Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I know that I haven't written about the weather yet this winter, as last winter was pretty bad and there were seemingly endless updates on snow. What can I say, that was a record setting winter here in Iowa. However, that was then and this is now.

So far this winter, we are ahead of the snow depths that we had in 2007-2008. With almost 20 inches more snow than this time last year, the real record breaker is the cold. Thursday's low of -26 broke the old record from 1888 of -25 and on Friday, we tied the record of -30 set the same year.

It is really hard for me to imagine how Dubuquers were able to handle those temps in 1888. I know that most did, but I can only imagine how hard it was. They didn't have Thinsulate(invented in 1978), fiberglass insulation (first used in 1930's), electric heaters and blankets (1920's). I know that people dressed in wool, fur and down clothing, but it still was a lot harder. Heck, I am willing to bet that most people stayed indoors as much as possible rather than taking a chance of catching pneumonia or getting frostbitten. However, even with all of the advancements of the modern era, it was still pretty hard to deal with.

Now that it is in the 20-30 degree range above zero, it feels like a heatwave

Flood of 2008 - An Update On Us

I know that there are a lot of you that have expressed a concern as to how we are doing and if we are experiencing the floods, tornados, etc.

So far, we are doing pretty well here in Dubuque. While we are being inundated with an enormous amount of rain, we are fairly lucky. I think that our luck has more to do with the geography of the area more so than anything else. For those that do not know, Dubuque is situated in a hilly area, complete with a lot of steep bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River below.


There are a lot of roads that are closed because of the flood waters. One of those closures has affected Dubuque in a rather interesting way. US Interstate 80, one of the most traveled interstate highways in this country is shut down between Des Moines and Davenport. All traffic has been re-routed to US Highway 20 through Dubuque. This has caused a lot of congestion and adds anywhere between four and six hours to a trip from Davenport to Des Moines. I don't think that I will be taveling anywhere on this highway until the closure of I-80 has been fixed.

The Cedar River, which runs through Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls, and the Des Moines River are really getting hammered. Not to say that the Mississippi and Maquoketa Rivers here in Dubuqueland aren't getting their share, but I don't think that the flooding is as bad here as it is to the west a few miles.

As far as tornados are concerned, there have been numerous watches the last few days and weeks, but nothing more than some straightline winds of 80MPH that we had a few days ago. Again, probably more attibutable to the geography of the area, but who knows.

While I am talking about tornados, I would like to ask for you all to keep the Boy Scouts from Camp Little Sioux and their families in prayer, as well as all of those that have been hit by tornados.

Though we are expecting some more nasty weather tonight and Sunday, the rest of next week appear to be rain free. One can only hope that this is the case so the rivers and streams here can go down some before we start getting more rain and flooding.

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Image © copyright 2008 Tracy Huff~Carlson. More photos on the flood by Tracy here

Where are the 'Chicken Littles" Now?

This winter is one for the record books, and not just here in Dubuque. Winter records are being tied and (more often than not) shattered all around the globe and yet it is not being reported on the same level as those reports about Global Warming.

• China reports coldest winter in 100 years;

• Antarctic sea ice is at record levels;

• Snow falls in Middle East;

• Record cold in South America, Australia and Greece to name a few.

While the talking heads of the likes of the Weather Channel's Heidi Cullen and former US Vice President Al Gore are pushing their agenda for Global Warming, they are in the middle of a backpedal because the latest reports show that the earth is actually cooling. These reports are not just hypothetical or even projections, but hard-core readings from the scientific community showing that the earth's recent cooling trend (-.7 degrees) pretty wipes out everything the Global Warming kooks have been able to attribute to greenhouse gasses and man's ultimate demise.

So, what does this mean? The end of Global Warming? A pending Ice Age? Neither and both. I have sided for years with those that espouse the theory that the climate is cyclical and that there is little that man can do to change that. As I was born and raised in the desert Southwestern US, I remember years when we would have floods that were so bad the bridges would wash out and areas of our communities would be cut off by the normally dry washes running bank to bank. I also remember years when it was so dry that the lakes would practically dry up completely.

History shows us, even the casual observer, that the climate cycles. Late 1800's cold, early 1900's warm and dry (remember the Dust Bowl?). Early 1970's cold. Early 2000's hot. Seems to me every 30 years the temps fluctuate from one extreme to the other. I am just a casual observer though, not a scientific scholar.

Then again, there are a lot of us non-scientific types out there that have come up with some pretty ingenious theories that proved to be be remarkable life changers (eg. Christoper Columbus, Thomas Edison) and there are those that are still seen as quacks of the likes of Darwin and Freud. Famous one and all.

The following articles were used in preparation of this post: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289

http://www.dailytech.com/Temperature+Monitors+Report+Worldwide+Global+Cooling/article10866.htm

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080227/D8V2CFRO0.html