am
Interestingly a scientist in the German Met Office has said that the evidence of the last three extremely cold winters suggests a mini Ice Age may be on the way…
Do you have a link to that story?
I thought “global warming” says winters will start later not sooner.
I was telling my Grand-kids that “In the olden-days (15 years ago), Grampa would barbeque a big standing rib roast and his patented Bison-Bacon-Bites for Christmas dinner but now because of Global Warming, it’s far too cold and the snow is far too deep for that, so we’re stuck with Grama’s Turkey”. Oh Woe is us (in beef country).
Visual Orientation
The dark projection in the upper right is Lake Superior where Duluth, MN and Superior, WI are at the point. The Minnesota River is very prominent in the middle where it flows southeast to Mankato and takes a sharp turn to the northeast to Minneapolis/St. Paul and flows into the Mississippi. Following the Minnesota River upstream also shows the area of Brown’s Valley where the Minnesota west boundry has its dimple about halfway between Canada and Iowa. In the lower right of the photo the rivers flow southeast into the Mississippi near the edge of what appears to be cloud cover. Finally, the Missouri River shows up on the left side with reservoirs prominently displayed.
Interestingly a scientist in the German Met Office has said that the evidence of the last three extremely cold winters suggests a mini Ice Age may be on the way…
Won’t it be fun watching the AGW mob explain that if it happens?
True Believers aren’t able to admit they are wrong. They will go to any length, invoke any and every possible contortion of logic, to explain how they are right, despite the evidence staring them in the face. This has always been the case, and AGW Believers are no different. It’s almost guaranteed that they would blame an ice age on AGW.
More coming, compliments of the Pacific. And this cold front may be wetter than the last one. When it hits the AO blast further East, you guys are gonna be in BLIZZARDS with capital letters! Right now, the pass above Pendleton, Oregon is getting re-covered with global warming described as coming down “hard and continuously”. And that’s just the leading edge. Behind that, the Cascades are getting dumped on with major Global Climate Disruption stuff. It’s like the snow plow is up in the clouds dumping on the mountains below!
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=pqr
One of our problems in Minnesota is snow typical stays until March. So, we will get to look at this stuff for quite awhile. To add to the fun I had a temp of -19°F this AM.
The guy that plows out our little development got stuck and we couldn’t get out for almost 24 hours after the snow stopped. The roads are still packed snow as it’s too cold for even salt to melt it. Supposed to get up to 22°F later in the week … now, where did I put that barbecue …