It doesn't rain in California; man it pours!

A less than sexy news item.

Minneapolis has thus far declared 5 snow emergencies in December. This is a record. To put things in perspective, Minneapolis on average only declares 6 for the entirety of Winter.

This winter is on track to be one of the coldest and snowiest on record. I predicted this in September considering the information that La Niña was winding herself up. This only spells disasters for North America especially along the trade winds, aka the US. So our walloping should be unsurprising.

However, California's continuing train wreck of 12" and counting rainstorm isn't. It is a behemoth and it is making for downright miserable conditions there in the southwest. I can't locate any hard data on accumulations but hopefully will in the coming days.

This weather phenomenon is called the Pineapple Express. This is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated heavy rainfall from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and subsequently crossing the Pacific to North America, usually coming onshore in California and Oregon.

The Metrodome

Sorry to anyone who may actually read this. I have been absent these past 10 days due to the overwhelming fact that it has been finals. Today is the very last day of term. I have completed all that is required of me. So, I can get back to the things I love: news, politics, weather, music, my computer...

The Vikings made the decision to play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium after the Metrodome roof's critical failure. There were further holes put in the covering to relieve even more pressure. It also appears that it will take longer to fix than initially thought.

We still lost. I hope the Bears make a good showing in the playoffs.

On a personal note, I got a concussion outside the Metrodome the Monday following the blizzard. So, somebody was taking hard hits there. :)

Stay Safe and Merry Christmas!

Minneapolis... or Hoth?

Taken from Being a Geek on Facebook.

I mentioned Hoth last night and it turns out, I'm not alone. Geeks like to have their fun.


Taken this afternoon like 36 minutes before I reposted it.

Failure at the Metrodome

What else is new?

You know its a bad storm when even the Metrodome roof collapses. A failure of the teflon roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome, long an eyesore of downtown Minneapolis, led to the collapse of the roof early Sunday morning. Men with shovels are clearing the snow off by hand.

The New York Giants were scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome this Sunday. In fact, had things gone as planned, the game would probably be at or near halftime right now. But the Giants were diverted to Kansas City, Missouri yesterday.

Now it appears the game will go on tomorrow in Detroit.


The Metrodome as it normally looks. And proof we have a growing season here.

As it looked this morning. One can normally see the roof puffed up above the roofline. I can't wait to take the train by there tomorrow on my way to the U. I'll try to snap some photos if it is still down.

Speaking of...


New York Daily News Article

Finally, a video taken by Fox showing the collapse inside the building.

How I spent my day

I spent a lot of time perusing the nets reading about this storm and comparisons between Minnesota and the ice planet known as Hoth.

BLizzard Filya gave me the chance bake and make candy. My toffee came out soft which is not the result I was looking for. It still tastes like toffee...

Watched Navy beat Army. Again.

I got annoyed with someone for using multiple commas on Facebook instead of ellipsis (...). So, he was saying things like this:

The snow is piling up,,,, should plow before tomorrow,,,,,, are any plows out on the road?,,,,,,, wonder if the mail is going to come?,,,,,,,,, any other experience out there in MinnieApple,,,,,,,,?

I just about wanted to brave the roads to go find the bastard and hurt him. I'd even get on a smelly Tauntaun and go kick his ass! I told him that its not commas but periods. The commas just irk me. He said there was no difference. Probably also says irregardless.

/IRK!

Snowfall Reports

It looks like Shakopee got the brunt of the storm. I live in Lakeville and we didn't get as much.

These are not the final totals. If you note the times, some are in the afternoon and even earlier. The final totals will likely be a few inches more.

THE TOTALS BELOW ARE SEPARATED INTO SNOW...AND ICE AND SLEET
CATEGORIES...THEN BY AMOUNT...AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE
FINAL AMOUNT FOR EACH LOCATION.

**NOTE: DUE STRONG WINDS THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE DRIFTING
SNOW...AND THEREFORE SNOWFALL OBSERVATIONS WERE HIGHLY VARIABLE.
A GREAT DEAL OF ESTIMATING WENT INTO THESE SNOWFALL REPORTS.

SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT

INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------
21.50   SHAKOPEE                 MN  SCOTT            0654 PM
20.00   OAKDALE                  MN  WASHINGTON       0247 PM
18.10   RED WING                 MN  GOODHUE          0812 PM
18.00   EAST FARMINGTON          WI  POLK             0630 PM
18.00   3 SSW BURNSVILLE         MN  DAKOTA           0610 PM
18.00   MENOMONIE                WI  DUNN             0346 PM
17.50   RED WING                 MN  GOODHUE          0506 PM
17.40   NEW RICHMOND             WI  ST. CROIX        0516 PM
17.40   LAKEVILLE                MN  DAKOTA           0906 PM
17.20   4 SSW MINNEAPOLIS        MN  HENNEPIN         0520 PM
17.00   2 N MENOMONIE            WI  DUNN             0620 PM
17.00   MAPLEWOOD                MN  RAMSEY           0334 PM
16.50   MINNEAPOLIS              MN  HENNEPIN         0600 PM
              MEASURED AT THE MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
              INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. STORM TOTAL SO FAR.
16.30   HASTINGS                 MN  DAKOTA           0826 PM
16.10   BLOOMINGTON              MN  HENNEPIN         0607 PM
15.50   EDINA                    MN  HENNEPIN         0554 PM
15.20   CHANHASSEN               MN  CARVER           0600 PM
              MEASURED AT THE NWS OFFICE IN CHANHASSEN.
              STORM TOTAL SO FAR.
15.20   ST PAUL                  MN  RAMSEY           0429 PM
15.20   WOODBURY                 MN  WASHINGTON       0230 PM
15.00   1 SSW DELANO             MN  WRIGHT           0620 PM
14.00   6 NW RICE LAKE           WI  BARRON           0504 PM
14.00   WYOMING                  MN  CHISAGO          0452 PM
14.00   EAU CLAIRE               WI  EAU CLAIRE       0410 PM
14.00   HASTINGS                 MN  DAKOTA           0316 PM
14.00   PRIOR LAKE               MN  SCOTT            0309 PM
13.50   1 ESE CHASKA             MN  CARVER           0700 PM
13.50   ELK MOUND                WI  DUNN             0655 PM
13.50   3 WNW LADYSMITH          WI  RUSK             0415 PM
13.00   LAKEVILLE                MN  DAKOTA           0334 PM
12.90   1 SW ST PAUL             MN  RAMSEY           0214 PM
12.80   STANLEY                  WI  CHIPPEWA         0520 PM
12.50   1 ENE CAMBRIDGE          MN  ISANTI           0630 PM
12.00   ISANTI                   MN  ISANTI           0424 PM
12.00   RICHFIELD                MN  HENNEPIN         0418 PM
12.00   NEW BRIGHTON             MN  RAMSEY           0243 PM
12.00   FARIBAULT                MN  RICE             0909 PM
11.70   ST LOUIS PARK            MN  HENNEPIN         0249 PM
11.50   1 SE NORTHFIELD          MN  RICE             0350 PM
11.50   JIM FALLS                WI  CHIPPEWA         0119 PM
11.00   NORTH BRANCH             MN  CHISAGO          0218 PM
10.50   HUTCHINSON               MN  MCLEOD           0345 PM
9.90   CHAMPLIN                 MN  HENNEPIN         0430 PM
9.90   WACONIA                  MN  CARVER           0300 PM
9.50   ISANTI                   MN  ISANTI           0158 PM
8.50   ANDOVER                  MN  ANOKA            1225 PM
8.00   MANKATO                  MN  BLUE EARTH       0715 PM
8.00   HAUGEN                   WI  BARRON           0332 PM
7.00   4 S ST CLOUD             MN  STEARNS          0635 PM
6.00   WINTHROP                 MN  SIBLEY           0820 PM
6.00   LITCHFIELD               MN  MEEKER           0415 PM
3.20   MURDOCK                  MN  SWIFT            0310 PM

Blizzard Continues

Hennepin County pulled its plows. MNDot has doubled its closures and then some. Snow Emergencies all over the place.

We are still in a Blizzard warning. We will be until 6 tomorrow morning. Otherwise, everything is going swimmingly.