Minnesotans for Global Warming has to be the hottest political groups in the Twin Cities. They jokingly ask people to stop breathing since we contribute to CO2 the global emissions.

I had the good fortune of meeting the brains behind M4GW this past weekend.  Check out their blog.

There are cell phone shortcuts you can use to bypass the greeting and start recording a message immediately. All you need to know is which carrier is used by the person you are calling.

If you call anyone on AT&T or T-Mobile, press the “#” button. For Verizon, press the “*” button, and use the “1” when calling anyone on Sprint.

from The Selling Sherpa (google search result)

“7″ also works for AT&T, which is my carrier. I’ll have to try ‘#’.

You may be able to use similar shortcuts on business phone systems.

And now, some LOL cats on the phone.

Which reminds me, I can’t wait for the movie Get Smart to come out (June 20th). A throwback to the awesome Get Smart television series from the late 60s (created by Mel Brooks).

Also, Watertown, SD, received 19″ of snow yesterday – the new all time record for one calendar day snowfall. It snowed last night and most of the morning here, but no accumulation, just windy and chilly at 40 F. It’s supposed to get down to 27 tonight!

This is not ‘Nam. There are rules.

Chillin’

Are Minnesotans ready to move south?  This poll on the local Fox news station shows that over half of the participants are “already gone” or “wearing thin.”

Here are some reports from the thunder snow Thursday night:

Fargo, ND:  The most common foods picked up as the snow began to accumulate Thursday?
Milk, eggs, bread, meat, chips and canned goods.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=25923&section=news

I still can’t understand the logic behind buying milk, eggs and meat…

A little smarter shoppers in Duluth, MN:  Residents were prepared for the storm as local grocery stores saw a spike in sales Thursday night. Extra batteries, bread and water were the hot items.
The Duluth area is virtually shut down from the storm where winds up to 60 mph and heavy wet snow caused periodic power outages.
The weather conditions are so bad in Duluth all the plows have been forced off the roads.
Nearly every school in the area is closed and workers are being told not to come in Friday.
So far the snow accumulation has been minimal but high winds have forced power outages that caused television stations to become radio stations as voices can be heard but no pictures could be seen.
http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=507679

The National Weather Service reports that 6.6 inches of snow had fallen at Duluth International Airport by 6:30 a.m. today. Another 5 to 6 inches are expected by Saturday morning.
Snowfall totals have been considerably less than predicted because of stubbornly dry air being pushed into the area by the strong winds.
While snowfall has been less than forecast, the wind is everything officials said it would be. A peak wind gust of 62 mph was reported at the airport shortly before 6 a.m. The strong winds have resulted in downed trees and power lines.
Waves of up to 16 feet are predicted on Lake Superior.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=64182&section=homepage

Fargo, ND: The most common foods picked up as the snow began to accumulate Thursday?
Milk, eggs, bread, meat, chips and canned goods.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=25923&section=news

I still can’t understand the logic behind buying milk, eggs and meat…

A little smarter shoppers in Duluth, MN: Residents were prepared for the storm as local grocery stores saw a spike in sales Thursday night. Extra batteries, bread and water were the hot items.
The Duluth area is virtually shut down from the storm where winds up to 60 mph and heavy wet snow caused periodic power outages.
The weather conditions are so bad in Duluth all the plows have been forced off the roads.
Nearly every school in the area is closed and workers are being told not to come in Friday.
So far the snow accumulation has been minimal but high winds have forced power outages that caused television stations to become radio stations as voices can be heard but no pictures could be seen.
http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=507679

The National Weather Service reports that 6.6 inches of snow had fallen at Duluth International Airport by 6:30 a.m. today. Another 5 to 6 inches are expected by Saturday morning.
Snowfall totals have been considerably less than predicted because of stubbornly dry air being pushed into the area by the strong winds.
While snowfall has been less than forecast, the wind is everything officials said it would be. A peak wind gust of 62 mph was reported at the airport shortly before 6 a.m. The strong winds have resulted in downed trees and power lines.
Waves of up to 16 feet are predicted on Lake Superior.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=64182&section=homepage

Duluth reports:
8:07 a.m.: Two semi-trailers have completely blocked northbound Interstate 35 near Midway Road, according to Minnesota State Patrol. The dispatcher did not know when that area would be opened again.
7:33 a.m.: As the morning drive began, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said roads are so bad that if you can, stay home.
There are numerous semis and cars stuck in ditches along highways across the area, according to MnDOT spokesman John Bray, even though he said plows have been running non-stop since the snow started to fall.
“We’re advising no driving,” he said. “If I was able to, I’d go to the highest pinnacle in Duluth yelling for people to use common sense.”
Bray said that none of the roads are closed — but that’s more because MnDOT doesn’t have the ability to close them.
7:28 a.m.: The snow and wind got so bad overnight that Duluth pulled its plows off the road around 4:45 a.m., said city spokesman Jeff Papas. Plow drivers went back to work around 6:45 a.m. today, when the sun came up and visibility returned.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=64179&section=None

St. Cloud, MN:
Today’s storm could break St. Cloud’s snowfall record for April 11 of 2.5 inches, set in 1993, Weisman said.
The biggest one-day April snowfall to hit St. Cloud since 1900 was 6.5 inches, set April 28, 1994.
http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080411/NEWS01/104100040/1009

Minneapolis:
Metro storm timeline:
This morning [Fri.]: Rainy mix … then back to snow … still breezy (gusts 25+ mph)
This Afternoon: Sloppy, wet snow … another 1″ – 3″ slush by evening commute
Tonight: Snow showers … still breezy … another 1″+ slush
Saturday: morning flurries … late day clearing
Snow totals in the metro are forecast between 4″ – 8″+
“But NOTE! … the snow will be melting off the bottom as the weight of the top compresses it — that’s why “official totals” (that are measured/cleaned/measured/cleaned/etc) will be higher than what’s in your yard when it’s over on Saturday,” FOX 9 Meteorologist Keith Marler said.
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6263475&version=10&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Scores of schools and some universities are closed or are starting classes late today in central Minnesota where some communities received a foot of snow overnight and 3 to 6 inches of additional snow are expected today.
http://www.startribune.com/local/17545364.html

Blizzard of ’93 (“Storm of the Century”) anyone? Yup, that was a thunder snow. Even Birmingham, AL received over a foot of snow in some areas. I remember our power was out for days! My parents still have tire chain track marks in their drive way from my dad trying to back out of the driveway in his little pickup truck with tire chains (from West Virginia) – he was only able to back up a couple inches because the snow was so deep!

I’m sure it won’t be that bad here in MN since they have lots of snow clearing equipment, but I’m sure it will cause lots of traffic delays on the roads and at the airport Thursday evening and Friday.

We really came up at just the right time to get to see two big snowfalls in two weeks! I’m not being sarcastic either. We were pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to see a big snowfall when we were here in Jan-Feb for four weeks. And it’s not like I really have to go anywhere this weekend (except maybe the big 2008 Tax Cut Rally in St. Ron Paul this Sat.)

Plus, I did buy a nice ice scraper this week that I’ve been wanting to try out. I’d hate to waste $3 on that thing and never use it. Even if I never scrape ice with it, it’s worth having in the car to use as a burglar-beating weapon like this Iowa woman did on Monday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Cedar Rapids police say a woman chased down a burglar, bagged him with an ice scraper and then made him pick up the stolen loot he dropped when he fled.

Here’s a home video of a thunder snow in Massachusetts. Is that really someone standing out in the middle of the storm?

The National Science Foundation even gave a University of Missouri researcher a $460,000 grant to find out when and why they occur. This USAToday piece discuss the research.

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
402 PM CDT WED APR 9 2008

…HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WITH SIGNIFICANT LATE-SEASON ACCUMULATIONS LIKELY ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT…

.A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHANHASSEN FOR A PORTION OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. THE WARNING BEGINS AT 1 PM FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA INCLUDING THE COMMUNITIES OF APPLETON…HUTCHINSON…REDWOOD FALLS…AND ST. CLOUD. THE WARNING BEGINS AT 7 PM FURTHER TO THE NORTH IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA…INCLUDING ALEXANDRIA…LITTLE FALLS…AND MORA. THE WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THIS IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MINNESOTA AND THE U.S. HIGHWAY 8 CORRIDOR IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THE WATCH INCLUDES FAIRMONT…LADYSMITH…RICE LAKE…AND THE TWIN CITIES METROPOLITAN AREA. A WINTER WEATHER HEADLINE WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT OR THURSDAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

A SIGNIFICANTLY HEAVY SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA BEGINNING THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND IS BECOMING MORE LIKELY ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION. THE SNOW MAY INITIALLY BEGIN AS OR BE MIXED WITH RAIN…HOWEVER A TRANSITION TO A WET HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED BY THE MIDDLE OF THURSDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THERE REMAINS UNCERTAINTY ON EXACT PRECIPITATION TYPE DURING THE AFTERNOON IN PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA…INCLUDING THE TWIN CITIES. HOWEVER…THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE ALL SNOW BY THURSDAY EVENING. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO EVOLVE NORTH AND EASTWARD ENCOMPASSING ALL OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN DURING THE EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD LAST THE BETTER PART OF THURSDAY NIGHT AS WELL AS FRIDAY…WITH THE PRIMARY TYPE BEING SNOW. THE ATMOSPHERE APPEARS CONDUCIVE FOR THE SNOWFALL RATES TO BE HEAVY AT TIMES…INCLUDING WITHIN THUNDER SNOW. BY FRIDAY NIGHT…SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF AT LEAST A HALF FOOT ARE ANTICIPATED IN THE WARNING AREA WITH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. WITHIN THE WATCH AREA…SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF SIX INCHES OR MORE IS BECOMING INCREASING LIKELY.

IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS AND THE HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES…GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS MAY LEAD TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW…PRIMARILY IN RURAL OPEN AREAS.

THE HEAVY SNOW IS IN RESPONSE TO A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS THURSDAY TO WISCONSIN ON FRIDAY NIGHT.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. CONSIDERING THE LATE SEASON NATURE OF THIS STORM…ENSURE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE STILL PREPARED FOR WINTER WEATHER.

32 inches of snow in April? Apparently, it’s possible

Iron Range Digging Out After Winter Blast

April really is the cruelest month this year