When the Weather Outside is Frightful: The Science Behind the Weather and How to Stay Safe

Thursday Nov. 12, 2009
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Great Lakes Aquarium
Cost: FREE

Anyone who has lived in the Northland can tell stories about the crazy and unpredictable weather. The Halloween Blizzard of 91′ will forever be a part of our memories! And everyone knows to always keep an extra jacket in the car just in case that wind switches off the lake. Due to its continental climate and close proximity to Lake Superior, the Northland experiences a wide variety of severe and hazardous weather during all seasons of the year.

The November ‘Voices of the Lake Speaker Series’ at Great Lakes Aquarium will feature Dan Miller, Science and Operations Officer from the National Weather Service. This presentation will explain some of the science behind hazardous weather events, including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning, and severe winter weather phenomena including heavy snow, freezing rain and bitter cold temperatures. In addition, Dan will also talk about the influence of Lake Superior on the region’s weather and the infamous “Gales of November”, with a short examination of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy within the context of modern science and technology. Finally, information on space weather and the northern lights (or aurora borealis) will be presented along with time for questions and discussion.

This is a FREE event and open to the public. For more information on the event please contact Sara Kubarek at [email protected] or 218-740-2013.

4 Comments

Bennie

about 15 years ago

This pic reminds me of the great '91 Halloween Blizzard.  That's one I will tell my grandkids, like my grandpa used to tell me stories about the "Great Armistice Day Blizzard of 19--" (whatever year it was).

It would be kind of cool to have a whizbang blizzard like that again.  It's been awhile.

wildgoose

about 15 years ago

Agreed.

Closest two are when we get two storms hitting within that same day or couple of days as in winter of 2003-04 when there was the highest or maybe 2nd highest snowfall in 24 hours.  I was at CSS then and had to figure out how to manage clearing quite a few hundred parking spaces without disrupting campus life too much - twice -  And then same or similar in winter of 07-08 (or was that 06-07) I was snowbound at home with the Indiana Jones Trilogy with my oldest kid and plenty of food, no worries. That was a fun storm.

zra

about 15 years ago

@ goose: '06 - '07. 

we were still living on E 7th, and tamara shot a really neat vid of the snow falling set to some Low tune out the big window upstairs. i snowshoed to work.

TimK

about 15 years ago

March of '85 was a REAL shut-the-town-down blizzard. I remember three of us having to hang on to each other to go a half a block down the street. After the emergency routes were plowed, my buddy Chris twisted his ankle on the top of a parking meter on Superior Street!

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