Clipper southwest; tracking Minnesota’s warming lakes

They're called Alberta clippers. These speedy weather systems sail southeast from the Canadian province of Alberta, pushed along by jet stream winds usually at speeds of 35 to 50-plus mph.

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They hit quickly, drop a blast of snow and then leave quickly. They gain their names as tribute to the speedy clipper ships of the past. The sudden snowy dustings are usually good for 1 to 3 inches of powder in winter.

Today's clipper tracks on a more westerly route, with a quick-hitting coating of snow for southwest Minnesota.

As quick as it arrives, it's sails off into Iowa and beyond.

Cold, snow and a thaw

That's the forecast in a nutshell. We bottom out Saturday morning at about -8 in the Twin Cities metro core, and teens below in the outer suburbs. Northeast Minnesota my push -40 Saturday morning.

Sunday's snow chances look good for at least a couple of inches, but nothing nearly as heavy as last week's dumping. The thaw kicks in next week, a string of days in the 30s.

Minnesota lakes warming faster than expected

It's not your imagination. Your favorite lake is changing quickly as climate warms in Minnesota.

On Jan.14 I talked with University of Minnesota-Duluth lake researcher Jay Austin about a new study on MPR's Climate Cast showing lakes are warming faster than expected.

Last night KARE 11 did an excellent piece on why Minnesota's lakes are warming faster than the air around us as climate shifts. It's a surprising finding, and illustrates just how sensitive the Land of 10,000 Lakes is to even subtle climate shifts.

Here's an eye opening story from KARE 11 reporter Greg Vandegrift.

“Lake Superior was a clear winner, I guess,” says Dr. Catherine O’Reilly of Illinois State University.

O’Reilly is the lead author of a five-year study of 235 lakes, which examined summer surface water temperature data over 25 years.  The study found that lakes on average are warming .61 F per decade.

“If you were just to do this from a straight up theoretical, physical standpoint, lakes shouldn’t be warming up this rapidly,” O’Reilly says.

The study found a strong link between rising air temperatures and warming lakes. In fact, according to O’Reilly, most lakes are warming faster than the ocean or atmosphere.

“The fact that they’re warming up so quickly was really kind of shocking,” O’Reilly says

Pentagon: War gaming climate change

You know climate change is on the radar of the U.S. military when they start war gaming out the consequences of climate change. Climate shifts have had sudden and dramatic consequences historically. Why not expect and plan for that going forward?

Here's a thought provoking piece from Climate Home.

US military planners have been ordered to war game climate change scenarios, focusing on “geopolitical and socioeconomic instability” linked to extreme weather.

A new directive says forces need to undertake joint training exercises with allies to “enhance capacity” and “improve tactics” for tackling impacts linked to global warming.

“Mission planning and execution must include identification and assessment of the effects of climate change on the DoD [department of defence] mission,” it reads.

Under DOD DIRECTIVE 4715.21 chiefs of staff, equipment buyers and health advisers will need to integrate climate change into any new purchases, missions or infrastructure plans.

In 2014 chiefs of staff said it was “overwhelmingly clear” that climate change posed a security risk to the country.