Friday, June 22, 2012

Duluth Rainfall Breaks 1909 Record; Climate Change Predicted Such Events

Duluth floods. Heaviest rains since 1909.

I've been posting versions of this warning for years:

Then-Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and I attended a conference in Chicago in 2003, hosted by Mayor Richard Daley, where officials from the [George W. Bush-era] EPA told Midwestern elected leaders that climate change models predicted heavier rain events.

The EPA officials were urging the Midwestern leaders to adapt their planning and spending to more aggressively confront storm water and related services because heavier, intense rains were going to be come more frequent.


26 comments:

Anonymous said...

The last major flooding event in Duluth was in 1972 when the alarmism of the day was that we were slipping back into another ice age.

I also predicted that the lack of global warming would increase the frequency of major storms and my theory is now totally vindicated by a random rainstorm in Duluth. I also predict that the lack of global warming will cause droughts, snow, heat, cold and wind, and every where I look I see that I am correct.

I would like to wish James Rowen well as he continues his career as a fiction writer.

Anonymous said...

In Waukesha we don't believe in rain water harvesting as a water conservation measure. To bad.

To bad for Underwood Creek residents too when a Lake Michigan diversion exception has passed.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comic relief, this is way too funny. Here’s a list of more things that are caused by global warming
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm

James Rowen said...

Yes, that storm sure was funny. It killed three motorists in Wisconsin, zoo animals in Duluth and destroyed millions of dollars in property in both states.

Anonymous said...

"
The last major flooding event in Duluth was in 1972 when the alarmism of the day was that we were slipping back into another ice age. "

The Midwest is bigger than Duluth. Today is Duluth's turn to get these floods. Tomorrow it will be your town's.

Anonymous said...

Wow, so there was global warming in 1909 too?

Heavy rain in Duluth equals global warming? Please...

Given that ridiculous theory, We must be in an ice age because it hasn't rained in Waukesha County in a long time.

Anonymous said...

I am really pissed now. I went through all that trouble to reduce my carbon footprint and the Duluth flood still happened. Someone out there is just not doing their part, and if it is you, then you surely have blood on your hands and I hope to hell you now realize that your driving your car to work directly resulted in the death of those poor zoo animals in Duluth.

I believe in global cooling, warming and climate change. said...

Well well well - looks like there's been some migration of right wing commentors from JS online. Tisk tisk - naysayers galore. Good to see James is pushing your buttons.

Regardless if you believe in climate change, global warming or global cooling we must all agree that it's immoral to spew filth into our atmosphere and water. A closed ecosystem that's been altered will bite back with vengeance in many forms.
The only motivation I see for denying that polluting is a immoral action is greed.
If there are other motivations for polluting please expound you deniers you.

Anonymous said...

Now you’ve done it you flat earth, science denying, Rush Limblab Glenn Beck listening, right wing nut Republicriminals. You kept driving your gas guzzling Humvees and living in your large earth destroying houses, recklessly pumping poisonous carbon into the atmosphere and now we have dead zoo animals in Duluth as the result.

When will the madness stop?? STOP THE MADNESS!!! STOP KILLING ZOO ANIMALS!!!! STOP KILLING THE PLANET!!!!

I AM REALLY PISSED THIS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Reagan's Disciple said...

As one of the voices of reason on this blog, I'm wondering if James is really using causation of a Duluth MN rainfall in 2012 to equate to a global rise in temperature of the earth over last 2000+ years.

I think we would be much better served as a society if we try to ban dangerous things like dihydrogen monoxide. Everyone who comes in contact with this deadly mixture dies! And yet I hear no one on the left calling for the ban.

I BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING,, GLOBAL COOLING , CLIMATE CHANGE. AND GLOBAL MADNESS DENYING THIS... said...

June 22, 2012 9:46 a.m. | Lake Country Fire and Rescue has issued a ban on burning for the City of Delafield and Villages of Nashotah and Chenequa.

The ban is in effect until further notice.

Dry conditions have prompted many area fire department to issue similar bans.

Burn baby burn deniers!

Anonymous said...

What you just saw in Duluth is millions of dollars worth of infrastructure washed away. If you think it's funny, then you're an overgrown child, who has no idea how much work it takes to keep you living in your comfortable little bubble.

All of you morons should go visit an engineering school some time. These used to be republican strongholds. Now "republican" is a term of abuse in engineering circles. And you are the reason why.

Anonymous said...

"
The last major flooding event in Duluth was in 1972 when the alarmism of the day was that we were slipping back into another ice age. "

Barry Bonds was scoring home runs before he started on the steroids.

After that, he started scoring lots more. Do you know which of the home runs he scored because of the 'roids ?

RD said...

@anon 10:11.

You do not "score" home runs, you hit them. At least have a grasp of the sport before you try using it as an analogy.

RD said...

@ anon 9:46.

So let's get this straight for all of us "deniers" out there....

Is there global warming because it is dry in Waukesha County, or is there global warming because it is rained really hard in Duluth the other day. Or, do you really not know what you are talking about because you have not been sent your talking points this week?

James Rowen said...

To RD: that old talk radio canard about "dihydrogen monoxide" (H20) fools no one.

Anonymous said...

" At least have a grasp of the sport before you try using it as an analogy.
"

A quick Google search on "score a home run" indicates it is in common usage. If you're going to be pedantic, at least be correct.

"
So let's get this straight for all of us "deniers" out there....""

First answer this: are you really this stupid, or are you just pretending to be ?

15 years ago, climate scientists began warning that global warming would change Midwest rainfall patterns, and instead of good farmer's rain, there will be lots of droughts combined with episodes of torrential rain.

And lo and behold, it's happening.

So, are you really too stupid to understand what was talked about? Or are you just pretending?

RD said...

@anon -

I took you up on your Google challenge... and of course as knew would be the case, you are wrong. Barry Bond HIT home runs, he didn't score them. Google it yourself "how many home runs did Barry Bonds score" and see the responses that come up.

Again, nobody says "I scored a home run" unless your talking in the context of action with a female.

To your second point, where you around in the 70s when according to scientist we were entering an ice age? What happened with that?

Al Gore also predicted more and bigger hurricanes after Katrina and that hasn't happened either.

We had glaciers covering North America. Did burning fossil fuels cause them to melt too?

So you really believe that in a span of 15 years, scientists can predict future rain and weather patterns between Duluth and Waukesha, when they can't even tell me with 50% accuracy if it going to rain this sunday.

And your calling someone else stupid? Give me your email.... I have a bridge to sell you.

Anonymous said...

Let's see:

"Again, nobody says "I scored a home run" unless your talking in the context of action with a female."

Okay, your Google skills are deficient too.

Do as I said: type (with the quotes) "score a home run" into google. Lots of occurrences. Some using the analogy (including the analogy for sex) and some talkng about baseball.



"To your second point, where you around in the 70s when according to scientist we were entering an ice age? What happened with that?"

No, I was not, but unlike you, I can look up events that predate me.

So I know that the concerns expressed were about soot and sulfur dioxide, not carbon dioxide.

And I know, unlike you, apparently, that these are not the same substances, and that these are emissions that Europe and America curtailed greatly in the late 80's and early 90's.

Similarly, I know that the Ozone hole has stabilized ever since we passed the Montreal protocol.


"Al Gore also predicted more and bigger hurricanes after Katrina and that hasn't happened either."

Who the hell is Al Gore?

"So you really believe that in a span of 15 years, scientists can predict future rain and weather patterns between Duluth and Waukesha, when they can't even tell me with 50% accuracy if it going to rain this sunday."

Do you really believe that scientists can tell us that steroids increase muscle mass and strength when they can't tell me with 50% accuracy how the next at-bat will go?

Same deal. Either you really are so stupid you can't understand it, or, as I suspect, you are pretending, for rhetorical reasons.


"And your calling someone else stupid? Give me your email.... I have a bridge to sell you."

I am calling you stupid because either you really don't understand very simple English sentences, or you are pretending, and you deserve to be mocked for this behavior.

Also, for the inane nonsense you spouted above.

Anonymous said...

RD: "And YOUR calling someone else stupid?" "...WHERE you around in the 70s when according to..." your third grade teacher, you should have been paying attention to the proper usage of the words:
• your
• you're
• were
• where

Yes. We are calling you: stupid. Your punctuation is awful, as well.

-HH

Al Gore is right!!! said...

Al Gore scores a home run by correctly predicting the Duluth flood will be caused by the burning of fossil fuels!!!!
I tried to burn one of those fossils once, but could never get it to light.
Stop killing the planet!
Stop killing the zoo animals!!
Stop flushing seals out onto the highway!!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
If you are still driving your car, you are committing a crime against humanity and the planet!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop it, I tell you, and Al Gore tells you!
Stop!
Morons!
Idiots!
Stop!

Boxer said...

Rayguns is the voice of reason on this blog? Now we're really f***ed!

BTW: Do any of you morons understand the term "global" as in global warming or "climate change" as in planetary climate change? What scientists are saying is that global warming, over time and over the entire planet, will affect local areas in ways that differ from place to place. The piece that James cites explains that even small degrees' of warming -- OR COOLING -- will affect weather patterns in ways that can't be anticipated exactly in each locale, for example: Duluth flooding, Waukesha County drought, or Rayguns' backyard (it's raining voter fraud!) but that OVERALL it will cause disruption of the weather patterns we've come to expect in particular places. These overall, sometimes almost imperceptible changes will devastate the flora and fauna of the planet by disrupting eating, reproductive, migratory and population cycles. Plus the human misery: A small boy in Duluth was swept into a drainage pipe nearly a mile long. He survived, but the story could easily have turned out quite differently.

James, you've certainly done your part to put the facts and calm reasoning in front of us. And given every one of these idiots ample opportunity to spout his ignorance on your blog.

I might suggest that next time you have a story or post related to climate change, that you state -- along with the posting of the story -- that people who disagree with climate change, though entitled to their own opinions, are not entitled to their own facts and in the past haven't followed your rules of civil discussion and fact-based comment, and therefore you regretfully won't post any comments on your blog on this subject.

I know I've sunk to name-calling myself a time or two, but honestly, does anyone think the meth addict going by
Al Gore is right!!! really add anything to a discussion on this topic? His post doesn't even make sense. It and others like it are dragging down the GPA of the entire blog.

That, and Rayguns and friends arguing over who is more stupid, and correcting one another's punctuation. As the planet burns . . . . (slowly, over time, remember everybody)

While I enjoy a good argument, it's no fun to listen to, much less read "yes you are" and "no I'm not".

global warming, the faith-based pseudo science said...

The title of Rowens post and the implied suggestion that the Duluth flood or other recent weather events would not have occurred if we didn't burn fossil fuels is what is totally ludicrous and laughable.

The pseudo intellectuals who think they are spouting facts when they talk about “scientists believe” have not kept up with the issue. The anthropomorphic climate change catastrophe scenario has been thoroughly debunked and anyone curious enough to actually investigate the matter will quickly learn that there is not one of the alarmist claims can pass the test of the scientific method.

Yes, there has been a slight increase of overall global temperatures measured in modern times, and yes CO2 is a greenhouse gas, but no, it is not the controlling force of our climate, otherwise we would not experience the documented drops in temperatures at the same time CO2 steadily increased.

I would challenge James Rowen to come up with just one indisputable example of climate change that can only be explained by burning fossil fuels. Rather than flood the website with voluminous speculation, opinion, and ideology; present just one carefully researched, concise, and defendable fact which cannot be disputed by reasonable analysis.

RD said...

I love the lefty name calling that continues when you can't argue the facts. I know... we'll call him stupid, that will show everyone.

Keep it up and you'll get your a## handed to you again in November, just like in the fall 2010, April 11 and June of '12.

Keep Graehme and Tate in there as well. We couldn't ask for better leaders of the Democrat party.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go start up all my small engines and hope for a mild winter in '13.

Boxer said...

. . . so sayeth the self-proclaimed "Voice of Reason", RD, Reagan's Disciple, Rayguns.

Anonymous said...

"I love the lefty name calling that continues when you can't argue the facts. I know... we'll call him stupid, that will show everyone.
"

Ever single factual argument you presented here was debunked and shown to be so inane to be unworthy of a mature adult.

Which is why you were confronted with the question of whether you really are so stupid as to present them, or merely feigning stupidity as a rhetorical gambit.

So apropos arguing the facts, care to try it?

By the way, the latest estimates are that it would take about 100 million dollars to restore everything that was washed away in Duluth. Which means that will probably not happen. That's a lot of damage because of something you think so trivial that you'd prefer to argue about while feigning the maturity of a middle schooler.