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EP41 - Dude - That's a Good Thunderstorm! · Oh And One More Thing

0:10
Some old friends facing our fears, laughing through the
0:13
chaos and drinking some beers. So here's to the laugh, the
0:16
crows and the cheers. All the awkward moments and
0:19
we're still here 'cause in the end, we're just doing our thing.
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It's our crazy life. 01 more thing.
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One more thing. Hey everybody, welcome to 01
0:36
More Thing. I'm Rob, You're a podcast
0:38
professional. Hey, and I'm Brian.
0:40
It's time for another riveting half hour of those two guys
0:43
discussing another random topic that you can't live without.
0:46
You know it. That's right.
0:48
It's another weird. Day.
0:50
That's right. So what's new with you, my
0:51
friend? Not a lot.
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I was sick last week. Oh, I know I'm.
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Sad you still you still hear your little, your little stuffy
0:57
you can hear. No, listen, listen to that.
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Let's just listen. Let's just make a sound like
1:01
that. I'm really good at what I.
1:02
Do you? Absolutely.
1:03
You are. Fake.
1:06
I think it adds more of a. Yeah, you're kind of like a,
1:08
like a. My Berry White voice I.
1:10
Got sexy Berry White? I can talk wait on here.
1:12
What's happening? Yeah, yeah.
1:15
Hey, did you know last week was our first anniversary of this
1:18
podcast? Can you believe it?
1:21
It's been like a whole year already.
1:22
I know. Wow, how time flies when you're
1:24
having fun, right? Yeah.
1:25
So I guess congratulation to us. Yeah, we made it this far.
1:29
Yeah, we still like each other. Most of the time, I know, right?
1:32
Did you know that this podcast is becoming popular?
1:34
It is. We fall into the top 5% of
1:36
podcasts out there. Shut the front door.
1:39
I know, right? We rule.
1:41
That's for sticking with it for a year.
1:42
That's what happened. That's awesome.
1:44
And we haven't even run out of topics yet.
1:46
Crazy. Hey, how about we do this for
1:47
another year? Awesome.
1:51
Let's do it. Let's do it.
1:52
Anyway, I have a few questions for you.
1:54
OK, I'm on. So why are we so fascinated with
1:57
thunderstorms? Because they're awesome.
1:59
Are they? They are.
2:00
Don't. Don't you love a thunderstorm?
2:02
Right? Yeah, I do.
2:03
Who doesn't? I know, I mean, why do we always
2:05
run to the front porch to watch severe weather instead of taking
2:07
shelter? Or go up on your roof to watch
2:09
it. Well, I don't do that.
2:11
I haven't known to do that, yeah.
2:12
Have you really? Well, like, it's off in the
2:13
distance and I want a better view.
2:15
I'll pop up on the roof and then, yeah.
2:16
And then I get yelled at. If I get on the roof then I fall
2:18
off, so that's not a good. Idea.
2:20
OK, this is my younger days. Oh well, so not recently.
2:23
Not not this. Didn't recently when you were on
2:26
the roof you did fall off We're. Not talking about that.
2:30
There's no proof anymore, right? It's all cleaned up.
2:33
It's all cleaned up. Have you ever gotten hit by
2:35
hail? I have.
2:36
It hurts. Really.
2:37
Yeah. I mean, I got a little pea sized
2:39
hail. Little pea sized, Yeah, not the
2:41
big chunks of hail. No, that would knock you out.
2:42
I always. Freak out when there's hail.
2:43
Like first thing I think of is where the hell can I put my
2:46
vehicle? Right, 'cause only you get Dings
2:48
in your car and then and either have to get completely fixed or
2:52
you live with it. Right, exactly.
2:54
So yeah, I was trying to plan that I'm either home or
2:56
someplace where like not not even a tree, I need to be in
2:58
somewhere. Yeah, gotta be in, right?
3:00
Have you ever been struck by lightning?
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That's a bold question, I know. But.
3:06
People have. I know what have you.
3:08
Not me, no. Yeah.
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I think, I think you would have known that if that that was the
3:11
thing. You think I would have known
3:12
that? I think.
3:12
I think I would have you. Probably would have told me I
3:14
would. Have told that story at some
3:15
point I think. Yeah, true.
3:16
That's true. This is a podcast of stories.
3:18
That is true. Yeah.
3:19
So these are just some of the questions we're going to cover
3:21
today in this episode of. Oh, and one more thing.
3:24
Dude, that's a good thunderstorm.
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Dude, love it. I love it.
3:29
Oh, gosh. Yeah.
3:30
So, you know, the other day I did try to catch some fog you
3:33
did missed. You know, the other day I told a
3:37
friend it was raining cats and dogs.
3:39
Yeah, he said. That explains the poodles.
3:41
Again, another lame joke. Right.
3:43
I know they're dad jokes. We're dads, it's what we do.
3:46
So did you know that it's Severe Weather Awareness Week next
3:48
week? I did not.
3:50
Yeah, yeah. I think that's why we're talking
3:51
about thunderstorms so. That makes sense.
3:53
You know, back again, I, I know we do a lot of rehashing back in
3:57
the day, but back in the day when I was in high school, I had
3:59
to take a media relations course and one of the things I got to
4:02
do was go to our local TV station, Channel 11, and I got
4:06
to spend the day with our local meteorologist, Paul Douglas.
4:09
Paul Douglas. Yeah, not Belinda.
4:11
Not Belinda wasn't around then, That's how old I am.
4:13
Oh wow. Right, 'cause she is retiring.
4:16
I know she is. Yeah, again, that's how old I
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am. But no, got to spend the whole
4:21
day kind of did behind the scenes.
4:22
We got to sit on the set during the 5:00 PM newscast and kind of
4:25
watch the whole newscast and watch him do his thing.
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And then we chatted from 5:30 to 6:00 in between the newscast and
4:29
his weather office, what kind of how things work and how they.
4:31
That's cool how they put all the stuff together.
4:33
And then in the 6:00 PM newscast, we got to sit in the
4:35
control room and see how that works.
4:37
Wow. It was fascinating.
4:39
After all that, you. Didn't go into that career path.
4:43
Well, yeah, we do a podcast. Doesn't that count?
4:45
No, because this is our first weather podcast we've ever done
4:49
that. Is true.
4:49
That is true, yeah. It's kind of cool, though.
4:52
It's fascinating to just watch that whole process.
4:53
But it's kind of cool to get to hang out with a real life
4:56
weatherman and kind of see how things work behind the scenes.
4:58
That is cool. That's kind of cool.
4:59
OK, so I was saying. Severe Weather Awareness Week is
5:02
an annual state sponsored campaign often held in early
5:05
spring in Minnesota, designed to educate the public on seasonal
5:09
hazards like tornadoes, floods, lightning and extreme heat.
5:12
Makes sense. We have a lot of those around
5:13
here. We do have those.
5:14
So it tries to promote safety through drills and emergency
5:17
planning. And I say it tries because have
5:20
you ever done any preparedness work with for severe weather?
5:24
Well, I did like elementary school.
5:26
Right. I think it's only done for
5:27
younger kids. Yeah, do.
5:28
You remember that sitting, yet sit in the hallway like with a
5:30
book over your head on the floor.
5:31
Yep, that was long ago. Yeah, and even before that you
5:34
had to sit on the desk, but from the threat of a nuclear bomb
5:37
going off. Remember those?
5:39
Because I'm not that old. Because.
5:41
That would save you your kids. Get under your desk.
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Don't worry about the fallout, you'll be.
5:46
Fine, right? Have you ever seen a tornado?
5:50
I haven't. In person, no I have not.
5:52
Have you? No, I've never.
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I always want to. Well, I kind of do, but I kind
5:56
of don't like if I see one. I want to be so far away from my
5:58
house that I don't care. I kind of want to see it so I
6:00
can grab my camera and start taking pictures.
6:02
Right, but not near your house. No, not, of course not near the
6:04
house. No damage needs to occur.
6:06
Right, that's very selfish, but that's what I would like to see.
6:09
The only the only tornado I did see.
6:11
I did see the movie Twister well.
6:15
That kind of counts you. Know the original movie was in
6:17
1996 and then the sequel of course in 19 in 2024.
6:22
Twisters, Twisters. Yeah, we paid money to see that
6:24
in the theatre. And.
6:26
He was OK. It was.
6:28
It wasn't as good as the first one.
6:29
It wasn't that that was so new and so crazy.
6:32
It was really good. And then the second was trying
6:34
to copy the first, so it wasn't as good.
6:36
But yeah, it was. I thought it was right.
6:37
Yeah, that's cool. Anyway, did you know that there
6:41
are 5 levels of severe weather? I well, I knew there were
6:44
levels. I guess I didn't know there were
6:45
five. Do you know what they are?
6:47
Yes. The five levels of severe
6:49
weather risk are defined by the US Storm Prediction Center.
6:52
The SPC are marginal #1. Stand outside and watch it.
6:56
Right slight. Stand under your garage.
6:58
Stand outside and watch it enhanced.
7:01
Stand outside and watch it moderate again.
7:03
Now you're in the garage watching, right, Right.
7:05
And then high, which I'm still sort of watching.
7:07
The garage still watching it. Yeah, these representing
7:11
increasing threats from isolated to severe storms to widespread
7:15
major outbreaks with numerous strong tornadoes and destructive
7:18
winds. We don't like those.
7:19
Those are bad. So these levels help forecast
7:21
the potential for dangerous weather with high numbers
7:24
indicating greater confidence in significant impacts like large
7:27
hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
7:29
And we've all seen the little blurbs pop up in the middle of
7:31
your favorite show. So we all, we all kind of get
7:33
the basics of it right. But I think it's good to kind of
7:36
go a little bit deeper, kind of what they mean and kind of where
7:38
they came from. Well, that's why we're doing
7:39
this today. Love it.
7:41
So why severe weather happens? OK, severe weather is most
7:44
common where we're contrasting air masses meet.
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For example, warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cold
7:51
dry air from Canada, or dry air from the Rocky Mountains.
7:55
When these air masses collide, the atmosphere becomes unstable.
7:59
Adding wind shear and strong lifting winds can make
8:01
conditions become favorable for severe storms.
8:04
So is that also kind of why like when we're in the airplane and
8:06
you get turbulence? I have to believe, yeah, those
8:09
are lifting winds and, and dropping winds, right?
8:13
So sure, yeah. Climate patterns such as El Nino
8:16
and and La Nina can also influence how frequently and
8:21
where severe weather occurs. LA.
8:23
Nina. So let's talk about severe
8:25
weather in Minnesota, all right? We may be known for our lakes,
8:28
cold winters, and maybe some big mosquitoes, but we're also a
8:31
state that experiences A surprising variety of severe
8:34
weather. From tornadoes and ratios to
8:37
massive blizzards, flash floods, wildfires and extreme heat, our
8:41
geographical location places us in the crosshairs of clashing
8:43
air masses, making it one of the more dynamic weather states in
8:47
the nation. OK, wait a minute, wait a
8:48
minute, you said duratio. What the heck is that?
8:51
Duratio, I'm glad you asked. So Duratio DERECHO is a
8:57
widespread, long lived, fast moving, straight lined windstorm
9:01
associated with intense thunderstorms, often called an
9:04
inland hurricane. It can produce a damaging sloth
9:07
extending over 240 to 400 miles with wind gusts of at least 75
9:11
to 100 plus miles an hour, causing destruction similar to
9:15
tornadoes. OK, so straight line winds, why
9:17
didn't you just say that? Cause the ratio.
9:20
I mean, I've never heard that word before.
9:22
Much more fun to say. It is a fun word, but I've never
9:25
heard it. I always hear of straight line
9:26
winds. Ratio.
9:34
Hey, Brian, Hey Rob. We all know that Spring Green
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You know mosquitoes are the official state bird, right?
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10:10
specific to your property, that's Spring dashgreen.com.
10:14
And tell them, oh and one more thing sent you key
10:18
characteristics of a ratio or straight line wins like I like
10:21
to call them. For the simple minded.
10:23
Hey. So unlike tornadoes, damage is
10:27
directed in One Direction, often exceeding 100 miles an hour.
10:30
Average wind speed can be around 58 to 97 miles an hour.
10:34
They often appear as a bow echo. I've heard that before.
10:37
I've seen that. Yeah.
10:38
They always have that on the news, right?
10:39
Yeah. Like a backwards C shape on the
10:42
radar. These storms can last for many
10:44
hours, covering hundreds of miles, Most common in the warm
10:47
season, particularly May through June across the US Midwest and
10:51
South. Yeah.
10:52
I remember there was a big one in Iowa a couple years ago that
10:54
just decimated a whole bunch of talents.
10:56
Yeah, that one was huge. So yeah, ratios are pretty
10:58
dangerous, causing extensive damage to trees, power lines and
11:01
infrastructure, resulting in widespread power outages.
11:05
So but why the odd name de ratio?
11:08
You like that name? I do.
11:09
Well, the term is derived from Spanish, meaning straight.
11:13
Oh, well, that explains. There you go, right?
11:15
Yeah, Minnesota's climate sits at a crossroads.
11:17
Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cold, dry
11:21
air from the Arctic, especially in the spring and summer.
11:23
These clashes fuel thunderstorms that can produce tornadoes,
11:26
hail, damaging wind and flash flooding.
11:29
In winter, Arctic air dominates, leading to a powerful, leading
11:32
to powerful snowstorms and blizzards like the Halloween
11:34
Blizzard of 91 or the foot of snow we got a couple weeks ago.
11:37
Remember that one? Yeah, I was in it, right.
11:40
Yeah. Not not quite the Halloween
11:41
Blizzard, but it was a lot of snow.
11:43
As climate patterns shift globally, some types of severe
11:46
weather such as heat waves, heavy rain events and wildfires
11:49
are becoming more frequent. Frequent or intense?
11:53
Yeah, that is. That's so true though, yes.
11:55
Use your words, Rob. So let's talk a little bit more
11:58
about tornadoes. Tornado.
12:00
That's not as fun as the. Ratio Tornado, tornado, I think
12:04
tornado, tornado. Is that same thing?
12:07
Isn't that a vehicle? I think it's a griller idea to a
12:11
quick trip. Anyway, tornadoes are
12:15
Minnesota's most significant severe threat.
12:18
Minnesota averages about 46 tornadoes per year, based on
12:21
data from the from recent decades.
12:24
In especially active years, the number can soar.
12:27
For example, 83 tornadoes were confirmed in 2022, one of the
12:31
highest totals in recent history.
12:32
Yeah, that's a lot. Tornado season typically runs
12:34
May through August, with June as a peak month statistically for
12:37
tornado occurrence. Over 2000 tornadoes have been
12:41
recorded in Minnesota since 1950, with the state
12:44
experiencing tornadoes in every year of that span.
12:47
Yeah, that's a lot. That is a lot.
12:49
That's a lot. So here's some historic and
12:51
deadly tornado stories. Oh, what are they so some?
12:53
Tornadoes in Minnesota's history are legendary. 1886 the Saint
12:57
Cloud Sauk Rapids outbreak. I clearly remember that the
13:01
deadliest tornado in Minnesota history struck on April 14th,
13:04
1886, tearing through Sauk Rapids and surrounding areas
13:07
with an F4 rating and killing at least 72 people.
13:10
OK, so obviously I don't remember that, but I grew up in
13:13
that area and I did hear about that really folklore.
13:16
So it's been around like, yeah, ever.
13:18
Yes, yeah. Then there's the 1919 Fergus
13:20
Falls tornado. This massive tornado, later
13:23
assessed as a an F5 in intensity, struck on June 22nd,
13:28
1919, killing 57 people and leveling in large parts of the
13:32
town. Wow.
13:33
So we're talking about the F fours and the fives and all
13:35
that, that we didn't really talk about that earlier, but that's
13:37
kind of like the same, the 12345 scale, right?
13:40
The fives are the worst. Right.
13:41
Yeah, we should have mentioned that in the tornado section.
13:43
Yeah, how they rank them, right. Yeah, yeah.
13:46
So in 1883, the Rochester tornado, an F5 strength tornado
13:50
on August 21st, 1883, devastated Rochester and nearby towns,
13:54
killing at least 37 people and injuring hundreds.
13:57
Yeah, and we can't forget about the nineteen O 4 Waconia
14:01
tornado. What we?
14:01
Had a tornado in Waconia. You don't remember that well?
14:04
Well, you weren't alive, but I have heard about it since I
14:07
lived here. Really.
14:08
Yeah. On August 20th, 19 O 4A tornado
14:11
travelled through Waconia, Minneapolis, Saint Paul and
14:13
Stillwater and killed about 14 people.
14:16
Wow. So I mean you are the research
14:17
king and a lot of the others you do, but you missed one in here.
14:20
What did I miss, Rob? The July 1986 tornado that went
14:24
through Fridley. Remember that one?
14:25
I do actually remember that one. Yeah, so this was a big deal
14:28
because at the time, again, local TV station Channel 11, no
14:32
affiliation with me and Paul Douglas, but just happens to
14:35
coincide, their helicopter was in the air filming something,
14:39
some summer event like the Minneapolis Aquatennial or
14:41
something stupid, and a tornado formed.
14:42
So they happen to be in the air and they caught it.
14:44
And I, I remember this. I distinctly remember this.
14:46
I was watching this on TV. They broadcast it live on the
14:48
5:00 news as a tornado was going through.
14:50
Fridley, First time anybody's ever captured tornado from the
14:54
air ever, really. Yeah.
14:55
So it's actually very famous footage that's used in a lot of
15:00
tornado weather classes, tornado classes, that sort of thing.
15:02
But you have the first ones ever to catch it from that point.
15:06
And it didn't necessarily. So there's always been tornado
15:08
chasers. It didn't necessarily start it,
15:09
but it kind of pumped up that craze of chasing tornadoes.
15:12
That was kind of the genesis of it.
15:14
Oh, that's wild. Yeah.
15:15
So kind of a cool story. So along the same lines, when I
15:17
used to work at Best Buy, I was helping and creating the history
15:21
wall. OK, well, if you walk through
15:23
the Best Buy campus, there's a huge history wall and talks
15:25
about the beginnings of Best Buy, which actually started from
15:28
a tornado in 1983. I have heard the story.
15:32
That's kind of their inception, isn't it?
15:33
That's how Best Buy became because first of all, they Sound
15:36
of Music prior to that, if you remember that store and then the
15:39
tornado hit and then he ended up pulling all kinds of product
15:43
into a parking lot in a warehouse area.
15:45
Remember that and created a sale.
15:47
And that was the beginnings of Best Buy I.
15:49
Do remember that, yeah. It's crazy.
15:51
It is crazy. All based on a tornado.
15:52
Now they have like hundreds of thousands of stores are on.
15:55
Not that many. Yeah, hundreds.
15:57
Yes, let's move on. All right, so how does a tornado
16:01
form? Tornado form primarily from
16:04
severe supercell thunderstorms when warm moist air near the
16:07
ground clashes with cold dry air above it, causing instability.
16:10
Nobody likes the clash. Wait a minute, I do like the.
16:14
Clash. I love the clash inside a
16:18
supercell. Winds at different heights blow
16:21
blow at different speeds and directions, a phenomenon called
16:24
wind shear. This creates horizontal spinning
16:27
air. Strong updraft can tilt the
16:29
spinning air vertically, forming a rotating storm structure known
16:32
as a mesocyclone. If the rotation tightens and
16:34
stretches downward, a tornado can form.
16:37
The tornado can last for a few seconds or can go on for miles.
16:40
See, that sounds fascinating too.
16:42
Yeah. Yeah, I think it's.
16:43
Cool with the spinning and then tipping and horizontally and all
16:46
that sort of thing, right? Tornadoes aren't the only storm
16:49
threat. Severe thunderstorms can produce
16:51
widespread damaging winds, giant hail and flashing flash floods.
16:55
Yeah, see, I think I'd almost rather have a tornado than a
16:57
severe thunderstorm because you kind of know where the tornado's
17:00
AT and kind of where it's going. To go if the tornado hits your
17:02
house. You don't want that.
17:03
That, But you know what I'm saying?
17:05
Like you kind of have an idea where like severe thunderstorms,
17:07
like that crap just gets wild and crazy and things come out of
17:10
nowhere. And yeah, to me, they're not
17:12
going to say more damaging, but they can cause more widespread
17:15
damage than a tornado can. Yeah, they can cause a lot of
17:18
trees. Yeah.
17:20
So these types of events have become an important part of
17:22
Minnesota's severe weather landscape, requiring preparation
17:26
beyond just a tornado drill. So a thunderstorm is a storm
17:29
system that produces lightning and Thunder.
17:31
Most thunderstorms form when three key ingredients come
17:33
together. First they need obviously
17:35
moisture, usually from warm humid air near the ground, then
17:39
instability. So warm air rises rapidly
17:41
because it is less dense than cooler air and then needs lift a
17:46
trigger such as a cold front or mountains that forces air
17:48
upward. And since we don't have any
17:50
mountains here, it's usually a cold front.
17:52
So in that moist, warm air rises that cools and condenses into
17:55
clouds. If conditions are right, this
17:57
process builds. Towering Cumulonimbus said that
18:01
right clouds that can produce heavy rain, lightning, strong
18:04
winds and sometimes hail or even tornadoes.
18:07
I had to write the pronunciation in there because for the life of
18:11
me couldn't say it when I was writing it.
18:15
Thunderstorms are common in places where warm and cold air
18:18
masses frequently collide, such as the central United States.
18:21
Oh man, I do like a good thunderstorm, right?
18:23
But the worst? Part of the winds.
18:25
Yeah, I know. Especially if they RIP up your
18:27
nice old trees. And we have a lot of trees in
18:30
our yard, so I'm always picking up sticks.
18:32
Yeah, I know. It's terrible.
18:33
Non-stop. Hey, did you ever count the
18:35
seconds between the lightning and the?
18:37
Thunder. I did.
18:38
And you know where I learned that from?
18:39
First? Where?
18:40
Poltergeist. Oh, you did.
18:41
Do you remember that movie? I remember.
18:43
The movie, but I don't remember that.
18:44
So when the kids freaking out because the thunderstorms
18:46
coming, this is right. This is right for the big tree
18:48
each. Yeah, guys.
18:50
Yeah, yeah. The dad comes in, he's like, oh,
18:51
just count and it it gets farther away, you know, we count
18:54
for five seconds and sevens like it gets farther away than you
18:56
know, and the kid gets all common.
18:57
Also it's like bam right in the room and a big tree comes and
19:00
eats them. Doesn't really eat them, just.
19:03
Yeah, right. So anyway, I looked it up,
19:05
counting the seconds between the lightning flash and the sound of
19:08
the Thunder, which is actually called flash to bang method.
19:12
No, didn't know that. Didn't know that.
19:13
Allows you to estimate how far away the lightning was struck
19:17
because light travels instantly, but sound takes about 5 seconds
19:20
to travel one mile. Dividing the counted seconds by
19:24
5 determines the distance of miles away the lightning struck.
19:26
Oh, OK, so. I didn't know that.
19:29
I always went every, every, every second was a mile.
19:31
I thought that's what it was on the kid.
19:33
But it's 5 seconds is a mile. 5 seconds is a mile.
19:35
That's good to know. So if you hear thunderstorm
19:37
instantly or within one to two seconds, the storm is right on
19:40
top. Of you, right?
19:41
And those usually really loud. That that one, that one scares
19:44
you. That one when you jump, yes.
19:46
Then there's the 32nd rule. If the time is less than 30
19:50
seconds, that the lightning is within about 6 miles, meaning it
19:53
is close enough to strike you and you should take shelter
19:56
immediately. Yeah.
19:57
See, I'm kind of a weapon der in the fact that having a boat to
20:00
being on the lake and if I start to see anything in the horizon
20:03
at all is or clouds, whatever, I'll pop that radar on super
20:06
quick and say is there anything coming because I want to get my
20:09
butt off that lake. Well, yeah, because we all know
20:12
how fast they can. A storm can come up, right?
20:14
You know, and if you're on the water, I don't.
20:16
Near the water and a thunderstorm, so can.
20:18
Get bad. It gets bad quick.
20:19
Yeah, now let's talk about one of our favorite items, Blizzards
20:22
and extreme Winters. Unfortunately, we know that very
20:25
well. Minnesota's winters can be as
20:28
dramatic as its summers. The combination of cold, wind
20:31
and snow can create life threatening conditions.
20:34
Duh, tall. One of the most iconic winter
20:37
storms in state history is the 91 Halloween Blizzard.
20:39
If you ever lived in Minnesota for more than two seconds,
20:41
you've heard about. You've heard about it.
20:43
It's so sudden heavy that pumpkins weren't found until
20:46
spring. We have a a really good friend
20:48
of ours that got married on that weekend.
20:50
Oh, seriously. Yeah.
20:52
And we are all in New Ulm. And then, of course, the storm
20:55
hit and they called the the city snow plows to plow the way to
21:00
the church. Oh God, and they're still
21:02
married today. That's awesome.
21:04
I remember I was, I was working at Target then and we just
21:07
opened the Plymouth store and I had to try and get to work.
21:09
It's only like 4 miles away, but I had to have my dad drive me in
21:12
his in his pickup is 4 by 4 because my car wasn't going
21:15
anywhere and the ruts were so deep on the highway and the road
21:18
that it was like literally driving through potholes for
21:19
four miles really. And by the time I got there it
21:22
was me. And I think this whoever the
21:23
store manager was opening at the time, we're the only two there
21:25
for like the first 3 hours. Like who else could be there?
21:28
Nobody could get there even. But there were some people there
21:30
coming in buying shovels, buying snowmelt.
21:32
I mean, there's come in right when the doors opened.
21:34
Well, that's the. The thing with the the recent
21:36
Blizzard that we just had a few weeks ago when we had to go to
21:39
church, so we dugout to go to go to church and on our way home
21:41
was like, I gotta stop at ALDI, you know?
21:44
I was the only person. In all day and the one person
21:47
working there yeah, we we went. Shopping the day before on
21:50
Saturday, and it was a shit show that everybody in the town was
21:53
there. It was.
21:53
Yeah, insane. But anyway, historical records
21:55
also note blizzards with deadly impacts, such as storm systems
21:58
in the mid 1960s and earlier that dumped feet of snow and
22:02
brought winds exceeding hurricane strengths.
22:04
That's crazy. You know, it's funny also about
22:05
the storms in the 60s. It was always 10 feet of snow
22:08
and you always had to walk uphill to school both ways.
22:12
Yeah, it was a sad childhood, wasn't it?
22:14
It was. Blizzards are defined not just
22:16
by snowfall, but by winds over 35 miles an hour and extremely
22:20
reduced visibility, conditions that occur most winters on the
22:24
open plains of Minnesota. You know when I really like a.
22:26
Good Blizzard, you're going to say.
22:29
Dairy Queen. Dairy Queen in the summer.
22:32
Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard. Oh my God.
22:35
We given there's so many plugs so far I know a Minnesota.
22:38
Winter can begin innocently in November, where everyone says
22:41
this isn't so bad as light, fluffy snows falls like powdered
22:44
sugar. By January, that powdered sugar
22:46
has turned to an endless white lasagna, ice, snow banks, and
22:50
mysterious Gray slush. It somehow ends up inside your
22:52
shoes. Do you like how I wrote that?
22:54
I do like I hear As for the cold, it doesn't just arrive, it
22:59
settles in like a it signed a lease temperatures dip so low
23:02
that 0 feels pretty decent and you'll hear the locals say
23:07
things like at least it's a dry cold while their eyelashes are
23:11
literally freezing together. I mean, really, you get to a.
23:14
Point where it just, it just doesn't matter.
23:16
It doesn't anything. Under 0, it's all the same.
23:18
It's all the same. Yeah.
23:19
So it. Becomes less of a weather event
23:21
and more like a lifestyle. You don't dry if you navigate
23:24
because you can't see the damn Rd. anyway.
23:26
You don't walk, You carefully shuffle like a Penguin.
23:28
It's called the Minnesota Shuffle, but you have to.
23:31
You're falling your ass. That's right.
23:33
And yet, there's something magical about it.
23:35
The world glows under fresh snow.
23:37
Lakes freeze into temporary highways and communities of fish
23:41
houses. Strangers bond over jumper
23:44
cables and spring finally arrives.
23:47
Minnesotans greet 45°F sunshine like they've never survived A
23:52
heroic saga. Which, honestly, we have.
23:54
Yes, we have. And you know, 45 in March and 45
23:58
in October are two totally different temperatures, totally
24:01
different. Right yeah 1 is a sweatshirt and
24:03
get your coat on and one is put your shorts and T-shirts exactly
24:06
right. Yeah, a Minnesota.
24:07
Winter doesn't just chill you, it builds character.
24:10
That's what I hear, yeah. Do you ever hear a?
24:11
Thunderstorm. Oh yeah.
24:13
You know, if you hear Thunder snow, that it is coming down.
24:16
That's inches at a time. Yeah, our latest snowstorm.
24:18
They were. Just talking about that and it's
24:20
basically 2 inches an hour. If you get thunderstorm, 2
24:22
inches an hour. Did we have?
24:23
AI don't know if we had thunderstorm, we didn't.
24:25
They did down. Near Rochester, OK where they
24:28
got. More they got walled by like a
24:29
foot. And a half, 2 feet of snow and
24:30
that and that storm that came, right?
24:31
So yeah, but there was lots of thunderstorm, OK yeah.
24:34
Good times, good times. So lastly, other severe weather
24:36
hazards to remember. So beyond tornadoes and
24:38
blizzards, Minnesota faces a range of other extremes, like
24:42
flooding. Heavy spring rains and rapid
24:44
snowmel can cause rivers overflow, affecting river towns
24:47
and rural farmland. Many counties keep detailed
24:50
records of flash flooding triggered by thunderstorms and
24:52
seasonal changes. Yeah, I don't know.
24:54
I don't want to be. In a flash flood that's pretty
24:56
that's crazy bad so I. Always remember driving from.
24:59
So we lived on the north side of the Minnesota River.
25:01
We'd always drive down to either Valley Fair or the Minnesota Zoo
25:03
or whatever. We'd have to cross the river in
25:05
Shakopee. Yeah.
25:06
And this is before they built the new fancy bridge.
25:08
It's it's way high. It used to be a little low
25:10
bridge, right? And there's little signs that
25:12
said here's the flood of 1965 and yeah, yeah, it was always
25:16
way above your car. I'm like, dude, that is not
25:18
possible. It's true.
25:19
It's. True, because the.
25:20
Couple years ago we had a huge flood and it was up that damn
25:23
sign. Yeah.
25:24
Where they? Where they?
25:24
Pull in the man made dikes to yeah, block off Chaska, the
25:28
town? Yeah, pretty much.
25:29
Yeah. I'm tired.
25:30
Like you can't get across the river and it's, yeah, it's
25:32
pretty bad. I used to live in Mankato.
25:34
And I don't remember specifically as before I lived
25:37
there, but when you when you live there, you hear about these
25:39
stories and there was that type of flood.
25:41
It maybe it was 65, the flood anyway, the Minnesota River goes
25:46
through Mankato and it had flooded the lower Mankato area
25:51
so badly that it actually rerouted the river really and
25:56
so. There was a chunk.
25:56
Of there's a town called North Mankato and Mankato, and so the
26:00
North Mankato is always up on the hill.
26:02
Well, they claimed that section of land when the river rerouted
26:06
and so claimed. Yeah, it was interesting.
26:08
Yeah. It's it's an interesting story.
26:10
That's kind of cool. Yeah.
26:11
So then there's also also. Wildfires In recent years,
26:14
unusually hot, dry periods have fueled significant wildfire
26:18
activity, especially in northern Minnesota forests.
26:21
In 2025, multiple large fires burned 10s of thousands of
26:26
acres, prompting air quality alerts and National Guard
26:29
involvement. I thought that was all Canada's
26:31
fault. No it.
26:32
Wasn't all can all cans although.
26:34
I do remember we we did get a lot of the smoke from the
26:36
Canadian Wild. Yeah, we did.
26:38
Yeah, there were times. Where you you couldn't go
26:39
outside and it burns your eyes, it burns.
26:41
Your eyes and it, yeah. Hurts your lungs and if you.
26:44
At all breathing impaired with, you know, having allergies
26:46
things it's really hardly really tough.
26:48
I did, you remember? During one of the time, was it
26:51
last summer? In the summer, it doesn't
26:52
matter. And like within the last couple
26:53
of years, a really hazy, smoky day, Canadian wildfires, and I
26:58
was out mowing. I'm like, whatever, I'm going to
27:00
mow. And seriously, by the time I got
27:01
done, I came inside, I thought I was going to pass out.
27:03
Really. Like, I had a hard time
27:05
breathing and I just felt so faint and light headed and like
27:07
that dude, that shit's real. Wow.
27:09
Yeah, it's crazy. Extreme heat.
27:11
And severe hail. So summer heat waves can bring
27:13
temperatures well above 95°, increasing stress on people,
27:16
agriculture and infrastructure. Severe thunderstorms can also
27:19
unleash hailstones the size of baseballs and sometimes larger.
27:23
Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah, that's what I freak.
27:25
I mean the car, I think 85. Degrees is hot.
27:30
That's nothing we. Were down in Arizona during the
27:32
summer a couple years ago. It was 117 out.
27:34
A good day. Yeah, No, I don't.
27:35
Want to be there. I don't want to do that dry
27:37
heat. No, it's not hot is.
27:39
Hot. Exactly don't.
27:41
Care So one thing about hail is like last year when we had, I
27:44
don't know, the biggest storm we had come through the area.
27:48
Did you get hit with hail? It was funny.
27:51
I I distinctly remember. This so we, yeah, we got a very
27:54
little hail, but it wasn't that bad.
27:55
Like we just got a little bit here and there and it didn't do
27:57
any damage at all. But you guys who are South of us
28:00
by what does? Maybe a mile, maybe a mile if if
28:03
we're lucky. If you guys got pounded, yeah, I
28:05
had quarter. Sized hail.
28:06
Yeah, and we're in the basement, of course, you know, big storm
28:09
and we opened up the window and I grabbed some hail from
28:11
outside, you know, and put it in my in my palm and put 1/4 next
28:15
to took a picture. I mean it was big.
28:16
I thought that's big hail. Yeah, it's not obviously a
28:19
baseball sized hail. Sure, but did you get a new roof
28:21
out of that? No, but the storm.
28:23
Chasers. Oh my God, they were intense.
28:26
They were. Terrible.
28:27
So after the storm had passed, we only got one that day, OK.
28:31
The next day, we had I think 30 people at our door.
28:35
Onslaught. Yeah, yeah.
28:37
I finally put a. Sign up at the door to go away.
28:39
It's funny our our contract. Contractor friend Jeff Hoxie put
28:42
a sign in his door. Yeah, we have a contractor.
28:47
Did you ever see the the Mythbusters episode when they
28:49
dropped the pennies from the IDs building?
28:52
It's kind of like, you know, if you get struck by small hail,
28:56
it's like that sting, It's not, that's not going to kill you.
28:58
It's going to stink. But you always heard that if
29:00
you're dropping a penny, you'll kill somebody.
29:03
So they did a whole episode on on that where they went up in a
29:06
helicopter the height of this Empire State Building and
29:09
dropped pennies on a person. And it's just stung like, like
29:12
little bee stings. Well, yes, that's how I think,
29:14
because they're so light. Not getting the terminal
29:16
velocity from a penny. Right?
29:18
Right. Not from a penny.
29:19
Yeah, I thought that was so fascinating.
29:21
I thought it had something to do with, you know, hail stinging
29:23
you. I don't necessarily remember
29:24
that episode. But I do remember in physics we
29:27
would have to build a box. I would hold an egg.
29:30
We had to drop off the roof of the school.
29:31
Yeah. And did your survive?
29:33
God no. No.
29:35
So. Physics is not your deal, no no.
29:38
I also podcast not a physicist. Are you kidding me?
29:43
So. After all of this, preparation
29:44
and awareness are vital. That's why we only dedicate 1
29:48
short week out of the year to prepare you for all this.
29:50
Right? That's.
29:51
All we need, that's all we need, is the Minnesotans, right?
29:54
So severe. Weather awareness is next week,
29:55
so every spring. Yep.
29:57
And then annual statewide tornado drills.
29:58
So they test the sirens and response plans, ensuring that
30:01
residents know where to shelter and how to respond when warnings
30:03
sound. So do you do anything?
30:05
When you hear that, all I do is realize it's the first Wednesday
30:08
of the month. OK, so it is.
30:09
And did you know? That that is not intended to
30:12
warn you inside your house that there's a tornado coming?
30:15
What? What's the for then if?
30:17
You're outside if you're outside.
30:18
To get in the house. Basically, just to warn you,
30:20
there's something on. The way that's.
30:21
Yeah, that's what it's for. Oh, interesting.
30:23
You're not supposed to be able to hear it from inside your
30:24
house. It's not designed for that.
30:26
Oh well, I can, yeah. And it's kind of funny.
30:28
Because they're somewhat somewhat outdated because
30:31
everybody has a cell phone in their hand now.
30:32
I mean, just your phone's going to go off and this.
30:34
Yeah. So the tornado is.
30:37
Sirens going off, your phone's going off and you're like,
30:39
what's going on? I always hate the ones at 3:00
30:41
in the morning. Then your phone is blaring.
30:45
Fly out of bed, fly out. Of bed we're.
30:47
Out on Get downstairs. It's like, do you remember to
30:51
grab your keys, your wallet, only the things that you're that
30:53
you need? No, no.
30:55
Why would so? Your house gets taken away and
30:57
so. Does all your stuff.
30:59
Exactly. So I think I had enough of this
31:01
weather talk. How about you?
31:02
I I think so. Bring on the sunshine.
31:03
I need a tan, right? God as always, please follow us
31:07
on the socials at 011 more thing pod on Facebook and Instagram
31:10
for highlights and news of our upcoming shows.
31:12
And if you have a show idea for. Us or just want to give us some
31:14
feedback. Shoot us an e-mail to 011 more
31:17
thing pod@gmail.com. We would absolutely love to hear
31:20
from you. Plus we still have some
31:21
merchandise. T-shirts and caps.
31:23
If you're interested, just send us an e-mail.
31:25
Oh, and one more thing. Severe.
31:27
Weather isn't just data, it's part of Minnesota's cultural
31:29
memory. Stories of watching green skies
31:31
turn, ominous neighbors opening basements to offer shelter, or
31:35
communities is rebuilding after ruin are embedded in local lore.
31:39
Weather events become part of our schools curriculum, local
31:41
museums, exhibits and family histories passed down through
31:43
generations. Whether it's recalling the
31:46
pounding snow of a Halloween Blizzard of 1991 or the sky
31:49
splitting roar of a tornado, these experiences shape how
31:52
Minnesotans see the world around us.
31:54
So as climate trends evolve, keep an eye in the sky, stay
31:57
informed, and be prepared to take shelter for that next big
32:00
storm. There will be another one coming
32:01
there. Will absolutely bye.
32:03
Everybody, bye. I see you.
32:05
Did you hear that that? That wasn't Thunder, that was my
32:07
stomach.