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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Dorian's incredible wrath; Minnesota nice

Dorian stalled in the worst spot for Bahamas

Smashed buildings remain in the wake of Hurricane Dorian
In this handout aerial photo provided by the HeadKnowles Foundation, damage is seen from Hurricane Dorian on Abaco Island on September 3, 2019 in the Bahamas. The massive, slow-moving hurricane which devastated parts of the Bahamas with Category 5 force winds and heavy rains is expected to now head northwest and travel parallel to Florida's eastern coast, according to the National Weather Service.
HeadKnowles Foundation | Getty Images

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The images from Hurricane Dorian’s Bahamas destruction are hard to process. A Category 5 storm stalled over the same islands for two days is the stuff of nightmares for meteorologists and residents of the low-lying islands.

The Abaco Islands show us what a direct hit from the eyewall of a Cateogry 5 hurricane looks like.

Dorian is the worst hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas by many measures. The storm is over. But the catastrophe is only beginning as residents now try and live in a a place where infrastructure is wiped out.

Dorian’s inland storm surge was so deep that one resident described the eastern part of Great Bahama Island as a lake. Freshwater resources have been contaminated by seawater from the storm surge. Freshwater now becomes a major challenge for the island.

Stalled storms, big trouble

Dorian parked over Grand Bahama for nearly 24 hours. That’s 24 hours of battering wind and storm surge-driven waves. Dorian’s storm surge reached the second floor on many homes on Grand Bahama.

Dorian is the slowest moving hurricane on record in the Atlantic. And the trend is that hurricanes are slowing down.

Incredible accumulated cyclone energy

So, how do we put Dorian’s strength in perspective? Dorian has released more energy than nine full Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Minnesota nice

Meanwhile in Minnesota we enjoy a spectacular early September day. Light winds and highs near 70 Wednesday give way to more 70s this week in the Twin Cities. Right now the weekend looks cooler and potentially showery.

NOAA temperature forecast for Minneapolis
Temperature forecast for Minneapolis
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Weather Bell

Labor Day tornado

That incredibly ferocious storm Labor Day night was almost like a choreographed end to summer in Minnesota. I have never seen lighting like that and heard thunder tearing across the sky here at the Weather Lab.

The system produced a tornado that was on the ground for 3.5 miles across the Carver County-Hennepin County line.

The damage swath passed just north of Timber Creek Golf Course and Whaletail Lake, lifting just before the city of Mound.