Backyard Almanac News Today

Hotter than normal and drier than normal, but still not as bad as last June at this time. Halfway through 2021, that's the June wrap-up. Meanwhile, birds

Last week at this time, we had some record-breaking heat. The National Weather Service in Duluth recorded highs on Friday and Saturday of 94. But on June 7

Was it really only a week ago we broke records with temps of 30º and 29º? And today we're challenging the record high temp of 95º?

The wind has had everything to do with our weather this week; when the winds turn off the big lake, everybody notices. But at least it's not snowing like

The first half of May (remember, lately the first and second halves of the month are dramatically different from one another) wraps up with cooler than

Charles (Chuck) Peterson/Flickr March 2021 will appear on the books as a little warmer than "normal": closer to 34° than 26°.  The precipitation is above normal not only for the month but for 2021 as a whole so far, and the only "below normal" is snowfall. Larrys quick to remind us, though, that in April of 2013, we got 51" of snow! In other news, a cloudy, 25°-ish day with no wind, might not seem too exciting, but thats only if youre looking, and not listening.

A slow walk in the spring woods with Northland naturalist Larry Weber The dean of Northland naturalists offers a lifetime of knowlege on how to appreciate natures seasonal treasures, especially the little ones. 7:00 am, Apr. 3, 2021 × Larry Weber examines the catkins on an alder during a walk near Indian Point campground Monday, March 29, 2021. The stroll demonstrated how many of nature’s little treasures a slow pace and observant eye can reveal. (Steve Kuchera / skuche...

Credit Sharon Mollerus. Used with permission. Whether its a record-breaking 55° or snowflakes the size of drink coasters, March in the Northland is anything but full.   Snowbuntings are heading further north, raptors are on their way up from the south, some beasties are waking up and the syrup is moving in maple trees like the spring fever in our blood.   No wonder they call it "March Madness"! Sunrises will move back to around 7:30am next week, after the advent of Daylight Saving Time Credi...

For Larry Weber, winter is about to arrive. Air temperatures wont break zero through the end of the weekend, overnight lows will be in the double digits below, and the windchill index will hover around that strange point where the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales reach agreement: -40. But there is a silver lining: Larry point out that these cold snaps usually only last about four days.  So thats a mere 100 hours of "polar vortex." KUMD is licensed to the Board of Regents of the University of Mi...

Twelve days of an average temp of  -12˚. 250 straight hours of temps that never got above -2˚. And while we only got two measly record temps out of the cold snap, on the 13th and 14th, Larry Weber says it was still pretty impressive. Not only does he enthuse "I wouldnt have wanted to miss it!", Larry knows that when were sweating through an afternoon on the beach or looking for some shade to park a lawn chair, these days will be the stuff of stories and legend. Listen