Tag Archives: Minnesota

Severe Weather

Heavy snow collapses roof of Metrodome in Minnesota – Video

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Snow starts to pour into the Metrodome as the roof collapses. Watch the amazing video below. (FOX Sports)
Snow starts to pour into the Metrodome as the roof collapses. Watch the amazing video below. (FOX Sports)

The upper Midwest has been pounded my a major winter storm in the past 36 hours that has brought bone chilling cold and heavy snow to the region.  One casualty of the snow was the roof of the home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings as the roof collapsed early this morning under the weight of 17 inches of snow. 

Some areas in the region have seen more than 20 inches of snow and blizzard conditions have persisted as strong winds make things treacherous for travel.  Winter weather warnings and advisories of one sort or another stretch across more than a dozen states from Wisconsin and Michigan down to Alabama and Georgia.

The Minnesota Vikings were originally scheduled to take on the New York Giants today in Minneapolis.  The game was first pushed back to Monday after Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport was closed yesterday stranding the Giants in Kansas City. 

This morning the inflated roof of the Metrodome collapsed for the third time in its history.  The fabric of the dome shredded and snow came pouring onto the field.  Amazing new video released by FOX Sports (see below) shows the sights and sound of the collapse as it happened. 

As for the game between the Giants and Vikings, it will be played tomorrow night at 5:20pm MST at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Denver Broncos don’t have this problem – of course we don’t have a roof on our stadium and for that matter we don’t have any snow either.

National Weather, Natural Disasters

North Dakota & Minnesota brace for widespread flooding

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More than a third of the contiguous United States has an above average flood risk currently. (NOAA) Click on the image for photos from the flood preparations in North Dakota and Minnesota.
More than a third of the contiguous United States has an above average flood risk currently. (NOAA) Click on the image for photos from the flood preparations in North Dakota and Minnesota.

With the Red River continuing to rise and expected to crest at more than 20 feet above flood stage, communities in North Dakota and Minnesota are preparing for widespread flooding. Weather forecasters are expecting that the river may approach the record levels seen just last year, potentially flooding hundreds of square miles.

The filling of sandbags and reinforcing dikes and levees has taken on a sense of urgency along the river.

In Fargo, North Dakota, the Red River was already nearly 13 feet above flood level Wednesday morning – major flood stage by National Weather Service standards. It is forecast to rise seven more feet by Sunday morning.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco warned in a statement that it flooding is likely to be extensive. “It’s a terrible case of déjà vu, but this time the flooding will likely be more widespread. As the spring thaw melts the snowpack, saturated and frozen ground in the Midwest will exacerbate the flooding of the flat terrain and feed rising rivers and streams.”

For more on what President Obama and the governors of those states are doing to help residents, read the complete story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.