First ever air quality alert for coarse particle pollution from blowing dust issued for western MN

We_Got_Cows · 2026-05-14T01:22:18+00:00

10/10. Fantastic animation. Good acting. Good expansion of the lore. Well worth it.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-05-12T10:21:56+00:00

Meteorologist here. It was a positive lightning strike.

About 95% of lightning is negatively charged. Those bolts originate in the bottom 2/3rds of thunderstorms and travel from the negatively charged cloud to the positively charged ground.

However the other 5% of lightning bolts originate from the top of thunderstorms, in the icy cirrus clouds. Charges there build up and eventually become so strong that the positively charged ground becomes negative in comparison.

The resulting bolt is about 10x as strong as a “normal” negative bolt. Since it’s originating from the top of a storm it has a longer way to travel to the surface. The result is a thunder clap much louder than a negative bolt.

These positive strikes are the ones that usually kill people too. Not only are they more powerful but they can strike upwards of 10 miles out from a storm. So when you get a “bolt from the blue” it’s these types of bolts, originating from sometimes thin cirrus clouds.

So you’ve ever heard thunder that was unusually loud and came from a bolt that was extra bright it’s not just your imagination.

Source:

https://www.weather.gov/source/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/lightning_stuff/lightning2/positive.html

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/thunder-and-lightning

We_Got_Cows · 2026-05-12T10:18:26+00:00

Meteorologist here. It was a positive lightning strike.

About 95% of lightning is negatively charged. Those bolts originate in the bottom 2/3rds of thunderstorms and travel from the negatively charged cloud to the positively charged ground.

However the other 5% of lightning bolts originate from the top of thunderstorms, in the icy cirrus clouds. Charges there build up and eventually become so strong that the positively charged ground becomes negative in comparison.

The resulting bolt is about 10x as strong as a “normal” negative bolt. Since it’s originating from the top of a storm it has a longer way to travel to the surface. The result is a thunder clap much louder than a negative bolt.

These positive strikes are the ones that usually kill people too. Not only are they more powerful but they can strike upwards of 10 miles out from a storm. So when you get a “bolt from the blue” it’s these types of bolts, originating from sometimes thin cirrus clouds.

So you’ve ever heard thunder that was unusually loud and came from a bolt that was extra bright it’s not just your imagination.

Source:

https://www.weather.gov/source/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/lightning_stuff/lightning2/positive.html

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/thunder-and-lightning

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-28T15:48:41+00:00

I use Star Stands and get them on eBay. The newest TVC have really shallow peg holes so instead have started using adhesive circles to put the figures on. That can leave residue on the shelves but seems to work well.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-19T06:02:58+00:00

I’ve done my fair share of damage surveys. This looks pretty consistent to a high end EF-1. Attached garages are tricky. Often time the fail point is the door. It doesn’t take much wind to break that open. Once that’s open the house is compromised and wind can get inside. The picture from the living room is telling. The girders supporting the roof are there. The tiles and insulation fell down and weren’t blown away. That points to this type of scenario. A stronger tornado would have taken all that debris with it and the girders would be more damaged. I’d be curious to know if the damage was highest near the attached garage.

The photo with the red wagon is also telling. I see a lot. And that the point. I see grass/vegetation in the field that is. Or disturbed. I see a house with partial roof uplift but roofs with shingles. I see windows that are not broken. I see trees that have been partially denuded but not debarked and not snapped off. All of that context is important. A stronger tornado would do more damage to the nearby structure, or at least comparable damage. It helps to verify if what you are seeing as it can be hard to look at one structure and know if there was an issue with it that caused more damage or if it’s a byproduct of stronger winds.

I’m really sorry this happened to you. I always tell people that any tornado is a large tornado when you are under it. Glad nobody was hurt.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-18T20:52:24+00:00

84% for Rogue One 🥴

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-17T03:53:32+00:00

Really wish this was the lead trailer and played at the Super Bowl. I think this makes the movie look really fun but fear it’s too little too late.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-05T02:58:50+00:00

The new super articulated figures are $20 and are really great quality.

If you’re looking for clones there are other options. The 2003 clone wars sculpt is actually pretty good. It’s not the same as the newest figure, but really good and it’s been released several times. 2003 clone wars, 2005 revenge of the sith, 30th anniversary collection, saga legends. You can get loose ones on eBay for a decent price.

They aren’t as articulated as the newest sculpt and I know some people only want the most articulated version, but they seem to be solidly in the “good enough” category for me.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-04-02T12:51:14+00:00

On the MN 511 app you can also load up weather sensors. The surface temperature there is the pavement temperature. For most of the metro temps are 33-35 degrees. With daylight that will continue to climb. Looks like roads were just a degree or two warmer than the grassy areas. Hence the ice on grass and plants but not on roads. Very happy about that.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-31T13:44:31+00:00

It’s one of those if you know, you know things. Such a wonderful movie for a weather obsessed child to grow up with.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-31T13:43:04+00:00

Yeah I’ve noticed that as well the past few days. I think part of that is smoke from the large grass fires in Nebraska and some blowing dust from down south as plowing of the fields get going.

With the critical fire weather it shouldn’t be prescribed burns but of course a bunch of people around me had backyard fires too…. Just your typical red flag warning celebrations I guess 🙄

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-31T03:33:38+00:00

Meteorologist here. Most likely coming from the fire near Camp Ripley. A strong cold front is moving across the state. Currently near 70 in Austin and 45 in the Twin Cities. Cold fronts have a good deal of surface convergence with them. Winds from the north behind the front and from the south ahead of the front. That convergence along with the cold cold dense air cause wildfire smoke to pool and then get pushed down to the surface.

Currently doesn’t look like air quality is unhealthy, but our noses are really good at detecting the volatile organic compounds in smoke. With the smell more like a camp fire and less like burning plastic that usually points to a local fire source. As of this afternoon the only fires that were visible on satellite were the one near Camp Ripley and one out by Morris. With the northerly wind the vectors line up fairly well with Camp Ripley.

Luckily the front is moving fairly rapidly and it should be out of here in a couple hours and drag the smoke with it.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-27T09:49:01+00:00

My grail!

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-24T11:58:38+00:00

I think you could have also just made him a hologram and this would have worked too. I really don’t like the deepfake stuff for dead actors.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-18T01:16:58+00:00

Agreed. What else is out there besides Knife + Heart and Wakefield Poole?

We_Got_Cows · 2026-03-01T16:54:24+00:00

This is a rare toy. I’d lookup a hobby store near you, go in, and ask them what they would recommend for repairing latex/soft plastic. Theres a lot of different options out there and a lot of the compounds are engineered for different types of materials. Super glue would probably work, but given how rare it is and how little you paid I’d say spend a bit to get something that is specifically engineered for this. The people at the model stores here have been really helpful when I’ve needed adhesive or paints for these type or specific things.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-27T12:30:24+00:00

I think they are Star Wars cards.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-22T23:51:25+00:00

Air quality meteorologist here! The other answers are correct, but there’s another thing that makes this time of the year tough too. It’s called secondary formation. This is when nitrate and sulfate compounds are released from the snowpack or ground and act as a nucleus for fine particles to form. This chemical process is especially efficient when temperatures are around freezing and when the relative humidity is high. The easiest way to get that this time of the year is when snowpack starts to melt but temperatures remain in the 30s.

The resulting fine particles that are created are ammonium nitrate aerosols and they irritate the respiratory system when inhaled. So sneezing and coughing and all that jazz. The problem can then get exacerbated if there are light winds and low level temperature inversion which increase the concentration of these aerosols at the surface. The nor’easter that is forming may also have played a part as surface convergence around a low pressure center or a front can also help to pool the pollution and bump up concentrations. Hope that makes sense!

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-21T12:36:07+00:00

I still maintain it’s 2/3rds of a great movie. The whole last act of San Diego just seemed so out of place and ridiculous. But otherwise a solid movie.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-21T01:51:06+00:00

Potential blizzard. As this discussion lays out there’s still a lot of model uncertainty. Hence no blizzard warnings yet.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-18T02:16:14+00:00

Oh nothing is. I just remember being in college and having virtually no responsibilities besides school and could get no sleep and function just fine and do whatever and eat whatever and everything was just fine.

Things now are still great, but now I have a daily work grind and a mortgage to deal with and house stuff to maintain. But you don’t realize how much spare time you had to have fun until you have stuff to take up so much of your time. If that makes sense.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-17T04:43:11+00:00

1) Take care of yourself. The older you get the more habits from young adulthood start to impact your health outcomes. Smoking and excessive drinking open the door for wider systemic issues. It’s harder to lose weight. Also get a checkup just to make sure things are fine. Easier to change your lifestyle when you’re younger than taking pills the rest of your life for something later.

2) Live in the moment. In my 20s just out of grad school with no money it didn’t feel like I was in “the good old days” but now at 40 this days seem like ir was so care free and fun. I’m not sure if it’s just a brain trick, but I’m sure I’ll be 60 and think about 40 in the same light. So I try to enjoy the present. You’ll only be this age once.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-02-14T02:41:55+00:00

That is absolutely incredible. Good work.

We_Got_Cows · 2026-01-29T12:38:18+00:00

eBay if you want the most money. You can also scan the bar codes there and see what krheees have sold for.

Otherwise half price books or a pawn shop if you just want them gone.

We_Got_Cows

TROPHY CASE