KELOLAND.com Blogs

So because the weather has been so nice and quiet lately I thought I would post a short video blog about the camera we specifically use for taping our video blogs. You will learn all about it in the video.  I also wanted to mention that if you ever have any weather video to send us you can use our uShare gallery or you can just email it to us at stormcenter@keloland.com.  If you are ever having trouble getting it to us just send us an email at that same address and we will help you out.

Tony

 

Sioux Falls airport has embarked on a major redevelopment project. It includes a renovation of the terminal building, and improvements to the runway area. The project will make a great “first impression” on visitors who land in Sioux Falls for the first time.

Architect's rendering of renovations at Sioux Falls airport. (And a depiction of how many residents will use Sioux Falls airport if things don't change.)

To pay for the project, the airport authority intends to impose a $4.50 facility fee on airline tickets. That is certainly not a huge amount compared to the fees charged by other airports I have visited, especially when many (unlike Sioux Falls) have degraded to the condition of bus terminals. But as things are right now, I may never have to pay that fee – because prices set by the major airlines serving Sioux Falls have forced me to take my business to other airports.

Previously, I have written about the dramatic cost savings by driving to catch a flight in Omaha, because competition (mainly from Southwest) keeps air fares there very low.

Now, as I find myself needing to take a trip to Atlanta in January, I have realized that driving to ANY airport in the Midwest will result in better fares than those charged in Sioux Falls.

Here are the actual, lowest fares posted on the web for a round trip flight to Atlanta on Saturday, January 16, returning Wednesday, January 20. Flying on Saturday and Wednesday gives the airlines every benefit, because those are two of the cheapest days of the week on which to fly. Examining the numbers, I was not surprised that it is significantly more expensive to fly out of Sioux Falls than Omaha or Minneapolis. But I was amazed to find that it is much cheaper to fly to Atlanta on those dates by driving to airports in Sioux City, Fargo, or even Rapid City!

---Cheapest round trip fares (taxes and fees included) to Atlanta from six Midwest cities on Jan 16, 2010, returning Jan 20, 2010. Fares posted as of 10 AM on November 4, 2009:

                        Delta                            United             

FSD                566.91                         568.00

OMA               358.59                         346.90            

MSP                224.20                         245.40

SUX                459.80                         -

FAR                 360.40                         480.00

RAP                 320.40                         367.00

Out of curiosity, I checked the price by flying the route backwards, from Atlanta to Sioux Falls on those same dates. Delta charges $20 dollars less for that route. It seems like the only way to get affordable air fares out of Sioux Falls is by visiting one of the destinations Allegiant serves.

I am not a penny-pincher trying to squeeze a nickel. I am not opposed to paying extra money to use Sioux Falls airport. But when the additional cost to “fly local” is in the hundreds of dollars, I object and vote by packing my baggage in my car – and taking my travel business elsewhere.

The International Weather Forum (Forum International de la Meteo, en francais) is an annual event that is held (mostly) in Paris. 

It is a great place for forecasters and television weather presenters to come together to discuss the profession.

I have been to Paris many times, but there are a few things that I always do because they reinforce what I find so great about the city. I insist on doing a lot of walking, because it is not only a good way to get the feel of Paris, but the exercise and sunlight help ward off jet lag.

A few of the records that we broke today and last night.... More records will likely be broken tonight and with the snow coming.  Stay tuned for more details on the coming snow for Sunday and Monday.
Tony


...RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES BROKEN AT HURON AND SIOUX FALLS  
SOUTH DAKOTA...  
 
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN SIOUX FALLS WAS ONLY 37  
DEGREES. THIS BREAKS THE COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE DATE OF   
39 DEGREES SET IN 1970.  
 
IN HURON...THE AFTERNOON HIGH WAS ONLY 35 DEGREES...BREAKING THE   
RECORD COLDEST HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 40 DEGREES SET IN 1919.  

A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 0.2 INCHES WAS SET AT ABERDEEN YESTERDAY. THIS   
BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF A TRACE SET IN 1985.

A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 11 DEGREES WAS SET AT RAPID CITY AIRPORT SD TODAY.   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 20 SET IN 1985.

Météo-France in Toulouse is hosting the European Meteorological Society's Annual Conference.  And KELOLAND Chief Meteorologist Jay Trobec gave a presentation illustrating the science behind television weathercasts in South Dakota.

Use the video player below to watch a short clip.

Chief Meteorologist Jay Trobec shares more from his travels overseas in the video below.

This is a short video of some behind the scenes footage when Jim Fowler of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom stopped by KELOLAND This Morning Saturday on September 26th.  Oh and when you watch, it was the skunk that got clunked on the way into the studio!  It was very fun to meet and talk with Jim about the animals he is so passionate about. Thanks to our super P.A. Derek for shooting the video. Enjoy!

We received some reports on the night of Saturday September 19th of a strange light over Aberdeen.  It appears we may have found the answer.  Thank you so much to Dave A. for all of this excellent information!  The experiement put a bright light in the sky that apparently changed colors at times.

Here is a picture of what people saw:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/viamoi/3935870956/

Twitter was active with the strange light talk as well!
http://twitter.com/search?q=light+in+sky

Finally here is the Explanation!

From NASA:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/CARE.html

A rocket experiment that may shed light on the highest clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere was conducted from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on September 19, 2009. The experiment was launched on a NASA Black Brant XII Sounding Rocket.

 The Charged Aerosol Release Experiment (CARE) was conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Department of Defense Space Test Program using a NASA four-stage Black Brant XII suborbital sounding rocket. Using ground based instruments and the STP/NRL STPSat-1 spacecraft, scientists will study an artificial noctilucent cloud formed by the exhaust particles of the rocket’s fourth stage at about 173 miles altitude.

Ground based cameras and radars were based at various observation stations along the Atlantic coast and in Bermuda. Because of the optical observations, the launch required clear skies not only at Wallops but also at the multiple observation stations.

The Spatial Heterodyne IMager for MEsospheric Radicals instrument on the STPSat-1 spacecraft will track the CARE dust cloud for days or even months. The SHIMMER instrument has previously viewed natural noctilucent clouds for the past two years. The CARE is the first space viewing of an artificial noctilucent cloud.

Data collected during the experiment will provide insight into the formation, evolution, and properties of noctilucent clouds, which are typically observed naturally at high latitudes. In addition to the understanding of noctilucent clouds, scientists will use the experiment to validate and develop simulation models that predict the distribution of dust particles from rocket motors in the upper atmosphere.

Natural noctilucent clouds, also known as polar mesospheric clouds, are found in the upper atmosphere as spectacular displays that are most easily seen just after sunset. The clouds are the highest clouds in Earth’s atmosphere, located in the mesosphere around 50 miles altitude.

They are normally too faint to be seen with the naked eye and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the Earth’s surface is in darkness.

A team from government agencies and universities, led by the Naval Research Laboratory, is conducting the experiment. In addition to the Naval Research Laboratory, participants include the DoD STP, NASA, University of Michigan, Air Force Research Laboratory, Clemson University, Stanford University, University of Colorado, Penn State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Haystack Observatory.