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Fall Color Peeping
MN DNR Fall Color Update
Chlorophyll
Carotenoids
Anthocyanins
Tannins
Each has its own color and chemistry. As the amount of these chemicals vary, they will cause subtle variations in color from one leaf to the next, or even from tree to tree.
See more from the MN DNR HERE:
Chances of a White Halloween?
Hey, it’s Halloween next Wednesday and thanks to @Climatologist49 on Twitter for the image below, which shows the historical probability of a white Halloween.
White Halloweens in Minneapolis
Here’s a look at snowfall data on Halloween for Minneapolis and since 1899 (119 years of data), there has only been snow reported on 20 days and only 6 days with measureable snow (0.1″ or more). Of course, who could forget the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. A record 8.2″ of snow fell on Halloween day itself, but the storm dumped a total of 28.4″ at the MSP Airport – UNREAL!
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Super Typhoon Yutu – Lingering Rain Chances
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas.
I was always fascinated by weather, even as a young kid. I knew I wanted to be a weatherman when I turned 8 years old. An overnight camping trip to Lake Osakis became frightening when severe storms nearly blew over our camper. My birthday banners were shredded.
I turned that fear into knowledge and many years later I still have those “Wow” moments when I look at weather maps now.
Super Typhoon Yutu in the Western Pacific became one of the strongest storms on earth earlier this week as winds roared to 180mph with gusts of up to 220mph! I was shocked to see the tiny island of Tinian (near Guam in the U.S. territories) completely visible from inside of Yutu’s eye – Unreal.
Closer to home we don’t have any hurricanes or super typhoons brewing, but we will have more gray skies and scattered rain showers to contend with. Light rain chances linger Friday with another clipper arriving late Saturday and early Sunday with a bit more rain. Our Halloween preview looks a little soggy too – BOO! At least we’re not swatting skeeters anymore!
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What’s in the Night Sky?
According to EarthSky.org this is what will be visible in the night sky over the next several nights:
“Despite the lunar glare, you still might see Aldebaran, the constellation Taurus’ brightest star, and the Pleiades star cluster near the moon on October 26, 2018. From 1969 to 1972, Apollo astronauts left laser reflectors on the moon’s surface, enabling astronomers to measure the moon’s distance from Earth with great accuracy. Although the moon’s distance from Earth varies each month because of its eccentric orbit, the moon’s mean distance from Earth is nonetheless increasing at the rate of about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year. That’s about the rate that fingernails grow. Tidal friction with the Earth’s oceans is responsible for this long-term increase of the moon’s distance from Earth. It’s causing the moon to spiral into a more distant orbit. Tidal friction also slows down the Earth’s rotation, lengthening the day by about 1 second every 40,000 years. Hence, the number of days in a year is slowly diminishing over the long course of time. Simulations suggest that at the time of the moon’s formation some 4.5 billion years ago, the moon was only about 12,000 to 18,000 miles (20,000 to 30,000 kilometers) from Earth. Way back then, Earth’s day might have been only 5 or 6 hours long. That would mean over 1,400 days in one year!”
Atlantic Update
Things have quieted down a bit in the Atlantic basin, but NOAA’s NHC is tracking a wave of energy in the Central Atlantic that has a high probability of tropical formation over the next 5 days.
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