MSP Doppler radar down for three weeks, DNR fish cam up and running
Duluth National Weather Service Doppler already getting upgrade, MSP upgrade begins Sept. 9
Doppler radars in Minnesota are getting a major upgrade. The pedestal that makes the radar spin will be replaced. This project is a major undertaking, and will help extend the life of the radars into the 2030s.
Here’s a time-lapse look at the process on the Doppler radar in Pendelton, Ore.
Here are more details from the Twin Cities National Weather Service.
The Duluth NWS Doppler upgrade is already in progress this week. The Twin Cities NWS Doppler is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9 and last about three weeks.
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We can still get severe weather in September in these parts. Here are the are backup options available to the Twin Cities NWS.
During the outage, radar coverage is available from adjacent radar sites including Duluth, MN; La Crosse, WI; Des Moines, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; Aberdeen, SD; Grand Forks, ND; and the Minneapolis Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TMSP TDWR).
A fair forecast
The weather still looks ideal for the first few days of the Minnesota State Fair. Plenty of sun, dry skies and highs in the 70s through Saturday should make for an excellent opening three days for fairgoers. In fact, highs in the 70s appear to be the rule until further notice.
MN DNR fish cam active
Say hello to yet another distraction at work for the next 12 days. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fish cam is up and running at the fish pond.
Now you can serenely perch in front of your computer screen if your boss is carping at you. Gar-anteed free entertainment. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I love the DNR fish pond. Never miss a chance to visit when I’m at the fair. But somehow the fish pond makes me think just how weird it is to be Minnesotan.
Here in Minnesota, we endure a seemingly endless winter that often lasts into April. Then we pack a million events into a fleeting summer. We go up north. We may go out west — or east. Family picnic? Then at the end of summer we all stand around a giant fish pond and look at the fish that have been swimming around us in the lakes all summer. Try explaining that to an outsider, and watch the twisted look on their face.
Welcome to Minnesota.