Grand plans, Nordic lore, Sconnie culture, and athletic excellence: One reporter’s circuitous adventure to the heart of Hayward, Wisconsin’s storied American Birkebeiner.
13.03.2026 00:59
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Grand plans, Nordic lore, Sconnie culture, and athletic excellence: One reporter’s circuitous adventure to the heart of Hayward, Wisconsin’s storied American Birkebeiner.
Just so confusing tie breaker rules, even for baseball.
I’m far outside the listening area now, but I dearly miss being able to tune into WXPN in Philly for this! The best mix of music and few interruptions.
News: As you might have heard, our Judge and Scorekeeper, with a voice on loan to God, Bill Kurtis, is stepping down from “Wait Wait” at the end of May.
chicago.suntimes.com/arts-and-cul...
My favorite was seeing a top 50ish market TV met with a post about the Strait of Hormuz the other day… holy cow, you are so far out of your league to think you have something to add to a complex geopolitical and economic story.
www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0... Good, balanced reporting on the current state of “digital meteorologists” - popular and not going anywhere in our current media landscape!
Page 2 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: constructive suggestions regarding how the already remarkable institutional efficiency and societal impact of NCAR could be further enhanced through increased (not decreased) federal support in the years to come. Please note: To ensure the highest level of technical rigor, this response focuses exclusively on the core atmospheric and natural hazard science topics within the author’s primary domain of expertise; for this reason, I have omitted a response to Topic 4 (Space Weather)." NCAR weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities a) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as a stand-alone activity. The proposed management of weather-related research as a stand-alone activity is a scientifically regressive path that ignores the fundamental physical reality of the Earth system. Modern atmospheric science has demonstrated (largely, it is worth noting, due to groundbreaking researc
Page 3 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: b) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as combined with other NSF investments/facilities. The highly specialized nature of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) infrastructure represents an extraordinary value proposition that cannot be replicated by combining it with more generalized NSF programs. The NWSC is not a generic high-performance computing (HPC) facility; it is a laboratory uniquely optimized for atmospheric science workflows, with a hardware and storage architecture specifically designed to handle the massive, high-bandwidth data demands of Earth system modeling. Furthermore, its model of providing an excellent, free-at-point-of-use technical support team ensures that the focus remains on the science rather than the overhead of systems administration. This centralized expertise allows individual researchers, smaller labs, and even entire universities—who would otherwi
Page 4 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: NCAR Mesa Lab (located in Boulder, Colorado) a/b) Ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab building for public and private use. Far more than just an office building, NSF NCAR Mesa Lab is an iconic and purpose-built facility designed specifically for the study of atmospheric science. Its position at the physical interface of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Great Plains is a deliberate reflection of its mission, serving as a visible symbol—in an iconically American setting—of the federal government's enduring commitment to science in service of society. For many in the field, including myself, the Mesa Lab holds singular importance as a focal gathering point for the global atmospheric science community. My own early career exposure to weather and Earth system modeling, in fact, occurred within these walls, and I have long felt that the facility’s architecture and location inspire a necessary sense of awe regarding the atmosphere’s complexity a
Page 1 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: Dear Acting Director Stone and the NSF NCAR restructuring team: I am writing to provide a formal response to the Request for Information (RFI) regarding the proposed restructuring of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its critical weather science infrastructure contained within the January 23, 2026 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) entitled “NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure.” I submit these comments in my professional capacity as an atmospheric research scientist within the University of California, where my research focuses on the physics and dynamics of atmospheric processes related to extreme weather events and their role in shifting natural hazard and disaster risk. My perspective is informed by a public-sector career dedicated to bridging the gap between fundamental atmospheric research and real-world application in an academic context, with a particular focus on understanding and mitigating
I just submitted my letter to NSF responding to its proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I argue that doing so would be an astonishing and avoidable misstep, and that federal support for the institution should in fact be *increased.* [1/4]
During his recent state of the city address, Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince detailed physical and financial damages caused by last June's devastating storm, which he said dominated much of what happened in the city last year, and the effects will be felt for years to come.
I’ve watched over a dozen hours of figure skating the past two weeks but NOTHING was quite like this performance! So much fun!
still unclear to me how the species made it this far
“When Liu, 20, decided to return to skating, she did so with conditions. She’d wear what she wants. Dance to the music she wants. Eat what she wants. Take breaks when she wants…. [Skating] would be the vehicle through which she displayed the real Alysa.”
she did it! her! way!!
Hourly forecast for Duluth Intl Airport from NWS weather.gov/forecastpoints
Haha I THINK you should be OK - that flight is always dependent on the plane and crew the night prior but I think things should be manageable… but I will be thinking of ya! Hope it’s all good!
Snowfall forecast showing around 10-17” for Grand Marais, which is near Lutsen Mountains. Source: NWS
OH and also they’re about to get a foot of snow. ☃️ Great winter for skiing!
I’ll take it! We’ve made it to the point of winter where the sun actually helps clean up the driveway after a storm! (Also I am excited for a big storm - we are overdue!)
Mogul run at Lutsen Mountains
View of Lake Superior from Lutsen Mountains
Moguls sign on ski hill
View of Lake Superior from Lutsen Mountains
Fantastic day to ski Lutsen! Temps in the 30s and sunny skies with zero wind. Great conditions!
Stop Guessing, Start Planning.
Ever look at a single snow forecast and think, "But what are the actual odds?"
The Probabilistic Precipitation Portal is a resource to help you get ahead of the storm by moving beyond a single number to give you the full picture. www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/Prob_Precip/
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NCAR represents what is possible when a nation chooses to invest in science as a public good, writes @carlonimbus.bsky.social of @ucs.org. #SaveNCAR eos.org/opinions/wha...
Long overdue to give the 1340 requirements an overhaul! My hope, knowing how slow these standards are to change, is fewer requirements overall. (Though I feel everyone in meteorology should have at least basic understanding of programming.)
What a difference a week can make when it comes to ice cover on ice on Lake Superior! The entire coastline of western Lake Superior was analyzed to have some ice on it on yesterday’s analysis per the North American Ice Service/US National Ice Center. usicecenter.gov/Products/Gre...
Map of current temperatures at 6am Jan 26, 2026 in northeast Minnesota showing observations around -20
Temperatures only in the -20s this morning! The end of the worst of the cold - it (probably) only gets warmer from here as we exit the climatologically coldest time of the year!
Do you appreciate @nws.noaa.gov's posts on Bluesky?
Did you know that this account is a pilot program that may or may not be continued and even expanded to NWS field offices?
NWS is soliciting comments here! www.surveymonkey.com/r/PrototypeN...
Press release:
www.weather.gov/media/notifi...
Map of 6am Wed Jan 21 temperatures in Duluth Minnesota area
Map of 6am Wed Jan 21 temperature around Philadelphia PA
Not too often that temperatures in Duluth are similar to those of my hometown (near Philly) in January! Especially when those temps are in the single digits!
A beautiful morning on the south shore of Lake Superior!
This is light-hearted and doesn't touch on cases of fuckaroundits, but maybe it'll spark joy. Mid 90s local PBS.
youtu.be/oiSzwoJr4-0
Some fun reading for your weekend!
The first edition of the Wisconet Rewind is now live! Dive in to this ESRI Story Map, revisiting some of the weather extremes we measured in 2025.
storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9a9d...
2025 was the fourth warmest year on record for the USA
www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/nationa...
Ha yup, just caught that. Clay said too many local stories to share that got preempted by the press conference early in the program.
Really confused especially considering the Sunday night video from Chair Powell. Seem like a very relevant program to be airing?! It’s on the schedule?
solar won't work here, it's only useful in really sunny areas of the world like Britain
I have a theory about this. Regular people want tech to reduce our real-life burdens: cooking, errands, dishes, and definitely laundry. Rich tech bros already have "staff" to take care of all that for them, so they don't care. 1/
