MPR: Jet Streaming

Icy snow in the High Sierra is liquid gold for California's water supply this summer. Elissa Lynn, senior meteorologist with the California Department of Water Resources gives us the latest on drought potential there. We'll also update the spring flood outlook for the Red River Valley with Steve Buan with NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. You can learn more about drought planning and mitigation at our Website of the Week of http://www.drought.unl.edu/ from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

World weather ran the gamut this week -- from snow in the desert to rain on the frozen tundra and then to the worst wildfires ever in Australia. But a new study just released says the real snowbirds are moving north and John Flicker of the Audubon Society tells us why. And NOAA unveiled its new format for relaying El Nino/La Nina watches and advisories, as we hear from Mike Halpert from the Climate Prediction Center. Keep up with the first severe storms of the 2009 season at our Website of the Week from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center at www.spc.noaa.gov

The big question in Alaska these days is whether the restless Redoubt volcano will erupt. We ask volcanologist Richard Wunderman why volcanoes can be the wild card in weather and climate. Jet Streaming listeners are reporting February flocks of robins in their back yards -- why are they here and how do other animals react to changes in weather and climate? Canada's premiere climatologist David Phillips weighs in with some answers. Get your one-stop shopping on volcanoes, earthquakes, floods and more from the U.S. Geological Survey on our Website of the Week at http://www.usgs.gov/

A new NOAA study grabbed headlines this week with the findings that some climate change effects may already be irreversible. We talk with the study's author, Dr. Susan Solomon, on what choices are left to us in the fight against global warming. And what's it like to study weather at 10,000 feet on top of a mountain? We find out from Dr. Gannet Hallar of the Storm Peak Laboratory -- and it's our Website of the Week, too, at http://stormpeak.dri.edu/

A new year brings a new administration to Washington D.C. and a new approach to climate change. We'll take the temperature in the Capitol with Dr. Pei-Yei Whung of the Environmental Protection Agency. And while arctic air may spell trouble for some, Fred Haberman tells us it's very welcome at the worlds largest pond hockey tournament coming up this weekend on Minnesota's Lake Nokomis. Learn a new weather word and check out what our what our weather neighbors to the north are enjoying at our Website of the Week at http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html

The coldest week of the year climatologically is living up to its icy reputation across the U.S. The cold is just an inconvenience for some, but Janice Goodger of Duluth, Minnesota survived in frigid temperatures against the odds. She tells us her amazing survival story. And Dr. Aaron Burnett of St. Paul's Regions Hospital updates us on how to stay healthy during a Minnesota winter. Our Webnsite of the Week is from the University of Minnesota's Academic Health Services with tips on winter season skin care at http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/topics/frostbite/home.html

The 2008 sun beamed the fewest sunspots in nearly a century over planet Earth. Space weather expert Doug Biesecker tells us what happened and what we can expect in 2009. Plus, political change here on Earth means climate change action is coming soon. David Wascow of Oxfam America tells us what to expect in 2009 and beyond. And get a bird's eye view of all things weather with our Website of the Week from NOAA at www.noaawatch.gov

The Jet Streaming crews rings out with the old year with the top weather stories of 2008 -- including massive floods, record tornadoes and an active hurricane season -- and looks ahead to what kind of weather might greet us in 2009. And we check in with 89.3 The Current's Mark Wheat on what kind of weather music will greet the new year as well. Happy New Year from all of us here at Jet Streaming!

From Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, it's a White Christmas this year. Just like those holiday presents, holiday music comes in many shapes and sizes and the theme for many holiday songs is the weather! MPR's 89.3 The Current host Mark Wheat joins the Jet Streaming crew this week to sample his picks for some of the more interesting holiday weather tunes!

How does the wintery landscape affect the way retailers plan for the holidays? Rachael Tobin with Intelligent Nutrients tells us how winter weather makes businesses plan ahead. Wondering why are the skies especially brilliant this winter? We scan past the clouds for the answers with Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium. Keep up with the record-setting low temps around the nation on our Website of the Week -- Anything Weather at www.anythingweather.com