Comfortable temperatures expected to follow rainy Monday

Do we have technology to control or weaken hurricanes? No, not yet. Between 1962 and 1983 the U.S. government funded Project Stormfury with flights into hurricanes, seeding storms with silver iodide. The goal was to create a larger “eyewall,” the doughnut of thunderstorms surrounding the calm eye, where winds blow the strongest. Good idea but it didn’t work.

What about nuking a hurricane? Consider that hurricanes get their energy from warm water. Heating water to a temperature tens of millions of degrees Fahrenheit could easily strengthen the storm beyond recognition, with a plume of radioactivity extending thousands of miles downwind. Definition of a bad idea. Other theories: spread oil in the path of a hurricane to reduce evaporation. Not practical. We don’t have the energy sources to tame hurricanes and probably never will.

Monday’s soaker will be history when comfortable sunshine moves in Tuesday. A few showers return Wednesday night but the weekend looks cool and dry: 70s this week, 80s next week. I suspect we’ll see more 90s for the Minnesota State Fair.